Reconstruction

While it can be said that the Civil War ended with the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse or the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, the reunification of the country was a far more complicated story.  Both Lincoln (in his Second Inaugural Address) and Grant (in the terms of surrender) laid the foundation for the reintegration of the Southern states into the Union.  That foundation, however, does not tell the whole story.  What came to be known as “Reconstruction” would prove to be a much more complicated era, sometimes called “the second civil war.”  

To examine all of that complexity, we will study the website America’s Reconstruction. You should read the text carefully and study the images.  Please note: these images reveal the era’s dark depths, making them important for careful historical study.  I expect you to approach the images with seriousness and respect.

Please read and follow the instructions on this WEB ACTIVITY carefully.

2nd Inaugural and Appomattox

Today in class we will explore Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address by answering the questions on this WORKSHEET and then take a look at the end of the Civil War and the terms of surrender at Appomattox in Ken Burns' The Civil War, using the NOTETAKING SHEET that we've been compiling along the way.

The War Winds Down

Today in class, we'll be watching some additional clips from Ken Burns The Civil War and continuing to fill in the notetaking sheet that can be found HERE. We'll also begin talking about the passage of the 13th Amendment and the end of the war.

The Gettysburg Address

Today in class we took a quiz on Chapter 11, Sec. 4.  We then talked about the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg and watched the clip, "A New Birth of Freedom" from Ken Burns' The Civil War that introduced us to the Gettysburg Address.  We used this WORKSHEET to frame our discussion of the speech and took notes in our Lincoln portfolios as we discussed.  We finished by creating our own reading of the Address that we submitted to learntheaddress.org, Ken Burns' project to honor the 150th anniversary of the Address by having as many people as possible film themselves reading it.  Here is the link to our version of the Address on Ken Burns' website.
Kramer's US History Gettysburg Address

Effects of Emancipation

Today in class we will be finishing up our look at the Emancipation Proclamation and looking at its consequences. First, with a careful examination of Frederick Douglass' Men of Color to Arms by adding responses to the worksheet to our portfolios.  We will then look at a clip from Ken Burns' The Civil War.  As you watch the clip, take notes on this STUDY GUIDE.

Emancipation

On Monday in class we continued to look at the progression of Lincoln's ideas.  We focused most specifically on the factors that went into Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation and the text of the document.  We continued to use the Lincoln/Douglass Worksheet to focus our work.
I also assigned the LINCOLN ESSAY.
There is a PLANNING SHEET, that corresponds to the requirements of the essay.
I've also posted the STUDY GUIDE for the exam.

Lincoln and Douglass

Today we will begin with a short quiz and then discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of both sides in the Civil War as well as their strategies necessary to win.  We will then take a closer look at the progression of Abraham Lincoln's ideas about slavery as he was being pressured by Frederick Douglass and Horace Greeley.
Here is the WORKSHEET that we will begin in class today.

The Civil War Begins

Today in class we'll be watching clips from The Civil War by Ken Burns. Make a copy of this STUDY GUIDE and then take notes as you watch.  During the second part of class, we will be using our annotated copies of Lincoln's First Inaugural Address to answer the questions on this WORKSHEET.  Again, make a copy and put it into your folder.

Lincoln Speeches

Today in class we reviewed the Dred Scott decision and then began to think about Abraham Lincoln. After watching a short video clip, we started to familiarize ourselves with his thinking about slavery prior to his election as President by reading and analyzing The House Divided Speech (AR 208) and excerpts from The Lincoln-Douglas Debates (AR 216). We completed this WORKSHEET in class. When finished, the worksheet should go in your CW Documents Portfolio folder in your drive.