PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Fourteenth Amendment Part Ii
In this video segment from The Supreme Court, learn about the 1883 Supreme Court decision that marked the end of federal protections for individuals in states and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Civil Conflict: The Corwin Amendment
Web page on the proposed Corwin Amendment which, if ratified, would have forbade Congress from interfering with states' right to make decision to slavery. Site contains textual information, video [3:28], and fun facts for students.
Other
Karpeles: Emancipation Proclamation Amendment to the Constitution
A copy and transcription of the 13th Amendment which ended slavery. The sidebar gives a brief overview of emancipation and what led to this amendment.
Library of Congress
Loc: African American Odyssey: Reconstruction and Its Aftermath
Part of a virtual exhibit by the Library of Congress, this site details the effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction on the newly freed slaves. It contains photographs of artwork and a map from the period.
Curated OER
National Park Service: Andrew Johnson Historic Site: Fourteenth Amendment
The complete text of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Read Works
Read Works: Lincoln and the 13th Amendment to End Slavery
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief history of the official end to slavery in America, the 13th Amendment. A paired passage is part of this module, along with a lower level passage with related...
iCivics
I Civics: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court decision that determined that Dred Scott, having lived in a free territory, was not entitled to his freedom. Students learn about the impact of the Court's decision, and how it was...
PBS
Pbs News Hour: Your Safety and Security or Your Civil Liberties Lesson
The object of this lesson is to take a look at the USA Patriot Act and the controversies around the Act. Does the Patriot Act defy our Civil Liberties? This lesson will explore that question and more.
A&E Television
History.com: Black History Milestones
A detailed account of the history of African Americans is presented in this article. Divided by main topics or periods of time, the coming of slavery to America is the first focus. Followed by plantation life and escapes to freedom and...
University of Maryland
Department of History: Freedmen and Southern Society Project
Collection of primary documents that depict the social revolution and drama of the Emancipation in the words of the participants. Includes the voices of liberated slaves and defeated slaveholders, soldiers and civilians, common folk and...
The History Cat
The History Cat: Reconstruction Era
Describes what the South was like after the Civil War ended. Many places were in ruins and people were desperately poor with many being homeless. Social structures had collapsed now that slaves had been freed. The Reconstruction era...
Ohio History Central
Ohio History Central: Radical Republicans
A good description of the beginnings of the Republican Party before the Civil War, and the transformation to Radical Republicanism during Reconstruction as they attempted to guarantee equal rights for African Americans. Information is...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Moving Toward Equality Under Law
As new free and slave states were admitted to the Union prior to the Civil War, political divisions kept growing, despite attempts to balance the numbers of each. The South pushed for slavery to expand westward, while anti-slavery...
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The 13th Amendment
An original 13th amendment restricting lawyers from serving in government that was supposedly ratified in 1819 and removed from the U.S. Constitution during the Civil War.
Texas State Library and Archives Commission
Texas State Library and Archives Commission: The 1860s: The Civil War and the End of Slavery
What is the origin of the Texas holiday Juneteenth? Here is a brief article on how this day is connected to the Emancipation Proclamation and the freeing of slaves in the South.
Other
University of Delaware: Abraham Lincoln: A Bicentennial Celebration
Commemorating Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday, this exhibition provides several documents and photographs remembering the President's life. Resources cover his political career, slavery, the civil war and his assassination.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Citizens: African American Identity: 1865 1917
Discusses the efforts of African Americans to be recognized as equal citizens after the Civil War, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Includes links to supplemental information.
Virginia History Series
Virginia History Series: Virginia State History Reconstruction to 1900 [Pdf]
Much of Virginia was devastated after the Civil War so a period of rebuilding commenced. Follow Reconstruction through the different plans, the effects on African-Americans and the South. This slideshow has pictures,charts, and maps to...
Internal Revenue Service
Irs: Income Tax Issues Lesson Plan
This lesson plan will help students understand how and why a federal income tax was implemented by Congress during the Civil War and in 1913.
Other
University of Western Georgia: Reconstruction in the South
An excellent distillation of the many issues addressed in the Reconstruction period in the South in the twelve years after the end of the Civil War.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Restoring the Union
Read this section from a chapter on "The Era of Reconstruction" to learn about Lincoln's plan to restore the Union at the end of the Civil War. Students will be able to discuss the tenets of Radical Republicanism and analyze the success...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Empire Building
[Free Registration/Login Required] A lengthy essay about American focus on foreign affairs after the Civil War, expanding particularly in the late 19th century. Read about U.S. exploits in the Caribbean, Latin America, and the Pacific...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Booker T. Washington: Orator, Teacher, and Advisor
Through two primary source activities and watching a short video, learners will learn about Booker T. Washington's commitment to African American education, and assess his ideas about how to achieve equality for African Americans in the...
C3 Teachers
C3 Teachers: Inquiries: Emancipation
A learning module on the emancipation of African American slaves after the Civil War. It includes several supporting questions accompanied by formative tasks and source materials, followed by a summative performance task. Students will...