Facts - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)
Basic, reliable statistics, and a good graphic
Antietam and Emancipation: Traditional Elementary Civil War Lesson Plan | American Battlefield Trust
Several days needed for this lesson to encompass the timeline and battle itself along with its connection with the Emancipation Proclamation. This is another example of why Antietam is the better instructional choice compared to Gettysburg.
1862: Antietam and Emancipation
Lesson plan that will allow students to state the meaning and impact of the Emancipation Proclamation.
1863: The Shifting Tides
Lesson plan focusing on the effects of the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, paying particular attention to the Gettysburg Address.
Whose Heritage - Southern Poverty Law Center Report on Confederate Monuments
44 page report of where the monuments are, who built them and when
Gary W. Gallagher Lecture at Chautauqua
Teachers without a deep knowledge of the Civil War should spend an hour watching this lecture rather than pulling factoids out of the textbook to throw into a powerpoint. Gary W. Gallagher, a Civil War military historian and professor at the University of Virginia, delivers Wednesday's address on the gritty details of how this war was fought.
Pictures of Lincoln before and after the war
Take a look at the face of Abraham Lincoln both before and after the war - this is what the war did to him.
History News Network | It's Time to De-Confederatize "The American Pageant": An Open Letter to David Kennedy
This is an article for teachers to read, yet share with students through lessons that show that the "history" students find in textbooks is still open for debate. Additionally, it shows one of the most popular AP US textbooks shapes a common misunderstanding about the cause of the Civil War
Counting the Civil War Dead Video - YouTube 2:50
How often do lessons about the causes of the Civil War include references to the number that died? Shouldn't the answer be "every single time"? This quick three minute video explores the difficulty of establishing validity in the statistics. More importantly, it raises the question - what can we conclude about the reasons for this war when we consider the carnage both sides were willing to tolerate?
Was the Civil War About Slavery? - YouTube
What caused the Civil War? Did the North care about abolishing slavery? Did the South secede because of slavery? Or was it about something else entirely...perhaps states' rights? Colonel Ty Seidule, Professor of History at the United States Military Academy at West Point, settles the debate.
I Just Can't — The Rogue Historian
Blog Professor's blog entry that slams the lid on the "but what about the tariff?" argument. If you or your students are ever engaged in a discussion about the causes of the Civil War, invective writing like this is informative and powerful.
Causes of the Civil War
Despite it's late-90's appearance, this site links to primary sources that place the protection of slavery as the most prominent cause of southern sucession
Site of Stonewall Jackson’s Death Gets New Name | Emerging Civil War
This is how history changes - it's worth the quick minute to show students that the present changes the history of the past
American Battlefield Trust - YouTube
A wide variety of content is available through this organization. From two minute answers to common questions (Why did soldier's stand in lines?), to four minute summaries and extended battlefield tours there's a lot here teachers can choose from.
In Renovation of Golf Club, Donald Trump Also Dressed Up History - The New York Times
Teachers could use this article and others like it describing the "River of Blood" monument between the 14th and 15th holes of the Trump Golf Course in Virginia as an example of how public memory and historical scholarship interact. Historians know the statement on the monument is false, there is no evidence to support what it says. What role does this play in public memory?
Abraham Lincoln to George G. Meade, Tuesday, July 14, 1863 (Meade's failure to pursue Lee) | Library of Congress
Gettysburg was not the turning point of the war A. Lincoln - "my dear general, I do not believe you appreciate the magnitude of the misfortune involved in Lee's escape— He was within your easy grasp, and to have closed upon him would, in connection with the our other late successes, have ended the war— As it is, the war will be prolonged indefinitely."
Fredericksburg: Voices from the Crisis Point | Emerging Civil War