[KSgirl]

I have to get teaching the Civil war in, in about 3 days. Can you help me condense the most important info, such as "causes" battles, etc?

I have never taught it before and would appreciate any ideas.

[Firebelly]

If I understand you right, and you are doing this in just three days, I would split your focus into three areas: the causes, the main characters, and the most impactful battles.

1) Causes - talk about slavery and states rights. Slavery was not thought of as wrong in the south. It had been in place for approximately 200 years. The plantation owners couldn't see any other way. The northerners didn't really understand what life was like for slaves until Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin. Even then, the southerners argued that northern immigrants were treated just as bad. So who had the right to decide which new states could have slavery and which couldn't? The individual state or the central government???

2)Main characters - Obviously talk about Abraham Lincoln. Then also mention the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis. It brings home the point that the confederates truly wanted to have their own country. Talk about Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant, the two military leaders of the north and south.

3) Impactful Battles - Talk about Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Sherman's March to the Sea. Vicksburg and Sherman's March to the Sea were especially crippling and devastating to the southern citizens and armies. Those really broke their spirit and will to fight. And then, you may want to mention the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.

There are many ways to do this (I spend 5 weeks on Civil War!) I hope this is helpful.

[kt]

make sure that students understand that slavery was a side issue that the north used to galvanize support. It originally was about states rights, and slavery became the poster child. The agrarian south and the industrial north didn't understand each other's lifestyles. Also, slavery DID exist in the north. It was also about balancing slave-holding states and non-slave-holding states as new states were added.

[123rabbit]

I use the History Pockets resource books by Evan-Moor. These books give you everything you need to teach the Civil War (follows National Standards,includes, timelines, important people, maps, battles, pup tent activities,etc). I also bought the resource books for the Revolutionary War, and Moving West.