07: Civil War

07: Civil War

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“Corner Stone” Speech - Alexander Stephens 1861
“Corner Stone” Speech - Alexander Stephens 1861

In this speech the vice president of the Confederate States of America establishes the foundation of the nation he was helping to create. That foundational truth is that "the negro is not equal to the white man" Teachers can cut a couple sentences from this speech or even a paragraph or two because is it easily accessible to high school students. It can also be used to refute any idea that the Civil War was fought over tariffs economic policy.

Scholars of slavery and the Civil War will find here that Stephens supports Lincoln's argument that the founding fathers anticipated the end of slavery.

“Corner Stone” Speech - Alexander Stephens 1861
History Doesn’t Follow Formulas. Why history can’t be reduced to static… | by Ed Ayers | New American History | Jul, 2020 | Medium
History Doesn’t Follow Formulas. Why history can’t be reduced to static… | by Ed Ayers | New American History | Jul, 2020 | Medium
This is perhaps too long for high school students to read, though just the same it might be worth the effort. It might more easily be adapted by having teachers read it and present a short explanation of it to students. At the very least, this is a "must read" for teachers not only because it describes how the understanding of the Civil War has changed over time, but it shows that the teaching of "how the story is told" is much better for students than just teaching a story
History Doesn’t Follow Formulas. Why history can’t be reduced to static… | by Ed Ayers | New American History | Jul, 2020 | Medium
Costs of Major US Wars
Costs of Major US Wars
Who needs textbooks with materials like the Congressional Research Service report on the Costs of Major US Wars. Any part of this 8 page document can be used with students, or even just the chart that compares financial costs for every American War. Have students explore and investigate - let them find the questions
Costs of Major US Wars
Homestead Act (1862)
Homestead Act (1862)
Passed on May 20, 1862, the Homestead Act accelerated the settlement of the western territory by granting adult heads of families 160 acres of surveyed public land for a minimal filing fee and 5 years of continuous residence on that land.
Homestead Act (1862)
Ex parte Merryman - 1861
Ex parte Merryman - 1861
Decision in famous Civil War case in which Justice Roger Taney argued that Habeus Corpus could not be suspended in war time, though Lincoln and the US Army ignored this ruling.
Ex parte Merryman - 1861
The 150-Year War - NYTimes.com
The 150-Year War - NYTimes.com
Great essay explaining the connections between the present and the era of the Civil War.  Mostly, the author explains the many ways in which the Civil War is unique.  This could be an excellent reading to start a Civil War unit.
The 150-Year War - NYTimes.com
‪Lincoln Assassination Eyewitness (Feb 9, 1956)‬‏ - YouTube
‪Lincoln Assassination Eyewitness (Feb 9, 1956)‬‏ - YouTube
1950s game show appearance of witness to Lincoln Assassination.  Not many people would believe that one person can connect the mid 19th century and the age of television. This can also show students that there are different qualities to primary sources - some primary sources are more valuable than others. This is a primary source because he was a witness, but he is remembering something from 100 years ago. Is he still a primary source?
‪Lincoln Assassination Eyewitness (Feb 9, 1956)‬‏ - YouTube
Civil War Cartoons
Civil War Cartoons
Scartoons - Racial Satire and the Civil War.  Annotated collection of Civil War Cartoons.  From the University of Virginia
Civil War Cartoons
The Battles of the Civil War | EDSITEment
The Battles of the Civil War | EDSITEment
Through the use of maps and original documents, this lesson will focus on the key battles of the war and how they contributed to its outcome. It will also examine the "total war" strategy of General Sherman, and the role of naval warfare in bringing about a Union victory.
The Battles of the Civil War | EDSITEment
The First Inaugural Address (1861)—Defending the American Union | EDSITEment
The First Inaugural Address (1861)—Defending the American Union | EDSITEment
This lesson will examine Lincoln's First Inaugural Address to understand why he thought his duty as president required him to treat secession as an act of rebellion and not a legitimate legal or constitutional action by disgruntled states.
The First Inaugural Address (1861)—Defending the American Union | EDSITEment
The Gettysburg Address (1863)—Defining the American Union | EDSITEment
The Gettysburg Address (1863)—Defining the American Union | EDSITEment
This lesson will examine the most famous speech in American history to understand how Lincoln turned a perfunctory eulogy at a cemetery dedication into a concise and profound meditation on the meaning of the Civil War and American union.
The Gettysburg Address (1863)—Defining the American Union | EDSITEment
Lincoln Goes to War | EDSITEment
Lincoln Goes to War | EDSITEment
This lesson plan explores the decision-making process that precipitated the Civil War, focusing on deliberations within the Lincoln administration that led to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861.
Lincoln Goes to War | EDSITEment
The Role of Women in the Civil War
The Role of Women in the Civil War
Working in collaborative teams, students use a variety of sources to prepare multimedia presentations about the different roles that women played in the Civil War.   from Digital History
The Role of Women in the Civil War
The Civil War: Digital History
The Civil War: Digital History
This chapter examines the election of 1860, the secession crisis, the relative strengths and weaknesses of the Union and the Confederacy, the military history of the war, as well as the economic and social changes the war produced.
The Civil War: Digital History
Women in the Civil War - (Library of Congress)
Women in the Civil War - (Library of Congress)
This lesson uses primary sources - diaries, letters, and photographs - to explore the experiences of women in the Civil War. By looking at a series of document galleries, the perspectives of slave women, plantation mistresses, female spies, and Union women emerge. Ultimately, students will understand the human consequences of this war for women.
Women in the Civil War - (Library of Congress)
Teaching HistoryTech: Animate Your DBQ
Teaching HistoryTech: Animate Your DBQ
Blog post lesson plan that shows the process through which this teacher started with the DBQ project's question on Gettysburg using primary document and statistics, the had students create infographics and videos using animoto. Creative approach that's worth consideration
Teaching HistoryTech: Animate Your DBQ
The High Cost of the U.S. Civil War - Barron's
The High Cost of the U.S. Civil War - Barron's
This short can be used to demonstrate the growth of the federal government through the Civil War. Have students understand the 7000% inflation rate in the South by calculating the effect of that rate on the clothes they like to buy. To truly understand the Confederate taxation, be sure to see any of Gary Gallagher's talks posted in YouTube
The High Cost of the U.S. Civil War - Barron's
Civil War Casualties
Civil War Casualties
Article with charts, graphs and discussion regarding casualties in the Civil War
Civil War Casualties
The Civil War (documentary) - Wikiquote
The Civil War (documentary) - Wikiquote
For someone who taped each episode on VHS and copied quotes by hand with pad and pencil, the value of one page the includes quotes from the series is clear. For newcomers, grab any one of these and make it the focus of a homework question or a "do now' prompt. Maybe have students describe what sort of book would have that quote on it's cover?
The Civil War (documentary) - Wikiquote
The Ghost of Bobby Lee - Atlantic Magazine
The Ghost of Bobby Lee - Atlantic Magazine
Perhaps only excerpts of this can be used with students, but all of it should be read by teachers. Exposing the myth that Robert E Lee did not support slavery helps reveal the general manner in which the veneration of the past reflects an inability to deal with the present.
The Ghost of Bobby Lee - Atlantic Magazine
Gary W. Gallagher Lecture at Chautauqua
Gary W. Gallagher Lecture at Chautauqua
Teachers without a deep knowledge of the Civil War should spend an hour watching this lecture rather than pulling factoids out of the textbook to throw into a powerpoint. Gary W. Gallagher, a Civil War military historian and professor at the University of Virginia, delivers Wednesday's address on the gritty details of how this war was fought.
Gary W. Gallagher Lecture at Chautauqua
The South still lies about the Civil War - Salon.com
The South still lies about the Civil War - Salon.com
Who says that history is written by the victors? This article can be used with high school students in a lesson that looks at history as a living, breathing body of understanding - or in this case, misunderstanding.
The South still lies about the Civil War - Salon.com