Objectives:

I can identify what defines a war as a "civil war."

I can explain the causes and effects of a civil war on a society. 

I can explain what the U.S. Civil War was and the effects it had on our current nation.

Essential Questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Reflecting on Our Understanding:

​This learning module focuses on the Causes of the U.S. War. This is the first part of our civil war unit, before we learn about the battles and effects of the conflict of our nation. Many of you may have knowledge about this war or an understanding of what a civil war conflict is. Additionally, about half of you learned about the Revolutionary War last year and what is a revolution. Throughout the module, you will gain new perspectives and insights on the war in order to understand the beginning of our nation. You will apply your prior knowledge and what you learn to create original updates, viewing the unique perspectives of your peers. To assess your understanding of this war, complete the survey that is pushed out by your teacher. 

What is a Civil War?

Concept, american flag on cracked background. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.studyfinds.org/a-nation-divided-u-s-politics-taking-physical-emotional-toll-on-americans/concept-american-flag-on-cracked-background/.

This learning module will focus on the causes of the U.S. Civil War. However, before learning about the five main causes of the deadliest war in American history, let's dissect the concept of a "civil war." In your Humanities notebook, write down the word, Civil War. Write key words, concepts, events, or people that connect to the concept of a civil war. Try to get at least five ideas down in your notebook. 

After about five minutes, share out your ideas with your table groups. Use the Habit of Mind, Listening and Understanding with Empathy to listen to the diversity of perspectives within your table group. As you listen to the ideas of your peers, create a table team mind map of the concept, civil war. We will be adding to this mind map as a class each day to deepen our understanding of the devastating effects these wars can have on their citizens and nation. 

According to Wikipedia, "a civil war, also known as an intrastate war in polemology, is a war between organized groups within the same state or country" (Civil War, 2019).  The ultimate purpose of a civil war is for one side to gain independence, dominance, change the way a nation is being run, or control over the other area. These wars are typically quite devastating, taking many lives and resources from the nation. In modern day civil wars, there is involvement from an outside party. 

Activating Schema on the U.S. Civil:

​In order to activate schema about the American Civil War, reflect on the following Civil War words below. Create a T-chart in your Humanities notebook where the left side is labeled North and the right side is labeled South. Sort the words into the proper location. If you do not know where a word goes, use your best educated guess.  As we go throughout our unit, we will learn about the key ideas, events, concepts, and people in the chart. Update the chart with the correct answer to reflect on your learning. 

• Yankees
• Gettysburg
• Rebels
• Union
• Underground Railroad
• Factories
• Jefferson Davis
• Railroads
• Slaves
• Farmers
• Cotton
• Sectionalism
• Lincoln
• Abolitionist
• Better Calvary
• Confederates
• Secede from the Union
• Plantations
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Robert E. Lee
• Nationalism

Make sure this chart is an easily accessible location in your notebook, as we will continually reflect on our answers in order to activate metacognition. You will be updating the chart as you learn about the key concepts. 

What was the American Civil War?

Britannica, T. E. of E. (2019, August 6). Secession. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/secession.

The American Civil War was a conflict that divided and  then eventually united our nation. A war that most civilians believed would last 90 days, unfortunately lasted a grueling four years from 1861 - 1864 between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy). 618,000 men lost their lives in battles. Years of events triggered this war and divided our nation, one of the main ones being the differing perspectives on the concept of slavery. The war broke out when seccesionists attacked Fort Sumter and Abraham Lincol was inaugurated as president. 

Throughout this learning module, you will learn about the five main causes of the Civil War:

1. Economy
2. Slavery
3. State and Federal Rights
4. Laws and Acts 
5. Election of 1860

Ken Burn's Civil War Documentary

The American Civil War was one of the first wars in history to be photographed. Pictures were purposefully staged after battles to depict the atrocities and devastation the war was bringing on our nation. Ken Burn's artistically uses photographs and resources from the Civil War time in conjuction with modern day artifacts and historians to create his award winning miniseries, The Civil War. This documentary powerfully portrays the military, political, and social facets of our nation's civil war. He uses an effect that was coined after his artistic style, The Ken Burn's effect, that zooms in and out of photographs to create the movie effect.

Watch the beginning scene of the documentary, noting the setting, tone, and mood that is created. Consider why Burn's uses the images he does and the power of opening script. Based on this three minute segment, jot down any conclusions and inferences in your Humanities notebook that can be drawn about this war. This will help you gather a comprehensive overview of the war and make sense of the content you will be engaging with throughout the learning module. 

American Civil War Overview 

The video clip below briefly explains the American Civil War. This clip articulates the beginning of the war and the events that led to the war. Jot down any insights, connections, and qusetions you have from the video. This will allow you to be actively involved in the content and make connections throughout the learning module. You will apply what you learned to an original comment and update within the learning module. 

After watching the video clip above, view the Civil War Timeline from the Ken Burn's PBS site. The timeline depicts key events, battles, and people in the Civil War. Consider the patterns, events, and dates that were significant to the war. Consider these ides as it will guide your learning throughout the module. 

Comment: Comment on the following questions, What defines a war as a "civil war?" and why is it considered "civil?" Use evidence to support your reasoning. Read through others comments when you are done and respond to comments that provided you with new insights or that comments that you may not have originally considered prior to this learning module. 

Update: Create an original update about a civil war, other than the American Civil War. Research the countries that were involved in the war, where it occured, the years and duration, and the effects on the society. Respond to at least two peers posts. Identify what new perspectives you have gained and how learning about the particular civil war has allowed you to have a deeper understanding of how a conflict between a specific nation can affect the entire world.

​Optional Extension: For extra credit, write an update addressing the question, "What is the difference between a revolution and a civil war?"  Your update should be written in a claim, evidence, and reasoning format. Use specific examples thoroughout history to support your reasoning. 

Objectives:

 I can define the word, diversity.

I can explain the facets of diversity. 

I can understand the diversity of perspectives and how it can lead to misconceptions, stereotypes, and conflicts within a country.

Essential Questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Activating Schema:

​To begin our learning module on the U.S. Civil War, we are going to consider the concept of diversity. With your table groups, open up a Google Slide, Adobe Spark, or Explain Everything presentation and place the word, DIVERSITY, in the center. Underneath the word write the phrase, "We are different, but we are one." Create a digital mind map of the concept. Your mind map can include words, images, videos, or phrases. Be creative when creating your mind map and be open to the perspectives of your peers on the concept. Consider the facets the various facets that make up diversity. Some guiding questions for your mind map are:

• How can aspects of diversity be sorted and categorized?
• What are the effects of respecting and disrespecting diversity?
• How can one promote diversity within a community? Society? World?

Post your initial mind map as an update with your table group's number. This will be posted for all other members of our classroom community to view. This will increase our awareness of other's perspectives and broaden our own perspectives. We will be revisiting our initial mind maps at the end of the learning module and making revisions based upon information gained throughout the learning module. 

What is Diversity?

Diversity is defined as the differences each individual encompasses. These differences can range from physical attributes, race, gender, age, interests, beliefs, religion, socio-economic status, etc. 

"Diversity" means more than just acknowledging and/or tolerating difference. Diversity is a set of conscious practices that involve:

• Understanding and appreciating interdependence of humanity, cultures, and the natural environment.
• Practicing mutual respect for qualities and experiences that are different from our own.
• Understanding that diversity includes not only ways of being but also ways of knowing;
• Recognizing that personal, cultural and institutionalized discrimination creates and sustains privileges for some while creating and sustaining disadvantages for others;
• Building alliances across differences so that we can work together to eradicate all forms of discrimination. 

(Queensborough Community College, n.d.).

Watch the video below. As you watch the video, jot down the answers to the following questions in your Humanities notebook. As a class, we will be reflecting on the questions and sharing our answers in order to broaden our understanding of diversity. 

1. What new perspectives do you have about diversity? 
2. What feelings do you have after watching the film? 
3. What causes individuals to not accept the diversity of those in a community? 
4. How can we promote diversity within our class community? School? City? State? Country? World? 

Diversity Activity

​To continue to understand the impact of diversity on a community, we are going to engage in activity that requires us to think critically if diversity is being respected or disrespected. With a partner assigned by your teacher, sort the prompts into the correct column. After you are finished sorting, compare your results with another group and answer the questions below verbally, utilizing the Habit of Mind, Listening and Understanding with Empathy. 

Diversity Prompts:

1. Braille on a classroom sign
2. Placement of Native Americans on Indian Reservations
3. Holiday program where only Hanukkah songs are sung
4. Constitution in which only white, male property owners may vote
5. An Arab speaking family is asked to leave a restaurant
6. A Church and Mosque share space at a community center
7. A school has a World Cultures night to educate the community of the cultures of their students
8. A school PTA uses book fair funds to purchase books in other languages for an immigrant family
9. Asking, "Where are you from?" when you meet someone who looks different from you
10. I assume that Dr. Jones is the man standing at the end of the hallway next to the women in blue
11. Customer service that allows individuals to choose the language they prefer to communicate in
12. A building that only has stairs to enter and exit

    Respect for Diversity	Disrespect for Diversity

Compare and contrast the prompts that demonstrate respect for diversity and the prompts that demonstrate disrespect for diversity. What conclusions can be drawn from the chart?  What key ideas can be drawn from this activity? 

As a group, create a synthesis statement for the question, "How can we promote diversity in our community?" Have one representative update your group's mind map by adding the synthesis statement about diversity. As a group, add any new perspectives or information that can be included based on what you learned in the update.

Comment: Throughout the unit, we will be focusing on the following three essential questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Based on the information from the update, answer the ideology essential question. Identify what is the influence and impact it can have on a nation. Consider what background knowledge you have about the Civil War and other conflicts that are nation has been a part of. We will be updating our answers to the essential questions throughout the unit as we continue to gain additional schema. 

Update: Create an original update about diversity in our country. The diversity can be in regards to ideas, beliefs, race, culture, gender, etc. Explain how your update is an example of diversity and  the benefits of having diversity of perspectives in our lives. Include media to support your update. Respond to at least two peers updates about new perspectives you have gained. Your responses should be thorough and address specific and how this information will help you throughout life. 

Objectives:

I can define an agrarian society.

I can define an industrial society. 

I can compare and contrast the differences in way of life and economy between the northern states and southern states. 

Essential Questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Updating Essential Questions:

Take a few minutes to update your essential questions on your Test Prep Help Sheet. Identify new insights, key events that led to the understanding, and any questions that you may have. This will allow you to deepen your understanding and the effect of diverse perspectives and resources on a society. This will allow you to make connections between events within the Civil War and other historical events.

North vs. South

The Civil War: A War of Resources. (2015, May 28). Retrieved from https://www.econedlink.org/resources/the-civil-war-a-war-of-resources/.

Since the birth of our nation, the northern territories and southern territories had conflict due to the vast geographical differences. These differences led to many compromises of territory and governing. However, over time the differences became so vast that it led to our nations deadliest war, the Civil War. 

PDF. (n.d.).

The northern territories, as shown abover, were cooler in climate and had rockier soil. Since the land was not as suitable for agriculture, civilians of the north had to depend on trade, manufacturing, and industry to drive their economy. This led to the development of mass production and the railroad system. They were able to drive their economy based on shipping, manufacturing, and trade. 

PDF. (n.d.).

On the other hand, the southern territories, pictured above, had a warmer climate with more fertile land. This land was ideal for growing crops such as tobacco, cotton, rice, and sugar cane. Since the economy was driven on labor, the southern states needed help on the plantations. Many of them purchased slaves from Africa as they had experience and knowledge in growing these types of crops. The south developed an economy that was driven on labor provided by slaves. 

To learn more about differences between the north and the south, use the following digital resources. When analyzing the resources, write down any new insights, connections, or questions that you may have. Being an active learner will allow you to identify any trends or patterns between the two societies. This will allow you to be a self-directed learner and to draw conclusions on how the north and south differed in their economic structure. While looking at each resource, continue to add to your test prep help sheet. 

Begin by reading about the industry and economy between the north and the south vs. the Civil War. While reading, create a chart that identifies the differences between the two societies and how this led to tension within the nation. The chart can be created digitally or on paper. This is a way for you to interact with the content in the learning module and to see the connections between the differences in economy and the causes of the Civil War. Continue to add to the chart as you view the charts and images below. 

• 

  Ransom, R. L. (n.d.). The Economics of the Civil War. Retrieved from https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-economics-of-the-civil-war/.

   

• 

  Olson-Raymer, G. (2014, December 31). he Civil War: Goals, Strategies, and Consequences. Retrieved from http://gorhistory.com/hist110/unit4/CivilWar.html.

   

• 

  PDF (n.d.).

   

After reading the articles and chart above, watch the video on the economy of the north and the south. This further explains the life style of each society, how their society ran, the economics, and how it iled to conflict within our nation. While watching the video, continue to update the north and south chart with new information that you learned. 

Comment: During the 1800's our nation was divided in two; the North and the South. This divided occurred due to the economy and the way of life. Do these divides and stereotypes still exist currently in our nation? Explain the stereotypes that each section of the country may have and how it impacts our nation as a whole. Feel free to research to gain further insights about what stereotypes still exist within our nation. 

Update: In this update, you learned about how life differed between the North and the South. Create an original image that depicts the differences between our nation and how this led to tension and conflict. Your image can be created on paper or on a platform of your choosing. Create an explanation on why you chose the images that you did and what the message is for each section of the nation. Respond to at least two peers on any new insights that you gained from their visual image. 

Objective:

I can explain the concept of slavery.

I can identify key dates, events, and people that related to the concept of slavery.

I can explain how the differing perspectives of slavery led to the conflict of the Civil War. 

Essential Questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Updating Essential Questions:

Take a few minutes to update your essential questions understanding in your Humanities notebook. Identify new insights, key events that led to the understanding, and any questions that you may have. This will allow you to deepen your understanding and the effect of diverse perspectives and resources on a society. This will allow you to make connections between events within the Civil War and other historical events.

What is Slavery:

Civil War Week: Slavery Memories. (2018, January 19). Retrieved from https://www.wisconsinlife.org/story/civil-war-week-slavery-memories/.

Slavery is when another individual owns another human being. Those individuals who are enslaved are stripped of all their human rights. They are considered to be property of another person and do not have rights in owning property, voting, or making decisions for themselves.

In this update, you will learn about the progression of slavery in our nation's history and the differing perspectives of this topic within our own nation. The update begins by identifying what is slavery, key events and dates, influential African Americans, and escaping slavery. 

Key Events and Dates of Slavery in our Nation:

​Slavery can be traced back all the way back to the genesis of our nation, when colonization was occuring. Slaves were traded on the Triangular Trade. This was a system of trade developed in three areas of the world, allowing goods that were not produced in other areas to be shipped and exported to other locations to increase the economic foundation of the location.

writer, S. (2012, November 5). The transatlantic slave trade. Retrieved from http://www.crispusattucksmuseum.org/the-transatlantic-slave-trade/.

Below are three key dates in the long rooted history of slavery in the United States.

1776: The issue of slavery was deeply rooted, prior to the formation of the United States. Jefferson wrote in the Constitution, "We hold these truths, to be self-evident…that all men are created equal..."

1788 - 1860: The issue of slavery was deeply rooted in the economic differences of the country. The south depended on slavery to drive is economy, which was primarily powered by agriculture. The north on the other hand, was primarly driven on industrial and manufactured goods. 

Sectionalism. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://dowellushistory.weebly.com/sectionalism.html.

1789: In 1788, the U.S. Constitution agreed that each slave should count as 3/5 of a person to help provide a solution for the reperesentation in Congress. This proposal ensured that Southerners would dominate the presidency and the less populated Southern states would still have a strong representation in Congress.

Learn more about the 3/5 Compromise and its impact on slavery in the United States. 

Read about how slavery has progressed in the United States. This describes the brief, yet extensive history of slavery in our nation. Take notes in your Humanities notebook on any new insights, connections, or questions you may have about the history of slavery in the United States. 

Throughout this update, you will learn about slavery, how it expanded, and how enslaved African Americans fought for their freedom. This information will be applied to create your own visual timeline of slavery in the United States and how the differing of perspectives led to war in our nation.

Expansion of Slavery

In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the machine, the Cotton Gin. This machine allowed cotton to be easily and quickly cleaned. It allowed one worker to clean as much as fifty pounds of cotton a day. This invention is single handedly connected to the expansion of slavery. It impacted the expansion of slavery in four ways:

1. It triggered the expansion of cotton plantations westward. Some of the states it reached was Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
2. Due to the valuableness of cotton, it began to increase in production and increased exports especially to Britain.
3. Native American were driven off lands as cotton plantations were beginning to spread.
4. Slaves were sold to southern plantations were they could be used to harvest the cotton production, as it required a lot of workforce.

Watch the TED Talk below to understand the impact inventions had on slavery in our country. Record any new insights, connections, or questions that you may have in your Humanities notebook. This will help you understand how our nation grew apart and eventually led to war. 

Resisting and Escaping Slavery

According to the 1850's U.S. Census, the population of the United States was  23,191,876. Out of the total population, 3,204,313 individuals were slaves, approximately 14% of the population.  Unfortunately, there were only three ways an African American could legally be free. They were:

1. Born free
2. Freed by an owner
3. Bought their freedom

Those who did not have these opportunities to become free, fought for their freedom through resistance and escape. Learn about slavery was opposed and rebelled against below. 

Resisting Slavery:

Another way that African Americans fought for their freedom was through resistance. They engaged in many forms of rebelling against their owners and fighting for their freedom Read the excerpt from page 471 of the textbook, The United States by Scott Forseman to learn how African Americans resisted slavery. Record any key insights in your Humanities notebook. This will help you understand the perspective of African Americans and can be applied to the ideology essential qusetion for the unit. 

Boyd, C. D. (2008). Scott Foresman Social Studies. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman.

Escaping Slavery:

One of the ways that African Americans fought for their rights and went against slavery was through escape. Many of them tried to make their way north and to Canada to ensure rights and to live as a free man. One of the ways escaping slavery was possible during the time of the Civil War was through the Underground Railroad. 

The Underground Railroad:

What was the Underground Railroad? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.harriet-tubman.org/underground-railroad/.

The Underground Railroad, was not a railroad at all. It was a symbolic and metaphorical system composed of roads and safe houses that led escaping slaves to freedom. Escaping slaves, otherwise known as passengers, were led by conductors who were abolitionists and freed slaves. They traveled the underground railroad at night by going on secret passage ways, roads, and staying in safe houses in order to travel to freedoom. The Underground Railroad was created in the late 1700's, but reached its peach in the 1850's and 1860's. It is believed that about 100,000 slaves traveled and escaped to freedom on the Underground Railroad.

Learn more about how the Underground Railroad worked, influental people, safehouse and passages, and codes by watching the video and reading the article below. This will provide you will essential understanding of how African Americans escaped freedom and how it connects the Life Skills essential question. Record any insights you gain in your Humanities notebook, diversity mind map, north vs. south chart, or test prep help sheet. These are all resources you can use to guide your understanding. Choose the form of taking notes that makes most sense to you and allows you to see connections between content and to synthesize the information. 

Underground Railroad Article

After reading about the Underground Railroad, you will engage in a webquest. A webquest is an interactive way to engage with content on a website. This is much deeper than simply "Googling" facts and information. Webquests allow you to interact with the content, making connections, and creating a deeper understanding of the content.

You are to engage in the Scholastic webquest,  The Underground Railroad. Use the directions linked below to complete the webquest. This will guide you on a journey of the Underground Railroad, understanding the perspective of slaves as they escaped for freedom. Answer the qusetions linked and submit your webquest to the update. After answering the question, feel free to explore the other features and links embedded. Having a thorough understanding will allow you to understand the components of a webquest and will guide you when you create your own peer-reviewed webquest at the end of the unit. 

Unfortunately, African Americans who escaped slavery and had found freedom faced many problems still. Some of the problems were:

• Some free states made them leave once they reached freedom
• They may not have the right to vote or become educated
• Inability to become hired
• Captured and resolved into slavery

In your Humanities notebook, reflect on the life skills essential question, Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? How did African Americans, both enslaved and those who escaped slavery, utilize the Habits of Mind? This will help you deepen your understanding of the essential questions.

​Comment: Based on the diversity of perspectives between the North and the South, both sides sides had strong beliefs in the morality of slavery. Choose a perspective and identify if you believe that slavery should have or should have not been justified. In the comment, identify the perspective you are taking, why you believe it should or should not have been justified, and support with specific reasoning from the slide deck.

Update: Create a timeline on the events of slavery throughout American history. This will allow you to understand the longetivity of this event and the effects it had on our nation. Follow the criteria below when creating your timeline.

Students may choose one of the following platforms to create their timeline. Students may choose another platform, but must get it approved by the teacher prior to research.

• Paper (Poster board)
• Adobe Spark
• Google Slides
• Thinklink
• Comic Life

​Content:

• Include at least 15 events from the time era of the early 1600's to the early 1900's
• Dates cover the breadth of slavery throughout our nation's history
• Dates are in chronological order
• A brief description of the event
• A title, Progression of Slavery in American History

Creativity:

• A theme to depict the effects of slavery on the nation
• A variety of color
• At least 3 relevant images are included
• Space is used effectively
• Lettering is clear, neat, spelled correctly, and grammatically correct
• Name is in lower right hand corner

Upon completion, submit your final copy of progression of slavery as an update. If you completed their timeline on paper, you should take a picture and upload it to the updae. Within the update,  explain how the timeline was completed, why the medium was chosen, what patterns you noticed between the dates, and any inferences that could be concluded based on the information. Respond to at least one peer's timeline. Identify how new perspectives were gained based on the information was presented and what dates they included. Make sure to address any similarities or differences between the timelines.

Objectives:

I can define the concept, nationalism.

I can define the concept, sectionalism.

I can identify the differences between nationalism and sectionalism and how this was one of the main causes of the Civil War. 

Essential Questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Updating Essential Questions:

Take a few minutes to update your essential questions on your Test Prep Help Sheet. Identify new insights, key events that led to the understanding, and any questions that you may have. This will allow you to deepen your understanding and the effect of diverse perspectives and resources on a society. This will allow you to make connections between events within the Civil War and other historical events.

Nationalism

Hand Holding American Flag On Blue Sky: Download now free stock photos on Freepik. (2019, May 7). Retrieved from https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/hand-holding-american-flag-blue-sky_4441349.htm.

​Nationalism is the support, loyalty,and pride to one's own nation. Nationalism began to develop in the United States after the War of 1812. Watch the video below to learn about how the War of 1812 led to the concept of Nationalism within our nation. 

In 1815, President Madison proposed a plan to Congress that would allow the United States to continue to grow and prosper economically, without the help from foreign countries. This plan, one which Henry Clay noted as the American system included three components. Read about the three components and view the videos and images to further understand about The American System. Take notes in your Humanities notebook to be an active listener and make connections to how the concept of nationalism led to the Civil War. 

• Establish a Protective Tariff: A protectvie tariff is a tax that is placed on imported goods to protect a nation's business from foreign competitors. In 1816, Congress passed a tariff that made European goods more expensive in order to encourage the production and sales of cheaper American made goods. 

In 1828, the Tariff of Abominations was passed by Congress. This was a controversial tariff passed by Congress that protected American manufactured goods from the cheaper British manufactured goods. The south opposed the taxes on raw materials, which eventually led to the Nullification Crisis of 1832. Learn more about the Tariff of Abominiations in the video clip below.

In 1832 the Nullification Crisis occured. This began because of southern protests against the series of tariffs passed by Congress. The south view the tariffs as severing the economy of the country due to the differences of economy between the north and the south. Learn more about the Nullifciation Crisis in the video below. 

• Create a National Bank: In 1816, the Second Bank of the United States was set up to create a single currency in the U.S. in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This allowed for simpler trade.

Second Bank of the United States. (2019, October 6). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Bank_of_the_United_States.

• Improve Transportation: The third aspect of the American System plan was to improve transportation within the United States. This was essential for a strong economy as it would improve the time and cost of transporting goods. These improvements would be made to roads and canals, allowing for ease of transporting raw and manufactured goods between the north and the south. 

Sectionalism

Mr Gray History: Student Work - Sectionalism Posters: Teaching ideas: Social studies classroom, Teaching american history, Teaching us history. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/567242515554565197/?lp=true.

Sectionalism is the loyalty to one's own region and section of the country. As The American System was implemented in the country, a greater divide and concerns grew within the nation. The northeast relied on manufacturing and trade, the south relied on cotton, farming, and slavery, and the south wanted cheap land and good transportation. 

North vs. South

​During the time of the Civil War, the north and south began to grow apart for their varying differences. Their geographic regions and economic structure created vast differences in their perspectives, beliefs, and way of life. This led to a divide in beliefs of federal vs .state rights. Watch the video below and read the excerpt from the social science textbook, The United  to learn about how our nation grew further apart. 

Boyd, C. D. (2008). Scott Foresman Social Studies. Glenview, IL: Scott Foresman.

Comment: What other times in our nation's history has the concepts of "nationalism" or "sectionalism" led to conflict. Be specific with what the event was, how it connects to the nationalism or sectionalism, and the effects it had on our nation.

Update: Create a political cartoon that explains the concept of "nationalism" or "sectionalism." Your cartoon can be made using any platform of your choice. Consider the message you are portraying, who is the audience, and potential biases of your cartoon. In addition to yoru cartoon, provide a write up explaining how this connects to the essential question, "What is the influence of diverse perspectives?" Respond to at least two peers on their political cartoon and how this deepend your understanding of how these concepts can lead to a conflict within a nation. 

Objectives:

I can explain what the Missouri Compromise was and the effects it had on our nation.

I can explain what the Compromise of 1850 was and the effects it had on our nation.

I can explain what the Kansas Nebraska Act was and the effects it had on our nation.

I can explain the Dred Scott Decision and the effects it had on our nation.

I can explain how the four laws and acts were connected and how it led to war. 

Essential Questions:

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Updating Essential Questions:

Take a few minutes to update your essential questions on your Test Prep Help Sheet. Identify new insights, key events that led to the understanding, and any questions that you may have. This will allow you to deepen your understanding and the effect of diverse perspectives and resources on a society. This will allow you to make connections between events within the Civil War and other historical events.

Background Information:

Below are four acts/laws that were passed in America that led to the outbreak of the Civil War. These acts played a significant role in balancing power between the rights of the citizens and the power of Congress. Understanding each of these historical events will allow you to gain an understanding the role of power and how it can affect a nation. 

Acts/Laws Jigsaw:

​In a group of three, you will be assigned a particular act/law that was passed by Congress in the leading up to the Civil War. Each group will research about the law and address the following points in order to create an informative presentation on the law. The projects will be presented to the class to provide them with essential understanding and the role they played on the causes of the Civil War. 

• What was the act/law?
• When was the act/law passed?
• Why was the act/law passed?
• Who was involved in the act/law? 
• Key aspects of the act/law
• Effects of the law on the secession of the Union

You will begin their research independently by using the information below. Each act/law includes an overview, a video, and two extension links about each act/law. Begin by reading the information from the links and watching the video. You may use other outside media to continue your research. Record your findings in your Humanities notebook. Consider organizing the information based on the points above. You will share your findings with your group once you are done research and will synthesize the information together to create a presentation. 

1 - Missouri Compromise - 1820

The Missouri Compromise was an act that was passed to preserve power between free states and slaves states. It stated that Missouri could enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state. 

Articles about the Missouri Compromise

• Missouri Compromise - History Channel
• Missouri Compromise

2 - Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 was a set of five laws that were passed that addressed the issues of slavery and expansion of territory after the end of the Mexican War. Congress needed to determine what to do about slavery in the new territory. Their solution was:

1. California is admitted as a free state. 
2. Texas is admitted as a slave state.
3. New territories had the right to vote on slavery (popular sovereignty).
4. Passed the Fugitive Slave Law.
5. Runaway slaves caught in the north, must be returned to the South. 

Articles about the Compromise of 1850

• Compromise of 1850
• The Compromise of 1850
• Compromise of 1850 - Khan Academy

3 - Kansas Nebraska Act - 1854

The Kansas Nebraska Act was passed by Congress and allowed citizens of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to make decisions about they would allow slavery within the territories border. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery north of latitude 36'30. 

Articles about the Kansas - Nebraska Act 

• The Kansas - Nebraska Act
• The Kansas - Nebraska Act 
• Kansas - Nebraska Act - Wikipedia

4 - Dred Scott Decision - 1857

The Dred Scott Decision was a court case where an enslaved African American man unsuccessfully sued for his freedom after his owner passed away. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen, but rather was property and could not file a lawsuit. 

Articles on the Dred Scott Decision

• Dred Scott Decision
• Dred Scott Decision - USHistory
• Dred Scott vs. Sandford - Wikipedia

Update: In your assigned group of three, you are to create an informative presentation on your assigned act/law. Begin by sharing your insights and perspectives of the topic after independently researching. Synthesize the information gathered to answer the points above. Next, decide on how you will present the information to the class. You may choose an idea below or have an original idea. Have your idea approved prior to creation. 

• A song
• Poem
• A poster
• A mnemonic device
• A parody

​Once you have chosen how you will present the information of your topic, include the following information. 

​Content:

*The act/laws name

*The date of the act/law

*Key people/events that triggered the law

*Three facts about the act/law

*Reasons why the act/law was passed

*Effects of the act/law on the outbreak of the Civil War

Creativity:

*Lettering is clear, neat, spelled correctly, and grammatically correct
*A variety of color
*Name present on the project
*Two relevant images
*Space is used effectively

Once the project is complete, have one students post it as an update with the title of the act/law and the members of the group. Explain what law you studied, new insights and key information about the law, the impact it had on the nation, and how you created your project. Explain what platform you used, how you chose the key ideas, and how this provides readers with new insights.

After posting, read through the other projects. Write down three facts and 1 question that you have about the act/law. Then, respond to at least two other groups projects. One of the projects should be a group that had the same act/law as you did. The other one should be a differing act. Identify what new insights you learned and how it deepend your understanding of the essential questions.

Objective:

I can identify the four candidates in the election of 1860 and their political viewpoint.

I can identify how the inauguration of Lincoln led to the Civil War. 

Essential Questions: 

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Updating Essential Questions:

Take a few minutes to update your essential questions on your Test Prep Help Sheet. Identify new insights, key events that led to the understanding, and any questions that you may have. This will allow you to deepen your understanding and the effect of diverse perspectives and resources on a society. This will allow you to make connections between events within the Civil War and other historical events.

Abraham Lincoln and The Election of 1860

​In this learning module, you will inquire about Abraham Lincoln, how he was elected into office, and the impact of his election on our nation. You will begin by learning more about Abraham Lincoln and his political career and perspectives. While reading you will engage in various reading strategies to make sense of the main idea and key details. The information will then be applied to the election of 1860 and how it led to the secession of South Carolina. 

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was our 16th president of the United States. During his time in office, he was the president of the Union and emancipated the slaves. 

Lincoln was born in Kentucky on February 12, 1809 . He began his political career in the Illinois State legislature. His career progressed by having a seat on the U.S. House of Representatives and as the president of the United States.

Abraham Lincoln. (2019, August 28). Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/us-president/abraham-lincoln.

Watch the video about All About Abraham Lincoln Biography. Take notes in your Huamnities notebook on any key ideas, new perspectives, and questions that you may have about our president. This will allow you to understand his political views and the decisions that he made that led to the nation's deadliest war. 

Alphaboxes

To continue to deepen your understanding of Abraham Lincoln the impact of his political views on our nations history. Read chapter 5: Emancipation, in the text, Lincoln: A Photobiography.  While reading, engage in  the reading strategy, Alphaboxes. Alphaboxes is a reading strategy, where you are to find main idea and key details from a reading. Each detail needs to begin with a specific letter of the alphabet. The concepts for each letter should be a main idea and the description should include key details. It is important to be thorough in the explanation as it will provide new insights and connections with the topic. Feel free to include multi-media within each box to provide new insights and to support your explanation. 

• Chapter 5: Emancipation in Lincoln: A Photobiography
• 

  Alphaboxes Directions
  

  Chapter 5 Alphaboxes Template

Optional: Curious in learning more about president Lincoln, read his Biography at this website or read the following chapters in the nonfiction text, Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman. 

• Chapter 1: The Mysterious Mr. Lincoln
• Chapter 3: Law and Politics
• Chapter 4: Half Slave and Half Free 

Election of 1860​

The election of 1860 was a intragural event in our nation's history, as it focused on slavery and the slave's rights. There were four candidates who ran in the election; Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell. Lincoln was the only candidate that supported the newly formed, Republican Party, and wanted to prohibit the expansion of slavery. 

Watch the Crash Course video below to learn about the election and how it led to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. While watching the video, write down any new insights, perspectives, and questions about why this was a significant cause of the U.S. Civil War in your Humanities notebook. These notes will be applied to an original comment and update within the update and will help with the creation of your peer-reviewed webquest. 

The Candidates

Below are the four candidates that were running for presidency during the election of 1860. Below are the four candidates, their political view points, and background information on their political careers. Read about each of the candidate and write down three facts that you learned in your Humanities notebook. 

National Park Service. (2016, October 22). 1860. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/1860-the-election-that-led-to-war.htm.

Stephen Douglas

Stephen A. Douglas. (2019, September 22). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_A._Douglas.

Read about Stephen Douglas and his political career. In your Humanities notebook, answer the following information:

• Past political positions 
• Political viewpoint
• Viewpoint on slavery

John C. Breckenridge

John C. Breckinridge. (2019, September 27). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Breckinridge.

Read about John C. Breckinridge and his political career. In your Humanities notebook, answer the following information:

• Past political positions
• Political viewpoint
• Viewpoint on slavery

John Bell

Britannica, T. E. of E. (2019, September 6). John Bell. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Bell-American-politician.

Read about John Bell and his political career. In your Humanities notebook, answer the following information:

• Past political positions
• Political viewpoint
• Viewpoint on slavery

The chart  below summarizes the information that you read about in the update. It articulates the candidate, their political party, and their viewpoint on slavery within our country. 

The Tennessee State Museum. (n.d.). Election of 1860 Candidates. Retrieved from http://www.tn4me.org/sapage.cfm/sa_id/31/era_id/5/major_id/5/minor_id/1/a_id/2.

After reading about each of the candidates, view the Election of 1860 Interactive Map. The map shows the electoral votes of each candidate, what state they won, and how if they had earned more votes in each state how it would have affected the outcome of the election. Play with the differing electoral votes the candidates could have earned and how it would have affected the election. 

Comment: Explain how history would be different if Abraham Lincoln did not win the election of 1860. 

Update: You are to write a speech from the perspective of one of the presidential candidates of 1860. Choose a candidate and research their position on the nation during the Civil War era. Write a compelling speech that supported their nation and why the citizens of the United States should vote for them. Post your speech to the Padlet under the correct presidential candidate. When all speeches are posted, read through each speech. Vote on the candidate that is most qualified and will unite our nation through their differences. Explain why you chose the candidate that you did based on the information that was learned in the learning module. 

Objective:

​I can apply my understanding of the five main causes of the Civil War to a self-created webquest.

I can design and create a technology based project that provides users with a new perspective of the causes of the Civil War.

I can use technology as a tool to transform information; not just regurgitate facts. 

I can purposefully embedd media to create an original webquest on the causes of the Civil Wa

Essential Questions: 

Ideology: What is the influence of diverse perspectives?
Resources: How does the availability of resources affect society?
Life Skills: Where do the Habits of Mind “pop up” throughout this unit? In what ways did the historical figures in the Civil War utilize the Habits and how did they specifically help them?

Task: Congratulations! You have completed the Causes of the Civil War learning module. You are to now synthesize and transform the information you learned in the module to create your very own webquest, that identifies and explains the five main causes of the Civil War. 

Essential Questions Update

Take a few minutes to update your essential questions on your Test Prep Help Sheet. Identify new insights, key events that led to the understanding, and any questions that you may have. This will allow you to deepen your understanding and the effect of diverse perspectives and resources on a society. This will allow you to make connections between events within the Civil War and other historical events.

Mind Map Update

Now that you have completed the learning module, Causes of the Civil War learning module, update your diversity mind map. Incorporate key understandings and ideas from the updates. This will allow you to see the connections between each update and how one of the main causes of the Civil War was the diversity of perspectives. As a group, you may have to reorganize the content and create new categories based on new understanding and insights. This information will help guide you as you complete your Causes of Civil War webquest. 

Once you have finished updating your mind map, upload it to the update. This will allow the mind maps to be a resource for you as you create your webquest. Consider the key points, aspects, and categories that other groups incorporated within their mind map. 

1. Causes of the Civil War Webquest - Creation

Kelly, M. (2019, May 31). Understanding the 4 Main Issues That Led to the American Civil War. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-causes-of-the-civil-war-104532.

To apply your understanding of the causes of the U.S. Civil War and digital learning, you will be independently creating an original webquest on the five main causes of the U.S. Civil War. A webquest is a digital learning site that allows users to develop an understanding of a topic through research, problem solving skills, and inquiry. A webquest goes far beyond "Googling" a topic. It requires users to interact with the content, making decisions on what they want to click and learn about, and apply it to various learning activities that are embedded within the site. An example of a webquest that you engaged with in the learning module was The Underground Railroad. Feel free to go back to Update 4: Slavery, to review the webquest and see the components that were included. 

Your webquest will allow users to learn about the various causes of the U.S. Civil War and how the diversity of perspectives and availability of resources led to a war within our own nation. Your webquest will allow learners to interact with media, online tools, and primary and secondary resources to gather their own unique perspective of the causes that led to the Civil War.  Additionally, students will have to answer various types of questions to demonstrate their understanding of content. You will have two peers anonymously review your webquest, to evaluate the effectiveness and clarity of the content. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to evaluate two peer's webquest. This will allow you to see how others integrated technology to communicate the causes of the Civil War. It will also allow you to see unique ways on how to incorporate the content. Afterwards, you will have a chance to review the feedback and finalize your project. Once approved, webquests will be published to the Scholar community, where you can review the content and deepen your understanding of the topic. 

To begin this process, watch the video on how to create a webquest below. This will allow you to begin to ponder on ways that you can create your own original webquest. As you watch the video and view The Underground Railroad webquest, consider a platform that you could use to create your own. 

Follow the guidelines below when creating your webquest. The directions are broken apart into two categories: Formatting and Content. This will allow you to focus on the elements of the webquest and what must be included. You are allowed to go deeper and beyond the requirements below. 

Creativity and Formatting

1. ​​Choose a platform to create your webquest on. This could be on Google Sites, Google Slides, Adobe Spark, Book Creator, etc. Choose a platform that allows you to take educational and technological risks to demonstrate your understanding of the Civil War. 
2. Get the platform approved by your teacher. 
3. Create a title for your webquest.
4. Create a storyline for your webquest. This sets up the scene for the story and allows readers to make choices on how they want to progress through the webquest. The storyline may be from the perspective of a certain side of the U.S. or from a specific person. Depending on how events unfold, the story line will change and alter. Be creative with the storyline as this will allow your webquest to develop and flourish!
5. Within your webquest, write clear directions. This allows readers to understand on how to engage with the content, how to progress through the content, and how to share their thoughts and perspectives. 
6. Formatting is clear (efficient use of headers, footers, clarifiers.
7. Creator of webquest's name is present on the homepage.
8. Consistent font type and size is used throughout the webquest. Headers and titles may be in a larger font size than the content of the body. 
9. Include at least 7 visual/technological elements within the webquest (at least 1 map, 1 original image, 1 video, 1 audio recording, 1 audio recording, 1 primary resource, and 1 original image) 
10. At least 10 sections (Introduction, Directions, Cause 1, Cause 2, Cause 3, Cause 4, Cause 5, Questions, Conclusion, and Reference). Sections may be organized and formatted in whatever manner you desire.
11. Webquest is well formated and visually appealing. All content is purposefully placed. 
12. Evidence of the Habit of Mind, Creating, Imagining and Innovating is present. 
13. Clear and cohesive theme is embedded throughout the entire webquest. 
14. Questions are organized in a logical format. 
15. Answers are provided somewhere within the webquest
16. Questions demonstrate command of the English language, conventions, spelling, punctuation, etc. 

Content

1. At least 12 relevant clarification questions are included.
2. At least 1 pondering question is included. 
3. At least 1 Habit of Mind question is included.
4. A synthesis question which allows a classmate to pool all the information they received through the webquest and create new inferences, overall ideas, and perceptions. 
5. Questions cover the entire scope of the Causes of the Civil War
6. Question are relevant and help learners reflect on their understanding of the content. 
7. Information is accurate and relevant. 

2. Causes of the Civil War Webquest - Peer Review

After submitting your webquest for peer revision, you will be pushed out at least two webquests to review. You are to use the rubric below to evaluate the effectiveness and clarity of the webquest. Remember, the webquest should allow users to transform their understanding of the Civil War through technology and information. 

When peer reviewing, you are to provide at least 10 anotations on the content. Anotations can adress areas where the student was successful and creative, any questions you may have, suggestions on spelling and grammar, and suggestions on ways to revise the content and questions. Remember, the suggestions you are providing should connect back to deepening learners understanding of the essential questions. Avoid incorporating personal opinions and biases. 

3. Causes of the Civil War Webquest - Revisions 

After providing feedback on a peer's webquest, you are to review the feedback you received from your peers. Read through it and make any necessary changes to enhance the clarity and precision of questions and content within your webquest. Also, reread the rubric and self-reflect on any ways that you can continue to improve your learning. Once you have made revisions and edits, submit revised work. 

4. Causes of the Civil War Webquest - Reflection​

Once you have reviewed the feedback and made revisions on your webquest, you are ready to submit for approval. Reflect on the following questions on a Google Doc or in your Humanities notebook. You will be turning in your reflections to your teacher, as they provided insights on how you engaged with the learning process. 

1. What is the influence of diverse perspectives on the causes of American Civil War?

2. How did the availability of resources lead to the Civil War?

3. How did technology allow you to transform and deepen your understanding of the American Civil War?

4. What new insights did you gain about the diversity of perspectives and war?

5. What Habits of Mind did you successfully use when creating your webquest?

6. What was challenging about creating the webquest? 

7. What goals do you have for yourself when creating technology based projects to transform content learned. 

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