CKHG Unit 11: The Civil War
Focus:
This unit explores the causes and consequences of one of our nation’s greatest crises, the Civil War. Students learn how arguments over slavery and states’ rights, along with the election of Abraham Lincoln, led to Southern secession and armed conflict. Students consider the influence of Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists, the Dred Scott decision, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Students explore important battles, new technologies (such as ironclad ships), and major leaders, including Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and especially President Lincoln. Students engage with selections from primary sources, including the Gettysburg Address and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Students learn about Lincoln’s assassination and the divisive struggles of the Reconstruction era. Some content is tied to the “Pathway to Citizenship,” an array of civics-focused knowledge, questions, and activities.
Number of Lessons: 24
Instruction Time:
45 minutes (Each lesson may be divided into shorter segments.)
Additional Search Terms:
social studies • map skills • nonfiction • informational text • Mason-Dixon Line • John Brown and Harpers Ferry • Lincoln-Douglas debates • Yankees and Rebels • Jefferson Davis • Stonewall Jackson • Robert Gould Shaw and Massachusetts 54th Regiment • William Tecumseh Sherman • Andrew Johnson • Freedmen’s Bureau
