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DESCRIPTION

What were some of the causes that led to the Civil War? Narration and brief reenactments relate the economic and political differences between the North and the South. Discusses tariffs, slavery's expansion, free versus slave labor, abolitionism, and states' rights as contributing factors to the internal war that divided the country. Brief quiz after the credits.

ACADEMIC STANDARDS

Subject Area: United States History

• Standard: Understands the causes of the Civil War

§ Benchmark: Understands events that fueled the political and sectional conflicts over slavery and ultimately polarized the North and the South (e.g., the Missouri Compromise, the Wilmot Proviso, the Kansas-Nebraska Act) (See Instructional Goals #1, #2, #3, and #4)

§ Benchmark: Understands the economic, social, and cultural differences between the North and South (e.g., how the free labor system of the North differed from that of the South) (See Instructional Goal #1)

§ Benchmark: Understands issues other than slavery that led to the Civil War (e.g., the appeal of the Northern "free labor" ideology in preventing the further extension of slavery in the new territories; cultural differences, conflicting economic issues, opposing constitutional perspectives) (See Instructional Goals #1, #2, and #4)

INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS

1. To identify the economic, social and political differences of the North and the South that contributed to the Civil War.

2. To present the various compromises that attempted to avert war. 3. To examine the impact that slavery, the Underground Railroad, and the Dred Scott case had on the Civil

War. 4. To dramatize various issues leading up to the commencement of war.

VOCABULARY

1. tariff 2. Constitution 3. compromise 4. Underground Railroad 5. Confederate 6. abolitionist 7. free labor 8. slave labor 9. plantation

10. secede

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BEFORE SHOWING

1. Locate a Civil War era or current United States map. a. Distinguish between the Northern and Southern states. b. Describe what each economy was like.

(1) Discuss the institution of slavery. (2) Discuss workers in the factories.

c. Discuss what problems could arise as a result of these differences. 2. Review the Constitution of the United States.

DURING SHOWING

Discussion Items and Questions

1. View the video more than once, with one showing uninterrupted. 2. Pause after each reenactment. Discuss the significance of each scene.

a. Southern plantation owners: Scene 1 (1) How does the statement, “ . . . that our fate be determined by others and not ourselves” tie in with

the Civil War? (2) What could be inferred about the perceptions of the Southern people?

b. Abolitionist helping slaves (1) Examine the perceptions of each character. (2) Discuss the information on slavery that was presented.

c. Southern plantation owners: Scene 2 (1) Discuss the term popular sovereignty. (2) Review the case of Dred Scott.

d. Virginia homestead (1) Expound on the idea of brother fighting against brother. (2) Examine the perceptions of each character.

3. Pause at the various maps throughout the video and clarify significant events.

AFTER SHOWING

Discussion Items and Questions

1. What were the main points of confrontation that directly led to the conflict known as the American Civil War? a. Explain why the tariff was unpopular with the Southern states. b. Discuss the significance of slavery on the Southern economy.

2. Explain the Three-Fifths Compromise. What was its significance to the Civil War? 3. Compare free labor and slave labor. 4. What were some of the serious economic, social and political differences between the Northern and the

Southern states? 5. The North tried to avert war a number of times. Explain how this was accomplished within:

a. the Missouri Compromise. b. the Compromise of 1850. c. the fugitive slave laws. d. the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

6. What series of events transpired after the enactment of the fugitive slave laws?

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7. Explain how the Underground Railroad worked. a. How many slaves did it help free? b. How did it relate to the encouragement of the Civil War?

8. What were the main ideologies of abolitionism? 9. Kansas was referred to as “Bleeding Kansas” during this period of history.

a. Explain the circumstances that led to this nickname. b. Decide if this conflict could have been avoided.

10. Describe the idea of popular sovereignty. Compare the views of both the North and the South. 11. Who was John Brown?

a. Explain the significance of his actions. b. Describe what he was trying to accomplish. c. Analyze his statement, “The crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.”

12. The South seceded in February of 1861. a. What was the event that escalated this separation? b. Did the South have the right to secede?

(1) Examine both the Northern and Southern viewpoint. (2) Conclude which viewpoint was “right.”

13. What was President Lincoln’s intention when he said, “We shall do all in our power to hold the Union together”?

14. The start of the Civil War was an attack on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April 12, 1861. a. Who attacked the fort? b. What was the outcome of that battle?

15. Why didn’t Virginia, Arkansas, and Tennessee immediately join the Confederate cause? 16. At first, the people of both the North and the South thought that the battle would last only a few weeks.

Discuss why the people wanted to believe this. 17. Examine why this war is often referred to as “the brother’s war.” 18. List the states associated with each side of the conflict. 19. Take the ten-question video quiz presented at the conclusion of the video.

Applications and Activities

1. Create a two-column worksheet with one side labeled “North” and the other “South.” List the economic, social and political ideals of each.

2. Develop suggestions on how the Civil War could have been avoided. Discuss how these suggestions could be used to help avoid conflicts in present society.

3. Construct a timeline. Include the major events that led up to the Civil War from 1800 to 1861. 4. Research the Dred Scott case.

a. Who was he and what was the significance of this case? b. What impact did it have for the slaves or the Civil War?

5. Research abolitionists William Lloyd Garrison and Lucretia Mott. What contributions did they make to freeing slaves and the Civil War?

6. What might have happened if the slaves had revolted before the start of the Civil War? 7. Find out more information on John Brown and his vision for slaves in the United States. 8. Construct a display showing life in a factory and life on a plantation. Compare them. 9. Research the history of slavery in the United States.

a. How did views on slavery change over the years? b. Why were the slaves in the United States African American?

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(1) Did this fact make any difference? (2) What if there had also been slaves of a variety of races such as Asian, Native American, and

European?

RELATED RESOURCES

Captioned Media Program

• Who Owns the Sun? #2588 • Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? #2525 • 34th Star, The #1735 • Across Five Aprils: A Time to Choose #2447 • Frederick Douglass: When the Lion Wrote History #3248

World Wide Web

The following Web sites complement the contents of this guide; they were selected by professionals who have experience in teaching deaf and hard of hearing students. Every effort was made to select accurate, educationally relevant, and “kid-safe” sites. However, teachers should preview them before use. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Captioned Media Program do not endorse the sites and are not responsible for their content.

• CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR http://members.aol.com/jfepperson/causes.html

Documents related to before the outbreak of the war. Nice chronology chart. • STUDY WEB http://www.studyweb.com/his/american/amcivwar.htm

An online homework helper. Many good links with age-level, synopsis, and visual content information.

• NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/j1.html

Well-done site that takes the viewer on a journey as a slave escaping from the South. Animation requires downloading Macromedia Flash Player.

• CIVIL WAR LINKS http://home.ptd.net/~nikki/cwlinks.htm

A general Civil War links site with many good links. Includes the American Civil War with a well-done timeline; the U.S. Civil War Center with many good links in categories; and American Civil War homepage with good information.