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Handout
Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma Historical Society: General Douglas H. Cooper, c.s.a. [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
A scholarly biography of a Confederate General who fought against the Union in the area of Texas and utilized the various Indian nations to help in his cause.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: History of Us: Fatal Contradiction: Missouri Compromise [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" that examines the goal of the Missouri Compromise. A good lesson plan for comparing and contrasting life in the North and South in the run-up to the...
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Website
University of Virginia

Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Foreign Affairs

For Students 9th - 10th
Scroll through this discussion of Franklin Roosevelt's attention to foreign policy during his several terms in office to "Confronting Germany and Japan" and "Descent into War." Here you will find out about the United States' position of...
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Handout
PBS

Pbs: Africans in America: Slavery and the Origins of the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An article by Columbia University historian Eric Foner that discusses how long-standing views of the role of slavery in America began to be challenged during the civil rights era of the 1960s by a new generation of historians, whose work...
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Website
Library of Virginia

Death or Liberty: John Brown's Raid

For Students 9th - 10th
The Library of Virginia details John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry as a prelude to the U.S. Civil War. Content also lists various records and resources regarding John Brown's Raid held in the library.
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PPT
Tom Richey

Tom richey.net: The Crisis of the Union (1850 1860) [Ppt]

For Students 9th - 10th
Presents key ideas for examining the events and issues that led to the American Civil War.
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Northern Homefront

For Students 5th - 8th
The military-industrial complex thrived in the North during the Civil War, but read about how inflation affected the ordinary worker. See how the role of women expanded to fill in for men who were away fighting. Women also had an impact...
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Handout
The History Cat

The History Cat: The First Battle of Bull Run

For Students 9th - 10th
Explains what happened at the initial Battle of Bull Run, the first significant battle of the Civil War. This battle was an eye-opener for both sides, as rifles were now replacing the less accurate muskets, causing more casualties and...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

National Park Service: The Significance of the Dred Scott Trial

For Students 9th - 10th
In this article from "The Old Courthouse" by Donald Dosch the facts of the Dred Scott decision are laid out. Read why the outcome of the case fanned the embers of the coming Civil War.
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Article
University of Groningen

American History: Essays: Black Lost Cause: Implications of Colored Service

For Students 9th - 10th
Discusses the difficulties involved in developing a true picture of how many African Americans actively supported the Confederate cause.
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Unit Plan
Department of Defense

Do Dea: Ap Us History: Unit 8: An Age of Confidence and Anxiety

For Students 9th - 10th
This extensive learning module examines the United States' response to the global uncertainty and instability that followed World War II and the ways that marginalized groups challenged discrimination, and the counter-responses to their...
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Handout
US Department of State

U.s. Department of State: Decades of Change: 1960 1980

For Students 9th - 10th
Summary of the rise of cultural and ethnic pluralism that took place in America between 1960 -1980 causing major social change. Included were such movements as civil rights, women, Latino, Native-American, counterculture,...
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Pottawatomie Creek Massacre

For Students 5th - 8th
John Brown, seeking revenge for the sack of Lawrence, Kansas, made Kansas even more bloody. Read about the Pottawatomie Massacre and its reverberations throughout Kansas.
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Handout
Forum Romanum

Outlines of Roman History: Reforms of Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus

For Students 9th - 10th
This chapter in William Morey's 1901 text discusses the land reforms of the Gracchi brothers. Find out how well they worked and the problems they caused.
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Primary
Lumen Learning

Lumen: American Literature: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the text and audio of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, an anti-slavery novel published in 1852, that was said to "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War." It was the best-selling novel of the 19th...
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Lesson Plan
US National Archives

Docsteach: Reasons for Westward Expansion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners will examine a variety of documents that reference reasons why Americans living in the East migrated west of the Mississippi immediately before, during, and right after the Civil War. Documents cover the mining industry, new...
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Handout
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: Wartime Diplomacy

For Students 5th - 8th
Both the North and South wanted the British and French to support their cause. Read about cotton diplomacy, which the South used to court both Britain and France. See how the North was tied to Great Britain. Find out why both European...
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Website
University of Missouri

Famous Trials: The Dakota Conflict Trials of 1862

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers an in-depth study of the 1862 Sioux uprising. The framed web pages offer a chronology of the uprising , a cartoon history, pages of maps, biographies of key figures, accounts of the trials and the execution, an...
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Unit Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Life in North & South 1847 1861: Before Brother Fought Brother

For Teachers 6th - 8th
The five lessons in this unit are designed to help students develop a foundation on which to understand the basic disagreements between North and South through the investigation of primary source documents, photographs, and census...
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Lesson Plan
White House Historical Association

White House Historical Association: Thence Forward, and Forever Free

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Informational text and lesson plan for grades 9-12 tracing Abraham Lincoln's battle against slavery from the time he was in the Illinois State Legislature through his presidency and writing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
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Handout
Nebraska Studies

Nebraska Studies: Kansas Nebraska Act Signed

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a narrative detailing the signing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 and the controversy that grew from it.
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Fredrick Douglass

For Students 9th - 10th
Selected (11) reading passages (grades 7-11) to pair with the autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass" by Fredrick Douglass. Frederick Douglass recounts his experiences as a slave in Maryland, and his treatment at the...
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Lesson Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Grade 7 Social Studies: Slavery Compromise

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students develop and express claims through discussions and writing which compare and contrast how the early compromises over slavery, including their effectiveness and impact on different regions of the United States.
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Handout
Digital History

Digital History: September 11, 2001

For Students 9th - 10th
This site has a comprehensive overview of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., including information on Osama bin Laden's background, the formation of Al Qaeda, the attacks themselves, the US response, civil liberties and national...