More Americans lost their lives in the Civil War than in
any other conflict. How did the United States arrive at a point at which the South
seceded and some families were so fractured that brother fought brother?
A complex series of events led to the Civil War. The lessons in this unit are
designed to help students develop a foundation on which to understand the basic
disagreements between North and South. Through the investigation of primary source
documents —photographs, census information and other archival documents—students
gain an appreciation of everyday life in the North and South, changes occurring
in the lives of ordinary Americans, and some of the major social and economic
issues of the years before the Civil War.
Guiding Questions:
What differences existed between ordinary Americans living
in the North and those living in the South in the years before the Civil War?
What important issues are reflected in the differences
between life in the North and the South?
What kinds of changes were taking place in the United
States at the time?
Learning Objectives:
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will
be able to:
- List three differences and three similarities between
life in the North and the South in the years before the Civil War.
- Discuss how these differences contributed to serious
disagreements between the North and South.
Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit:
The Civil War erupted after a long history of compromises
and sectional debates over representation, federalism, tariffs and territories.
Though many of the political differences are beyond the scope of the intermediate
curriculum, students can use their analysis of archival documents to begin to
appreciate the differences between the North and South and the changes afoot in
the United States that contributed to the developing conflict.
Before you begin to teach this unit, review the suggested activities and familiarize
yourself with the websites involved. Select, download and duplicate, as necessary,
any documents you want the class to use.
For the census activity in Lesson
3, either the teacher or students will need to keep a calculator at hand.
You may wish to provide students with a copy of the Document
Analysis Worksheet, available through the EDSITEment resource The
Digital Classroom, to guide them as they review the documents in this unit.
The purpose of this lesson is to prepare students with background information
for understanding the causes of the Civil War. You can find information on the
causes
of the Civil War on the Encarta website, accessible through a link from the
EDSITEment resource The Internet
Public Library.
Unit Lesson Plans:
Selected EDSITEment Websites
Standards Alignment
View your state’s standards