Title: Civil War & Reconstruction
Course: Grade 6 Minnesota Studies

The American Civil War was the deadliest and bloodiest war fought on American soil with the death of over 600,000 soldiers and an undetermined number of civilian deaths. It was a war fought between states for different reasons and has been nicknamed the "War Between the States"  Other nicknames are "War of the Rebellion," and "War for Southern Independence" depending on the point of view. It's important to examine and understand the various perspectives of the war.

The people of the North and South had very different ways of life. They had different opinions on issues such as how to best run a government.

They also disagreed about the rights of African Americans. The North believed in treating people with equality (however their practice of equal rights had yet to be truly perfected). The South believed in slavery.

The North and the South had very different resources that influenced the economy of each.

The jobs the North and South were unique too. The North was known for its large factories located in cities and the South had lots of rich farmland.

Education was also different. Students of the North attended classes in one-room schoolhouses, while children of wealthy plantations owners had private tutors.

As you work through this unit, continue to consider all points of view so that your understanding of this subject is objective.

The American Civil War: WHO?

It began as North and South... Yanks and Rebs...Union and Confederates...

In this section you'll identify key players in the American Civil War indcluding leaders, soldiers, American Indians, slaves and civilians. Through this identification, you'll begin to analyze various perspectives and points of view.

The American Civil War: WHAT?

The Civil War in America is considered the boodiest conflict on American soil. It is nicknamed the NATION DIVIDED and was a war where borthers fought against brothers. In this section you'll explore what the Civil War was about.

The American Civil War: WHERE?

The division of our country was well defined on a map. In this section students explore how physical features and the location of resources influenced settlement patterns and the growth of cities.

Teacher Note: This activity will require that students know what Higher Order Thinking questions are.

The American Civil War: WHEN?

At the time of the Civil War (1861-1865) there was much going on in the United States. In this section, you'll identify important events and their influence on the war.

The American Civil War: WHY?

To understand WHY the American Civil War happened, one must examine the events leading up to the Civil War. There are many factors to consider. In this section you will identify many events and evaluate the impact each event had as a cause for the war.

Questions to consider as you work through this section:

What issues were at stake in the war besides the continuation of slavery?

If slavery had never existed, would there have been a Civil War?

How might history have been different if we had had a different 16th president?

How did differences in economics between north and south influence attitudes?

The UNCivil War

“The history of Indian treaties is the history of all Minnesotans and all Americans. […] We cannot have a complete understanding of what it means to be Americans without knowing about these relationships, whether we are Native Americans or not."

—Kevin Gover, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian