Photographs can be powerful connections to the past.
The Civil War
Grade Range: 4-12
Resource Type(s): Reference Materials
Date Posted:
10/14/2008
From 1861-1865, Americans battled over preserving their Union and ending slavery. The Civil War is the focus of this section of The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, an online exhibition. This pivotal and complicated period of American history is divided into sections that allow students to focus either on a specific aspect of the war, or the conflict as a whole. The sections included are: John Brown, Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bull Run, major turning points, the war at sea, Wilderness to Appomattox, political leaders, military leaders, soldiers in blue and gray; battles and casualties and Reconstruction and the legacies of the war. A non-flash version of this site is available: The Civil War.
National Standards
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades K-4)
Historical Thinking Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation
3B: Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas, values, personalities, behaviors, and institutions.
3C: Analyze historical fiction.
3D: Distinguish between fact and fiction.
3E: Compare different stories about a historical figure, era, or event.
3F: Analyze illustrations in historical stories.
3G: Consider multiple perspectives.
3H: Explain causes in analyzing historical actions.
3I: Challenge arguments of historical inevitability.
3J: Hypothesize influences of the past.
Standards in History (Grades K-4)
United States History Standards (Grades 5-12)
Historical Thinking Standards (Grades 5-12)
Historical Thinking Standard 2: Historical Comprehension
2B: Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
2C: Identify the central question(s) the historical narrative addresses.
2D: Differentiate between historical facts and historical interpretations.
2E: Read historical narratives imaginatively.
2F: Appreciate historical perspectives.
2G: Draw upon data in historical maps.
2H: Utilize visual, mathematical, and quatitative data.
2I: Draw upon the visual, literary, and musical sources.
Historical Thinking Standard 3: Historical Analysis and Interpretation
3B: Consider multiple perspectives.
3C: Analyze cause-and-effect relationships.
3D: Draw comparisons across eras and regions in order to define enduring issues.
3E: Distinguish between unsupported expressions of opinion and informed hypotheses grounded in historical evidence.
3F: Compare competing historical narratives.
3G: Challenge arguments of historical inevitability.
3H: Hold interpretations of history as tentative.
3I: Evaluate major debates among historians.
3J: Hypothesize the influence of the past.