Course Content
Lesson Plans
The American People: Creating a Nation and a Society ©2001
by Gary B. Nash and Julie Roy Jeffrey John B. Howe, Peter J. Frederick, Allen F. Davis, Allan M. Winkler
Focus Lesson 11
Chapter 15: "The Union Severed"
AP* Course Description
- The Civil War
- The Union
- Mobilization and finance
- Civil liberties
- Election of 1864
- The South
- Confederate constitution
- 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
- Freedmen's Bureau
- Thirteenth Amendment
- Effects of war on society
- Inflation and public debt
- Role of women
- Devastation of the South
- Changing labor patterns
- The Union
Key Components
- Instructor's Guide: pp. 70–73
- Study Guide, Vol. I to 1877: pp. 128–135
- Test Bank: pp. 239–256
Key Web Sites
Given the changing nature of the Internet, you may wish to preview these sites. Always check for updated links to U.S. history sites.
- Fort Sumter
- The United States Civil War Center
- Abraham Lincoln Online
- Civil War photographs
- The American Civil War
- The Civil War at Charleston, South Carolina
- The Papers of Jefferson Davis
- African American History and the Civil War
- The Valley of the Shadow
Key Words and Terms
- habeas corpus
- blockade
- Morrill Land Grant Act
- Homestead Act
- Gettysburg
- draft riots
- Sherman's march through Georgia
- Thirteenth Amendment
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Salmon Chase
- Horace Greeley
- Anaconda Plan
- bounty
- impressment
- Border States
- Bull Run
- draft
- Pacific Railroad Act
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Vicksburg
- food riots
- Appomattox
- Robert E. Lee
- Jefferson Davis
- George McClellan
- George Meade
- cotton diplomacy
- Copperheads
- Radical Republicans
- Lewis Cass
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 do a combination—two classes on major events and two classes on topics. You may teach these on a 45-minute traditional bell schedule or one each on a 90-minute block schedule. In either case, students will not be tested on battles on the AP* exam, but they may be tested on strategy.
Test Strategy
Encourage students to read multiple-choice question stems carefully. If they jump too quickly into reading the choices, they may 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
The military and diplomatic strategies of the North and South are the focus of Chapter 15. In addition to the actions of the national government on both sides, the text describes how the war affected combatants and noncombatants in the North and the South. The roles that African Americans played in the military and behind the lines are also explored. The text emphasizes Lincoln's leadership in race relations.
Summing Up Student Understanding
One way to help students prepare for the AP* test is to have them compare the Union and the Confederacy. Have them as a class create a table with the following categories down the left side: Leadership, Natural Resources, Transportation System, Military Strategy, Economic, Allies, and African Americans' Roles. Be sure students copy the table for their notes.
To extend the activity, have students write an essay explaining why the North won, and why it took four years.
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