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Echoes of War: Civil Conflict

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Lesson Plan

Echoes of War: Civil Conflict

Students will be able to identify key causes of the Civil War, describe significant battles and their impact, explain the strategy and consequences of Sherman's March, and summarize the terms and significance of the Confederate surrender, ultimately understanding the major events and outcomes of the American Civil War.

Understanding the Civil War is crucial for comprehending the formation of modern America, the enduring struggles for civil rights, and the complexities of national identity. This lesson will help students connect historical events to contemporary issues.

Audience

9th Grade Students

Time

90 minutes

Approach

Through a guided presentation, interactive discussion, and vocabulary exploration, students will learn about the Civil War.

Materials

Prep

Teacher Preparation

30 minutes

  • Review the Civil War Lesson Plan and all generated materials, making adjustments as needed.
    - Ensure projector/interactive whiteboard is set up and tested.
    - Print or prepare digital copies of the Civil War Vocabulary for each student.

Step 1

Warm-Up: What Comes to Mind?

10 minutes

  • Begin by asking students what they already know or what comes to mind when they hear 'Civil War.'
    - Facilitate a brief class discussion, noting student responses on the board or screen.
    - Introduce the lesson objectives and the Civil War Slide Deck.

Step 2

Key Causes & Early Stages (Slides 1-5)

15 minutes

  • Present slides 1-5 from the Civil War Slide Deck, focusing on the causes of the war and the initial stages.
    - Pause for questions and clarification after each major point.
    - Introduce the Civil War Vocabulary handout and instruct students to follow along, defining terms as they appear or are discussed.

Step 3

Important Battles & Turning Points (Slides 6-10)

25 minutes

  • Continue with slides 6-10 of the Civil War Slide Deck, highlighting major battles such as Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg.
    - Emphasize the significance of each battle as a turning point.
    - Encourage students to discuss the strategies and outcomes presented in the slides.

Step 4

Sherman's March & The War's End (Slides 11-14)

20 minutes

  • Present slides 11-14, focusing on Sherman's March to the Sea and the eventual surrender at Appomattox.
    - Discuss the concept of total war and its impact.
    - Explain the significance of Lee's surrender and Lincoln's vision for reunification.

Step 5

Review & Q&A

10 minutes

  • Review the key events, figures, and vocabulary from the lesson.
    - Address any remaining questions from students.
    - Conduct a brief recap of the main points, asking students to share one new thing they learned.
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Slide Deck

Echoes of War: Civil Conflict

The American Civil War (1861-1865)

  • A defining moment in U.S. history.
  • Pitted states against states, neighbors against neighbors.
  • Fought over fundamental disagreements about freedom and the future of the nation.

What comes to mind when you hear 'Civil War'?

Civil War Lesson Plan

Welcome students and gauge their prior knowledge. Ask them what they already know or associate with the Civil War. This helps activate their existing schema.

Seeds of Conflict: Causes of the War

1. Slavery

  • Economic Divide: Southern economy relied on slave labor for cash crops (cotton).
  • Moral Divide: Growing abolitionist movement in the North.
  • Expansion: Debates over whether new territories would allow slavery.

2. States' Rights vs. Federal Power

  • Southern states argued for the right to govern themselves without federal interference, especially regarding slavery.

3. Economic Differences

  • North: Industrialized, favored tariffs, free labor.
  • South: Agrarian, opposed tariffs, slave labor.

Civil War Vocabulary

Discuss the deep-seated issues that led to the conflict. Emphasize that while states' rights were a factor, slavery was the primary underlying cause.

The Nation Divides: Secession & Fort Sumter

Abraham Lincoln's Election (1860)

  • Lincoln, an anti-slavery Republican, won the presidency.
  • Southern states feared he would abolish slavery.

Secession

  • South Carolina was the first to secede (December 1860).
  • Followed by 10 other Southern states, forming the Confederate States of America.

Attack on Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861)

  • Confederate forces fired on Union-held Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC.
  • Beginning of the Civil War.

Explain the immediate events that triggered secession and the outbreak of war. Lincoln's election was a clear signal to the South that their way of life was threatened.

Two Sides, One Nation: Union vs. Confederacy

The Union (United States of America)

  • President: Abraham Lincoln
  • Capital: Washington D.C.
  • Strengths: Larger population, more industry, extensive railroad system, strong navy.
  • Goal: Preserve the Union, eventually abolish slavery.

The Confederacy (Confederate States of America)

  • President: Jefferson Davis
  • Capital: Richmond, Virginia
  • Strengths: Strong military leadership, fighting on home soil, passionate defense of their way of life.
  • Goal: Gain independence, preserve states' rights and slavery.

Introduce the two sides and their initial strengths and weaknesses. Discuss the capital locations and initial strategies.

Early War Strategies

Union Strategy: The Anaconda Plan

  • Blockade: Naval blockade of Southern ports to cut off trade.
  • Control Mississippi River: Divide the Confederacy.
  • Capture Richmond: Seize the Confederate capital.

Confederate Strategy

  • Defensive War: Defend their territory.
  • Gain Foreign Recognition: Hope for support from European powers.
  • Inflict Casualties: Wear down the Union's will to fight.

Discuss the early military strategies and the concept of total war.

First Major Clash: First Battle of Bull Run (1861)

The First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)

  • Date: July 21, 1861
  • Location: Manassas, Virginia
  • Outcome: Confederate victory.
  • Significance: Showed both sides that the war would not be quick or easy; dispelled notions of a short conflict.

Begin the section on major battles with First Bull Run. Explain its significance as an early shock to both sides.

A Bloody Day: Battle of Antietam (1862)

The Battle of Antietam

  • Date: September 17, 1862
  • Location: Sharpsburg, Maryland
  • Outcome: Tactically inconclusive, but a strategic Union victory.
  • Significance: The deadliest single day in American military history.
  • Impact: Gave President Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

Explain the Battle of Antietam and its pivotal role, particularly regarding the Emancipation Proclamation.

A New Purpose: The Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

What it was:

  • Issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863.
  • Declared all enslaved people in Confederate states (states in rebellion) to be free.

What it did:

  • Did NOT free slaves in border states (Union states that allowed slavery).
  • Shifted the war's purpose from preserving the Union to also abolishing slavery.
  • Encouraged African Americans to join the Union army.

Discuss the Emancipation Proclamation, its limitations, and its profound impact on the war's purpose.

The High Tide of the Confederacy: Battle of Gettysburg (1863)

The Battle of Gettysburg

  • Date: July 1-3, 1863
  • Location: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
  • Outcome: Decisive Union victory.
  • Significance: The deadliest battle of the war; marked the turning point in the Eastern Theater. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's invasion of the North failed.

Highlight Gettysburg as the turning point in the East, emphasizing the massive casualties and the failure of Lee's invasion.

Splitting the Confederacy: Siege of Vicksburg (1863)

The Siege of Vicksburg

  • Date: May 18 - July 4, 1863
  • Location: Vicksburg, Mississippi
  • Outcome: Decisive Union victory.
  • Significance: Union gained control of the entire Mississippi River, effectively splitting the Confederacy in two.
  • Commander: Ulysses S. Grant.

Explain the importance of Vicksburg in the Western Theater and its completion of the Anaconda Plan.

Union Commanders: Grant & Sherman

Ulysses S. Grant

  • Appointed General-in-Chief of the Union Armies in 1864.
  • Known for his aggressive tactics and willingness to fight.
  • Believed in total war: destroying the South's ability and will to fight.

William Tecumseh Sherman

  • Grant's trusted subordinate.
  • Executed the

Introduce Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman and their relentless strategy.

The March to the Sea: Sherman's Campaign (1864)

Sherman's March to the Sea

  • Date: November-December 1864
  • Commander: William Tecumseh Sherman
  • Route: Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia.
  • Strategy: "Total War" - destroying military targets, industries, infrastructure, and civilian property.
  • Impact: Devastated the Confederate economy and broke the Southern will to fight. A major blow to Confederate morale.

Focus on the details and impact of Sherman's March, emphasizing its psychological and material destruction.

The End is Near: Fall of Richmond & Appomattox (1865)

Fall of Richmond

  • Union forces, led by Grant, finally captured the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, in April 1865.

Lee's Surrender at Appomattox

  • Date: April 9, 1865
  • Location: Appomattox Court House, Virginia
  • Event: Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General Ulysses S. Grant.
  • Significance: Effectively ended the Civil War.

Describe the final stages of the war, leading to Lee's surrender.

Aftermath & Legacy: A Reunited Nation

Casualties

  • Over 620,000 soldiers died – more American deaths than any other war.

Lincoln's Assassination

  • President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth just five days after Lee's surrender (April 14, 1865).

Reconstruction

  • The challenging process of rebuilding the South and integrating freed slaves into society.

Lasting Impact

  • Preservation of the Union.
  • Abolition of slavery (13th Amendment).
  • Strengthened federal government power.
  • Continued struggle for civil rights.

Conclude with the immediate aftermath and the lasting legacy of the war, including Lincoln's assassination.

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Activity

Civil War Vocabulary

Directions: Define the following terms in your own words as they are discussed in class or as you research them. These terms are important for understanding the Civil War.

Key Terms

1. Abolitionist




2. Secession




3. Confederacy




4. Union




5. Fort Sumter




6. Emancipation Proclamation




7. Battle of Antietam




8. Battle of Gettysburg




9. Siege of Vicksburg




10. Ulysses S. Grant




11. Robert E. Lee




12. William Tecumseh Sherman




13. Sherman's March to the Sea




14. Appomattox Court House




15. Reconstruction




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Echoes of War: Civil Conflict • Lenny Learning