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History Center and Classroom
Lesson Plans and Activities

Introduction:

The Civil War was perhaps the greatest turning point in American history. The dual themes of slavery and power deeply divided the growing nation during the first half of the 19th century. The Civil War changed many things about the United States. It freed 4 million slaves and put civil rights on the national agenda for the first time, it strengthened the federal bureaucracy and increased the national debt, these United States became the United States under one strong, centralized government; the political balance of power shifted from the agricultural South to the industrialized North; the first income tax was collected; and millions of dollars worth of property was damaged. More importantly, when the war ended after four years, 625,000 soldiers and 50,000 civilians had died, 200,000 women had become widows, and 500,000 of the soldiers who returned home were wounded or crippled.

Lesson Plans

The following lesson plans are suggested guidelines. Teachers should decide for themselves whether the material is appropriate for the age and maturity levels of their classes.

• Two Week Curriculum
• Uncle Tom's Cabin
• The U.S. Colored Troops
• Election of 1864
• Creating a Historic Site

Activities

• Mapping the Civil War
• Genealogical Search

If you have a Civil War-related lesson plan to share with other teachers, please e-mail our education department. If you would like to submit a lessons plans or have any questions about the lesson plans, please contact Jen Rosenberry at jrosenberry@civilwar.org.