The Civil War

Introduction

The Civil War marked a time when America had to determine what kind of nation it would be. It is the crossroads of American history. Beginning in 1861 and lasting a full four years, the war answered two fundamental questions: 1) whether the U.S would be a divisible confederation of soverign states or an indivisible nation under a strong national government and 2) whether this nation would continue to be the largest slaveholding country in the world, although founded on the concept that all people were created equal. 

Task

Your first task is to design a map that illustrates the causes of the success and failures of key battles. Your map must demonstrate the geographic, economic, and cultural influences that led to the success or losses of these battles for both the Union and Confederate armies. 

     Example of a cause/effect map:

Your second task is to write a narrative timeline in the perspective of either a northerner, southerner, free, or slave person. You will describe the key events in sequential order, acurately portraying it from the viewpoint of your selected character. 

     Examples of a narrative timeline regarding Lincoln's signing of the 14th Amendment:

  • White Northerner: "The 14th Amendment signifies the northern stronghold in this war; with the outlawing of slavery, the southern states have no power to win this war without a voice in Union matters such as slavery."
  • White Southerner: "The 14th Amendment is absolutely unconstitutional. We will not give up the fight to be represented! The national government has no place to decide the affairs of the operations of individual states--especially when it comes to our economy and livelihood."
  • Slave or free African American: "At last the time has come when all men and women are free! But I fear the retaliation of our former masters who still have much power. We have come so far, but still have far to go."

The learning objective is to meet California State Content Standards for Social Studies 8.10: "Students analyze the multiple causes, key events, and complex consequences of the Civil War." By the end of this project, you will have demonstrated the causes, key events, and consequenes of the Civil War as demonstrated in both a visual and written format.

Process

Cause and Effect Map:

1. Using your notes and additional research, identify the geographical, economic, or political influences for the wins/losses of the following battles and events:

  • Battle of Fort Sumner
  • Battle of Antietam
  • Battle of Ghettysberg
  • Sherman's March
  • Surrender at Appomattox

2. Label the free and slave states on your map.

3. Mark the boundary between the Union and Confederate territories

4. To the side of the map, use a T chart to identify the strengths and weaknesses of both armies. This information should be clear and organized. It should look something like this:

Narrative Timeline

1. Use the handout of the Civil War timeline as a guide for your personal narrative. Decide which perspective you want to use when describing the events of the Civil War.

2. Choose at least 5 events to write about from your chosen perspective. 

3. Research the reactions the people had about these events and how it impacted them. For example, how did the Ghettysburg Address affect most Northern Whites or Southern slaves? How might have they responded (or how did they respond) to this? How would they describe this event in their own words?

You can rearch using any of the websites here. You can also use your public library's database to read primary text if you want to look up journals or speeches from the people during this time. 

4. Write your narrative timeline in the form of journal entries. Entries must be in chronological order and be no more than 5 sentences each. Each entry must include the date and title of event being described. It must be written in first person. 

Evaluation

Project Component

Criteria

Point Value

Content

 Is the information accurate? Is the information clear? Does it succinctly summarize the events?

        25/60

Design/Layout

 Is the layout clear? Is the information legible? Are the pictures accurate? Is it neatly presented and display worthy? Is there a clear order of information and thought to layout?

         25/60

Spelling and Grammar

 Is the project free of spelling and grammar errors?

          10/60

This rubric is for both the map and narrative timeline for a grand total of 60 points.

Conclusion

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you think the Civil War was inevitable? Why or why not? 

2. Why did the North win the war?

3. Do you think the war was necessary for human rights? Why or why not?

4. What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation? What effect did it have on the North and South?

Credits

This WebQuest was created by Tory Pettit for 8th grade Social Studies.