CKHG Unit 9: The Civil War
Focus:
During the years of 1860 and 1861, eleven slaveholding states seceded from the United States of America and the Civil War began, giving credence to Abraham Lincoln’s warning that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” In this unit, students explore the difficult subject of the Civil War in an age-appropriate way without avoiding difficult truths. Students see the beginnings of slavery in America and the moral struggles and compromises surrounding it. They meet Harriet Tubman and follow her as she takes her passengers north on the Underground Railroad. They watch the tensions between the slave and free states build until the Union and the Confederacy finally go to war.
Students are introduced to the generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant and are shown some of the strategies behind the major campaigns. Finally, they see the surrender of the Confederacy and walk with Lee to meet Grant at Appomattox.
The Civil War has a rich and complicated history filled with strong characters. Harriet Beecher Stowe, Clara Barton, and of course, Abraham Lincoln, among others, are shown as people who work to do what they feel is right, even when it is difficult.
Number of Lessons: 7
Instruction Time:
We have intentionally left the pacing and timing needed to teach the content presented in the Teacher Guide and Student Book very flexible. Teachers can choose how much they read aloud and discuss in a single instructional period, as well as how often each week they use the CKHG materials.
Additional Search Terms:
informational text • nonfiction • slavery • plantations • abolitionists • Sarah and Angelina Grimké • Uncle Tom’s Cabin • Confederate States of America • Jefferson Davis • Fort Sumter • blue • Yankees • Union • gray • rebels • Confederacy • George McClellan • Battle of Antietam • Manassas • Emancipation Proclamation • West Point • Battle of Gettysburg • Battle of the Wilderness • William Tecumseh Sherman • American Red Cross
