Curated OER
Women in the Civil War: Ladies, Contraband and Spies
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. For this American Civil War lesson, students research diaries, letters, and photographs of women involved in the war.
Curated OER
American Civil War Summary
For this Civil War worksheet, students research key facts about the American Civil War and fill out an information chart about the cause, turning point, heroes, strategy, costs, deaths and end results.
Curated OER
"In Defense of My Race and Country": African-American Soldiers on Why They Are Fighting
Why would an African-American slave fight in the Civil War? Read and analyze primary source documents to understand the ex-slave perspective on fighting in the Union Army. Everything to complete this lesson is included.
Curated OER
Literature Study of the Civil War Era
Learn more about the Civil War. Young scholars will choose a novel based on the Civil War to learn more about the viewpoints of that time period. They will then discuss the roles of the members of a Literature Circle and then participate...
Curated OER
The Called Themselves the K.K.K.; The Birth of an American Terrorist Group
How did Ku Klux Klan develop and flourish in the US? How did the government respond to acts of terrorism conducted by the KKK following the Civil War? How does the government respond to acts of terrorism today? This resource launches a...
Curated OER
Black Kentuckians and the Civil War
Students demonstrate how the American Civil War affected black Kentuckians socially and politically. They identify and discuss the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which forced the end of slavery in Kentucky months after the...
Curated OER
Similarities and Differences Between the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War
Fifth graders describe three similarities and three differences between the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War. They play a game comparing the two wars.
Curated OER
The American Civil War
In this American history worksheet, students learn about the American Civil War. They first read a 2 page explanation of the war and events that took place. Students then answer 9 questions pertaining to the information they just read....
Curated OER
African Americans in the Civil War
Students examine the contributions of African American soldiers during the Civil War. In pairs, they complete Civil War timeline worksheets. They use character cards to assume the identities of African Americans and determine whether or...
San Francisco Symphony
American Civil War Songs
Learners will compare and contrast two songs from the Civil War era, one from the North and one from the South. They'll write a comparative essay on their songs, and then compare their essays and songs with others in their small groups....
C3 Teachers
Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Can Words Lead to War?
"Words, words, words." Despite Hamlet's opinion, words can be significant. In this inquiry lesson, middle schoolers learn how the words in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, in the view of many, lead to the American Civil War. To...
Curated OER
American Civil War Lesson Plans
Civil War lesson plans can get students thinking about, and discussing issues related to history, politics, and even photography.
Curated OER
The People of the Civil War
Fifth graders complete a two week unit on the American Civil War. They complete a Venn diagram, watch a video, make butter, write journal entries, write a letter to a Civil War leader, and create a newspaper.
Curated OER
African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...
National Gallery of Art
The First African American Regiment
Young historians examine a memorial sculpture of the first African American regiment in the Civil War, and then compare how the experiences of the regiment are portrayed in letters and poetry, as well as in the motion picture, Glory.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
From Alabama Farmer to Civil War Soldier
As part of a study of the Civil War, class members conduct a WebQuest to create a timeline of battles fought by the 10th Alabama Infantry Regimen. They then use Google Earth to pinpoint these battles of the Civil War on a map of Alabama.
MCHS Early US History
Ken Burn’s Civil War, Episode 1: The Cause
Ken Burn's epic documentary miniseries The Civil War, broadcast in 1990, was the most-watched PBS program ever. A question sheet helps viewers keep track of events in the first episode of the documentary.
University of California
The Civil War: Lincoln’s Speeches
Abraham Lincoln is responsible for uniting the states during the most tumultuous periods in American history, and for his elegant oratory that kept the Union believing in its cause. Young histoians analyze various speeches by America's...
Middle Tennessee State University
A House Divided: The Civil War Home Front in Tennessee
To broaden their understanding of both the short term and long terms effects of the Civil War, class groups examine primary source materials and then assume the role of a family member and draft a letter to a soldier describing life at...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Convict Leasing in Alabama: a System That Re-Enslaved Blacks After the Civil War
The post-Civil War convict leasing program, rarely covered in textbooks, is the focus of a lesson that asks class members to use information drawn from primary source documents to assess the program. While the focus is on Alabama's...
Center for History Education
Lincoln and the Republicans: The Cause of the War?
In today's political rhetoric, many forget the pivotal role the Republican Party played in the causes of the Civil War. The party's formation was the final straw for Southerners who saw the enslavement of people of African descent a...
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch
Students examine the photographs of Mathew Brady. In this Civil War lesson, students analyse primary source photographs from the Civil War. Students will be able to describe specific events and what life might be like during the Civil War.
Curated OER
Homeschooling Chronicles: Making The Civil War Come Alive
The Civil War is a complex topic that students can study in a variety of ways, including watching a reenactment.
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs: What Do You See?
A study of an image from The Library of Congress collection Civil War Photographs 1861-1865 launches an investigation of the connection between the Civil War and American industrialization. After analyzing “Petersburg, Va. The...