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Lesson Plans
The American Nation: A History of the United States ©2000
by John A. Garraty and Mark C. Carnes
Focus Lesson 11
Chapter 15: "The War to Save the Union"
AP* Course Description
- Civil War
- The Union
- Mobilization and finance
- Civil liberties
- The South
- Mobilization and finance
- States' rights and the Confederacy
- Foreign affairs and diplomacy
- Military strategy, campaigns, and battles
- The abolition of slavery
- Confiscation Acts
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Effects of war on society
- Inflation and public debt
- Role of women
- Devastation of the South
- The Union
Key Components
- Instructor's Manual: pp. 145–157
- Study Guide, Vol. I: pp. 220–236
- Test Bank: pp. 246–262
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Check the Online Companion Web site for updated links to U.S. history sites.
- Fort Sumter
- The United States Civil War Center
- Battle of Chancellorsville
- Selected Civil War Photographs
- The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War
Key Words and Terms
- self-determination
- writ of habeas corpus
- conscription
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Morrill Land Grant Act
- National Banking Act
- Sherman's march to the sea
- Stonewall Jackson
- Charles Sumner
- Copperheads
- George G. Meade
- William T. Sherman
- greenbacks
- martial law
- Trent affair
- Homestead Act
- Pacific Railway Act
- New York draft riots
- William Seward
- George McClellan
- Thaddeus Stevens
- Clement Vallandigham
- Ulysses S. Grant
Suggested Pacing
There are two basic ways to approach study of the Civil War. One is to try to cover the major leaders, battles, campaigns, and so on. The other is to take a more topical approach—states' rights, conscription, emancipation, and so on. You might try a combination—two classes on major events and two classes on topics on a traditional bell schedule of 45-minute sessions, or one each on a block-of-time schedule of 90-minute periods. In either case, students will not be tested on battles on the AP* exam.
Test Strategy
Encourage students to read multiple-choice question stems carefully. If they jump too quickly into reading the choices, they can be easily confused by "distracters." These wrong answers may include some true points of information, but if read carefully, they do not answer the specific question. Suggest that students begin to underline, bracket, or circle the important words in question prompts so that they focus more carefully on what they are being asked.
Key Concepts
- Protracted war
Neither side envisioned that the Civil War would last so long or be so costly. The first Battle of Bull Run showed the fallacy of both sides' thinking that the war would be over quickly. The North seemed to have the overwhelming advantages in the number of potential recruits for the army, financial stability, European allies, industrial capacity, and supply lines, yet the South managed to fight a defensive war for four years. The resilience of the South and its strategic use of its resources are important points for students to understand. - The Union during the war
There are several key facts that students should know about the Union during the years of the Civil War. One is that the President assumed extra-legal powers in order to conduct the war, such as suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. A second is that the Union continued to function during the war. Republicans with little opposition passed several important bills: the Homestead Act, the Pacific Railway Act, and the Morrill Land Grant Act, as well as a major banking bill. There was a little something for every region of the country, especially the West, which was crucial to keep in the Union. A third key fact is the emancipation of African American slaves held behind Confederate lines; in reality no slaves were emancipated at the time since only those in areas still held by Confederates were affected by the order, but the symbolic nature of the act was huge. Emancipation and the draft riots in New York City also pointed to the fact that the Union was by and large racist, according to the authors of the text.
Summing Up Student Understanding
The diary entries reproduced in the Instructor's Manual on pp. 154–157, provide an opportunity to give students practice in writing a DBQ essay. Reproduce the entries and have students use them to answer the following essay prompt. You might wish to include the introductory material on p. 152 as background to the assignment. Remind students that during the real test, they will have 15 minutes to read and plan and 45 minutes to write.
All four of the diarists felt the impact of the war, yet the nature of the impact differed. Discuss the different ways in which the war affected each.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
You might also find these additional readings useful in developing students' background knowledge or for DBQ activities:
- American Issues: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Unger and Tomes—Chapter 16
- The Power of Words: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Breen—Chapter 14
- Constructing the American Past, Vol. I, edited by Gorn, Roberts, and Bilhartz—Chapter 12
- American Experiences: Vol. I to 1877, edited by Roberts and Olson (secondary source readings)—Part Seven