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Historical photograph of a camp with tents and figures in a rural landscape.
A black and white illustration of a ship sailing on rough waters with flags flying.
Civil War battle scene with soldiers, cannons, and smoke, depicting chaos and conflict in a landscape.
Civil War battle scene showing soldiers, fortifications, explosions, and a river in the background.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness – Chapter 8

34 items

Historical photograph of a camp with tents and figures in a rural landscape.
Chapter 8 Introductory Essay: 1860-1877
Essay - 10636 Words

Essay

10636 Words

The Civil War and Reconstruction transform the U.S.
A black and white illustration of a ship sailing on rough waters with flags flying.
Fort Sumter and the Coming of the War
Essay - 2710 Words

Essay

2710 Words

Why was Fort Sumter the beginning of the Civil War?
Civil War battle scene with soldiers, cannons, and smoke, depicting chaos and conflict in a landscape.
The Battle of Antietam
Essay - 2523 Words

Essay

2523 Words

What was the impact of the battle of Antietam on the Civil War?
Civil War battle scene showing soldiers, fortifications, explosions, and a river in the background.
Gettysburg and Vicksburg: July 4, 1863
Essay - 2650 Words

Essay

2650 Words

Explore the impact of the Vicksburg and Gettysburg battles.
A historic painting of Abraham Lincoln with seven men in a room, seated around a table with documents.
Abraham Lincoln and Emancipation
Essay - 2746 Words

Essay

2746 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain how Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War impacted American ideals over the course of the war
Historical black-and-white image of workers constructing a railway track in an industrial setting.
William Tecumseh Sherman and Total War
Essay - 2403 Words

Essay

2403 Words

Was Sherman's policy of "total war" justified?
An image of Union general Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate commander Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House as they agree to terms of Lee’s surrender
Grant and Lee at Appomattox
Essay - 2057 Words

Essay

2057 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain the various factors that contributed to the Union victory in the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln's Cabinet
Did Abraham Lincoln Exceed His Presidential Powers during the Civil War?
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Did Lincoln exceed his powers while leading the country through the turmoils of the Civil War? Mackubin Owens and Allen Guelzo debate this issue.
Table comparing claims regarding Abraham Lincoln's presidential powers during the Civil War.
Did Abraham Lincoln Exceed His Presidential Powers during the Civil War Graphic Organizer
Activity

Activity

40 Min

A handout to accompany the scholarly claims made in the corresponding Point-Counterpoint readings that helps student synthesize the claims put forth.
Black and white photo of a group of people in a cotton field, posing with baskets of cotton.
Was the Civil War Fought Over Slavery?
Activity

Activity

40 Min

The injustice of slavery drove a division in the United States during the initial decades of the nineteenth century. But to what extent was slavery the fundamental cause of sectional differences that culminated in the Civil War? Brooks D. Simpson and John C. Waugh debate this challenging topic.
Table comparing claims about the causes of the Civil War, focusing on slavery and economic issues.
Was the Civil War Fought Over Slavery Graphic Organizer
Activity

Activity

40 Min

A handout to accompany the scholarly claims made in the corresponding Point-Counterpoint readings that helps student synthesize the claims put forth.
A historic illustrated map titled "Scott's Great Snake," depicting a winding route through the United States with various landmarks.
J.B. Elliott, Scott’s Great Snake (Anaconda Plan), 1861
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
A historic scene depicting soldiers near makeshift graves, with a horse and figures in the background.
Mathew Brady, The Dead of Antietam Photography, 1862
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Document titled "Fragment on the Constitution and Union, January 1860," discussing Lincoln's views on governance.
Rhetoric of Abraham Lincoln Document Packet
Activity

Activity

A set of six primary source that seek to answer the question to what extent did Lincoln’s rhetoric reveal that he considered the Civil War a second American founding?
The cartoon shows policemen beating civilians with clubs. The civilian men also hold weapons. Several civilian men lie on the ground.
The Draft and the Draft Riots of 1863
Essay - 2400 Words

Essay

2400 Words

Why were some opposed to a draft during the Civil War?
Historical illustration of the 54th Massachusetts Colored Regiment's charge during the Civil War.
Robert Gould Shaw and the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Regiment
Essay - 1937 Words

Essay

1937 Words

Explores the life and bravery of Robert Gould Shaw.
Black and white portrait of a woman in 19th-century attire, standing with her hand on a table.
Mary Chesnut’s War
Essay - 2184 Words

Essay

2184 Words

Explores the story of Mary Chesnut and her Civil War diary.
Historical illustration of soldiers confronting a prisoner in a room, depicting a Civil War era scene.
Clement Vallandigham and Constitutionalism
Essay - 2567 Words

Essay

2567 Words

Were Clement Vallandigham's free speech rights violated?
The photograph shows Rose Greenhow with her arm around her daughter.
Women during the Civil War
Essay - 2566 Words

Essay

2566 Words

How did women contribute to the war efforts on both sides?
Three historic cannons on a grassy field with a wooden house and church steeple in the background.
Daniel Emmett’s “Dixie” and Julia Ward Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” 1859 and 1861
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Cartoon depicting Lincoln and a caricatured figure repairing a map of the United States to symbolize Union restoration.
Cartoon Analysis: The “Rail Splitter” at Work Repairing the Union, 1865
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Men gathered in an office of the Freedmen's Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee, discussing assistance and support.
O. O. Howard and the Freedmen’s Bureau
Essay - 1957 Words

Essay

1957 Words

How did O.O. Howard fight for the rights of recently freed slaves?
Men gathered in an office of the Freedmen's Bureau in Memphis, Tennessee, discussing assistance and support.
Comparing Views of the Freedmen’s Bureau, 1866
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Political cartoon depicting violence, oppression, and racial themes, featuring a shield and symbolic figures.
The Ku Klux Klan and Violence at the Polls
Essay - 2499 Words

Essay

2499 Words

How did the KKK suppress black rights in the 1860s and 1870s?
Historical illustration of the celebration of the Fifteenth Amendment with a parade and various attendees.
To What Extent Did American Principles Become a Reality for African Americans during Reconstruction?
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Reconstruction witnessed some successes in bringing equality, liberty, and justice for African Americans. Brooks D. Simpson and John C. Waugh explore the lasting impact of Reconstruction policies on American principles.
Table discussing American principles and their impact on African Americans during Reconstruction with claims and issues outlined.
To What Extent Did American Principles Become a Reality for African Americans during Reconstruction Graphic Organizer
Activity

Activity

40 Min

A handout to accompany the scholarly claims made in the corresponding Point-Counterpoint readings that helps student synthesize the claims put forth.
An illustration depicting a man standing with his arms outstretched, wearing torn clothing, against a textured background.
Cartoon Analysis: Thomas Nast on Reconstruction, 1869–1874
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source imagery to analyze major events in history.
Political cartoon depicting Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction policies with various scenes of citizens and protests.
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Essay - 2481 Words

Essay

2481 Words

By the end of this section, you will explain the effects of government policy during Reconstruction on society from 1865 to 1877.
Historic courtroom scene with a jury, judge, and attorneys during a trial, depicting an 18th-century legislative assembly.
Andrew Johnson’s Veto of the Civil Rights Act, 1866
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Advertisement titled "STOP THE RUNAWAYS!" from the Milledgeville Federal Union newspaper, June 12, 1860.
Black Codes Primary Source Packet
Activity

Activity

A set of seven documents that showcase in what ways did the legal status of African Americans changed after emancipation and the Reconstruction Amendments, and in what ways their experience remained the same as under the institution of slavery.
Handout titled "What Were the Founders’ Intentions Regarding Impeachment?" with instructions and a narrative excerpt.
What Were the Founders Intentions Regarding Impeachment?
Activity

Activity

A role play activity to help students explore the constitutional provisions related to impeachment and comprehension questions.
Document titled "Handout B: Impeachment in U.S. History," discussing U.S. presidential impeachments.
Impeachment in U.S. History
Activity

Activity

Narratives and comprehension questions that explore the three times that the Senate has tried to impeachment and the resignation of Richard Nixon.
Document certifying land application for Daniel F. Hannan, dated January 20, 1868, from the Land Office at Homestead.
The Homestead Act of 1862
Activity

Activity

40 Min

Use this primary source text to explore key historical events.
Handout titled "Equality and the Civil War Student Packet" with directions for completing an assignment on federalism and equality.
Equality and the Civil War Student Packet
Activity

Activity

A timeline of 27 events starting with the organization of the Free Soil Party to the abolishment of the Freedman's Bureau.