Spotlight on: Primary Source President Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, 1865 Government and Civics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Just 701 words long, Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address took only six or seven minutes to deliver, yet contains many of the most memorable phrases in American political oratory. The speech contained neither gloating nor rejoicing....
Lesson Plan Events at Sand Creek, 1864 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Historical Context When the Civil War broke out, John Milton Chivington, a missionary in Kansas, was offered a commission as a chaplain but refused it as he wanted to fight. As a result he was given a commission as a major in the 1st...
Spotlight on: Primary Source The Fort Pillow Massacre, 1864 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ "Among the stories of the stormy days of the Republic, few will longer be remembered than the heroic defense and almost utter annihilation of the garrison of Fort Pillow." —Mack J. Leaming, April 1893 On April 12, 1864, fifteen...
Lesson Plan Lincoln’s Reconstruction Plan Government and Civics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Essential Question To what degree was Abraham Lincoln successful in achieving his goals? Background The Civil War was perhaps the most momentous event that the United States endured in its history. Author and historian Shelby Foote...
Classroom Resources Historical Context: The Confederacy Begins to Collapse Economics, Government and Civics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ By early 1863, the Civil War had begun to cause severe hardship on the southern home front. Not only was most of the fighting taking place in the South, but also as the Union blockade grew more effective and the South's railroad...
Interactive Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times Government and Civics K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+
Video A Teacher’s Tour of the Battle of Gettysburg Government and Civics 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ Historian Matthew Pinsker leads a virtual teacher’s tour of the Battle of Gettysburg, highlighting key moments and individuals to illustrate the broad story of the battle, its implications for the Civil War, and its legacy in...
Video: Inside The Vault Inside the Vault: The Lives and Works of Phillis Wheatley and Elizabeth Keckley Literature 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ On the February 4, 2021 session of Inside the Vault: Highlights from the Gilder Lehrman Collection , our curators talk with English Language Arts educator Jeanette Providence and Hamilton cast member Krystal Mackie about the lives...
Essay Admiration and Ambivalence: Frederick Douglass and John Brown David W. Blight Government and Civics 9, 10, 11, 12, 13+ John Brown did not make it easy for people to love him—until he died on the gallows. Frederick Douglass, from his first meeting with Brown in 1847, through a testy but important relationship in the late 1850s, had long viewed the...