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.

This lesson plan will explore Abraham Lincoln's rise to political prominence during the debate over the future of American slavery.

Relive the decisions that led to the attack on Fort Sumter to determine whether Lincoln aimed to preserve peace or provoke the hostilities that led to the Civil War.

Students define the concept of manifest destiny, discuss how contemporary maps of the 1840s influenced United States expansion in the 1840s, and analyze the relationship between manifest destiny and democracy.

A chapter from The American Yawp open source history textbook focusing on, "Manifest Destiny."

Often when studying the Revolutionary War, we forget to acknowledge the important roles Africans and African Americans played, whether in fighting for either side of the war, or fighting for their own rights to freedom. Without including their pieces of the puzzle, the history we learn is incomplete. In this lesson, students will learn how Blacks were contributing to colonial society, making active choices to survive their bondage and striving to shape and control their own lives amidst the Patriots? struggle for political freedom.

A chapter from The American Yawp open source history textbook focusing on, "A New Nation."

In this lesson, students read and interpret four documents George Washington wrote regarding his slaves and the issue of slavery. Students will analyze the reasons why Washington was conflicted over the issue of slavery and explain the significance of his eventual freeing of his slaves.

Students use primary source evidence to debate and answer the question: Who freed the slaves? They use textual evidence to support claims and engage in discussion that brings to light multiple perspectives.

In this lesson, students will be able to identify ways the artist uses color, composition, and the subjects' poses to convey viewpoint; cite evidence from texts that support interpretations of each document; and integrate content presented in diverse media and formats.

In this lesson, students examine the period of Reconstruction that was led by the Radical Republicans by identifying the leaders and the laws that were passed. They will also understand how the provisions of the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution increased freedom and equality for African Americans.

In this lesson, students explore how life changed for southerners, especially for African Americans during Reconstruction. They will examine reforms that were enacted by state legislatures during this period and identify the effects of the 14th and 15th amendments.

This activity compares a runaway slave ad and an abolitionist poster to explore the causes and effects of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. The law changed how many northerners viewed slavery and intensified conflicts that brought the nation closer to Civil War.

Students compare an excerpt of a WPA interview with an ex-slave with a more famous statement by Frederick Douglass to arrive at their own interpretations of slave resistance. This lesson is designed to work with the film Doing As They Can, but parts of it can be completed without the film.

In this lesson, students review Lincoln's main political views and how they were addressed in his major speeches. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students will write and deliver a speech explaining the most important things about American democracy.

With this digital collection, students will examine documents that bring together arguments for emancipation written before, during, and after the Civil War. The collection allows students to trace the evolution of abolitionist arguments as well as to examine conflicts among writers over what emancipation would entail. Students will keep the following questions in mind as they review the documents: 1. What arguments did writers make before the Civil War for the abolition of slavery? How did they frame their appeals in moral, social, political, and economic terms? 2. How did the war’s purpose shift from “saving the union” to destroying slavery? 3. What would freedom mean for former slaves, for Southern society, and for the nation as a whole, according to various writers both before and after the war?

In this lesson, students learn about the southern state law codes that sought to control freedman. A set of discussion questions is provided. In an associated activity, students compare the requirements in Section 1 of the 14th Amendment with the laws included in the South Carolina Black Code of 1865.

In this activity, students view and analyze primary source documents in order to answer a series of questions about opposing views on slavery.

Throughout this inquiry students investigate the complex interconnected roles of individuals and groups as well as the economic, social, and geographical forces that contributed to the American Revolution. Students consider issues concerning historical determinism as they move toward an evidence-based argument as to whether or not the war was avoidable.

A sample lesson from the Center for Civic Education's "We the People," which focuses on the ideas that influenced the founding fathers. Critical Thinking Exercises are included at the end of the chapter.