The Civil War and the Meaning of Liberty

Part I readings discuss the economy and society of Antebellum America, the politics of Native removal, and international competition for territory. There are two lessons aligned with Part I: 1) The Geography of Slavery and the Cotton Economy: 1830-1860, and 2) Interpreting Political Cartoons.

Part II looks at various abolitionist movements and their key actors, and the national politics of slavery. There are two lessons aligned with Part II: 1) Who Were the Abolitionists? and 2) The Black National Conventions, Abolition, and the Constitution.

Part III readings present the Confederate States of America, the Civil War, and key battles in the war. There are five lessons aligned with Part III: 1) Spies, Nurses, and Organizers: Women During the Civil War, 2) Letters from Black Soldiers and Their Families, 3) Food as History, 4) Battle of Gettysburg, and 5) Civil War Photographs as Sources.

The Epilogue discusses the aftermath of the Civil War and its legacies today.

Students analyze and map demographic and economic data to explore the relationship between the expansion of slavery and the cotton boom in the antebellum United States.

Students analyze political cartoons of the antebellum era and place them in their historical context.

Taking on the roles of a range of abolitionists, students gain familiarity with the ideas and values of individuals in a broader historical context.

Students examine an address delivered at the Black National Convention held in Philadelphia in 1855 and analyze the ways its authors made arguments based on the U.S. Constitution.

By examining excerpts from diaries, letters, and narratives, students collect and compare evidence about women’s contributions to the Civil War.

Students closely analyze the language and craft of letters by Black soldiers and consider their experiences in the Union Army.

Students analyze primary sources about food and identify the role of food shortages in the lives of people in the South during the Civil War. This lesson is being provided online for free as part of a special promotion of this unit during the months of December and January.

Students use different types of sources including maps, images, diary entries, and letters to deepen their understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg. The lesson includes a close reading of Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.”

After analyzing photographic sources from the Civil War, students assess the significance of photography to people’s understandings of the war both at the time and afterward.

Perspectives Lesson: This is the key lesson in this unit. Working collaboratively, students take on the roles of historians and analyze primary sources from two Congressional debates in 1864 about whether to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery.

Synthesis Lesson: Students explore the purpose of memorials and consider the idea of historical memory. Students then design a memorial to commemorate the Civil War.

Synthesis Lesson: In this online lesson, students apply the concept of historical memory to the controversy over Confederate monuments. Students examine media sources that express a range of views on the controversy.