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We seek an America where we more perfectly realize the promise of liberty and equality expressed in the Declaration of Independence. This calls for civic education that helps students examine the story of our country and exercise the skills of citizenship.
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Chapter 8: 1860-1877

5 Lessons

Overview

Chapter 8 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness, BRI’s U.S. History Curriculum Resource, invites students to explore if the Civil War helped create a more perfect Union.

It contains an Introductory Essay, 5 lessons – including 2 DBQ’s, 14 essays, 9 primary sources, three point-counterpoints, and an Inquiry Organizer to guide students through the exploration of the material.

Explore our suggested sequence for Chapter 8.

Lessons

The Emergence of Black Codes DBQ

Use this Lesson once students have a strong understanding of the rights of African Americans both before and after the passing of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments. It would also be helpful for students to have read the O. O. Howard and the Freedmen’s Bureau and The Ku Klux Klan and Violence at the Polls Narratives.

The Rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln DBQ

Use this Lesson in conjunction with the Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation Decision Point to have students analyze Abraham Lincoln's rhetoric throughout his presidency.

Comparing Impeachments across U.S. History

Use this Lesson alongside The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Decision Point to introduce students to the concept of impeachment and how it has been used throughout U.S. history.

Unit 4 Civics Connection: Equality, the Civil War, and Reconstruction

This lesson should be used at the end of the unit to review key events and ideas from the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.

Unit 4 Essay Activity

Use this lesson at the end of the unit.

Activities

Was the Civil War Fought Over Slavery?

Two scholars debate this question.

Did Abraham Lincoln Exceed His Presidential Powers during the Civil War?

Two scholars debate this question.

To What Extent Did American Principles Become a Reality for African Americans during Reconstruction?

Two scholars debate this question.

J.B. Elliott, Scott’s Great Snake (Anaconda Plan), 1861

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Daniel Emmett’s “Dixie” and Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” 1859 and 1861

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

The Homestead Act of 1862

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Mathew Brady, The Dead of Antietam Photography, 1862

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Images of Total War: Sherman’s March to the Sea, 1865

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Cartoon Analysis: The “Rail Splitter” at Work Repairing the Union, 1865

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Comparing Views of the Freedmen’s Bureau, 1866

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Andrew Johnson’s Veto of the Civil Rights Act, 1866

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.

Cartoon Analysis: Thomas Nast on Reconstruction, 1869–1874

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.

Essays

Chapter 8 Introductory Essay: 1860-1877

The Civil War and Reconstruction transform the U.S.

Fort Sumter and the Coming of the War

Why was Fort Sumter the beginning of the Civil War?

The Battle of Antietam

What was the impact of the battle of Antietam on the Civil War?

Gettysburg and Vicksburg: July 4, 1863

Explore the impact of the Vicksburg and Gettysburg battles.

The cartoon shows policemen beating civilians with clubs. The civilian men also hold weapons. Several civilian men lie on the ground.

The Draft and the Draft Riots of 1863

Why were some opposed to a draft during the Civil War?

Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment

Explores the life and bravery of Robert Gould Shaw.

The photograph shows Rose Greenhow with her arm around her daughter.

Women during the Civil War

How did women contribute to the war efforts on both sides?

Mary Chesnut’s War

Explores the story of Mary Chesnut and her Civil War diary.

Clement Vallandigham and Constitutionalism

Were Clement Vallandigham's free speech rights violated?

William Tecumseh Sherman and Total War

Was Sherman's policy of "total war" justified?

O. O. Howard and the Freedmen’s Bureau

How did O.O. Howard fight for the rights of recently freed slaves?

The Ku Klux Klan and Violence at the Polls

How did the KKK suppress black rights in the 1860s and 1870s?

Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation

By the end of this section, you will explain how Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War impacted American ideals over the course of the war

An image of Union general Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate commander Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House as they agree to terms of Lee’s surrender

Grant and Lee at Appomattox

By the end of this section, you will explain the various factors that contributed to the Union victory in the Civil War.

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

By the end of this section, you will explain the effects of government policy during Reconstruction on society from 1865 to 1877.

Educator Resources

Educator Resource

Chapter 8: 1860-1877 Inquiry Organizer

Did the Civil War help create a more perfect Union?

Educator Resource

Chapter 8 Answer Key

Answer Key for Chapter 8 of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness