Congratulations! Students have finished and published their final project. Now they will begin to share and present the chapter they included in the class anthology. As their classmates share, they should note what in the presentations stands out. What made a strong impression?

Practice working with primary documents by comparing accounts of the Chicago Fire and testing the credibility of a Civil War diary.

This video segment from The Supreme Court introduces viewers to the 14th amendment.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the history, successes, and failures of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

In 1845 Frederick Douglass published what was to be the first of his three autobiographies: the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, Written by Himself.  As the title suggests, Douglass wished not only to highlight the irony that a land founded on freedom would permit slavery to exist within its midst, but also to establish that he, an American slave with no formal education, was the sole author of the work.

This essay describes the purposes and effects of the National Bank Acts of 1863 and 1864.

Students will utilize maps, primary documents and charts to enhance their knowledge of thecauses of the Civil War, the politics of geography, and the demographic shifts in 19 th century America.

In this unit, students will trace the development of sectionalism in the United States as it was driven by the growing dependence upon, and defense of, black slavery in the southern states.

This video discusses how the analysis of food remains and personal items provides insight into the lives of the soldiers and the families of the black enlistees who trained during the Civil War at Camp Nelson in Jessamine County, Kentucky. Included are support materials for teachers. Sensitive: This resource contains material that may be sensitive for some students. Teachers should exercise discretion in evaluating whether this resource is suitable for their class. [7:20]

In this lesson we will explore the creative and ethical uses of making decisions that contribute or limit the oppression of former enslaved African Americans and answering the question: "What rights and opportunities should be afforded to African American

[Free Registration/Login Required] A brief lesson that presents charts showing the the number of troops in the Civil War, the casualties of troops in the Civil War and other U.S. wars, and the costs incurred in U.S. wars. Discussion questions ask about relfections on these numbers.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Matthew Pinsker, of Dickinson College, delivers a lecture the Men of Company E, the 4th United States Colored Infantry. Pinsker draws on the individuality of those involved in the Civil War of the United States. [3:38]

[Free Registration/Login Required] Historian Norman Saul addresses a crowd discussing why Russia was interested and supportive of the Civil War in America. Russia was also facing unrest over serfdom similar to the conflict over slavery in the United States. Understand more abou this reslationship in this presentation. [25:01]

Watch an animated version of General Sherman's March through the South during the Civil War in 1864 and 1865. Click on the boxes to get more information. [3:27]

The Korean War (1950-1953) was the first military action of the Cold War. It was sparked by the June 25, 1950 invasion of South Korea by 75,000 members of the North Korean People's Army. The line they crossed, the 38th parallel, was created in 1945 to separate the Soviet-supported Democratic People's Republic of Korea (today's North Korea) and the U.S.-supported Republic of Korea to the South. The Korean War was a civil conflict that became a proxy war between superpowers clashing over communism and democracy. Between 2 and 4 million people died 70 percent of them civilians. No peace treaty was ever signed, although in December 2021, North and South Korea, the United States and China agreed to declare a formal end to the war.

In this activity students read three letters written by African-American soldiers during the Civil War to determine why black soldiers felt compelled to join the Union Army.

Americans affirmed their independence with the ringing declaration that "all men are created equal." Some of them owned slaves, however,and were unwilling to give them up as they gave speeches and wrote pamphlets championing freedom, liberty, and equality. So "to form a more perfect union" in 1787, certain compromises were made in the Constitution regarding slavery. This settled the slavery controversy for the first few decades of the American republic, but this situation changed with the application of Missouri for statehood in 1819.

This lesson focuses on the shift toward mass production in northern factories and on southern plantations that occurred during the first half of the 19th century. Using an economics-focused approach to examining U.S. history prior to the civil war, students examine the role of slavery, industrialization, regionalism, and political responses that ultimately led to the start of a war.

How did Abraham Lincoln understand the relationship between principles of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution?

Students examine the Autobiography of Frederick Douglass to discover how his skilled use of language painted a realistic portrait of slavery and removed some common misconceptions about slaves and their situation.