Social Studies - Grade 8
Unit 1 Overview
Unit: The Civil War and Reconstruction
Content Area: Social Studies
Grade Level: 8th
Unit Summary/Goals: In this unit, students will learn about the Civil War and Reconstruction
period through a variety of resources, including photographs, primary documents, maps,
websites, and films. Ever since the country’s creation, the issues of slavery and states’ rights
had been major points of contention between differing sides Compromises had worked in
the past to attempt to resolve these differences, but the issue of slavery and its expansion
into new territories became too divisive for any compromise to succeed. Instead, the intense
debate over this issue led to the secession of numerous southern states and a subsequent
civil war. After four years of war and over 600,000 deaths, the debate over slavery and
secession was resolved. As a result, during the Reconstruction period, the federal
government asserted its power to guarantee freedom for African Americans and rebuild the
former Confederacy. All students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically
about how the past and present interactions of people, cultures, and the environment share
the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed
decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in
local, national, and global communities. By the end of the unit, they will be familiar with
important battles of the war, key figures of the conflict, documents related to the era, and
amendments to the Constitution that are added as a result of the war. The lessons will
include the causes of the war during the turbulent 1850s. The unit can be taught to both
average and special education students, especially in a co-taught situation in which these two
groups are mixed.
Primary Interdisciplinary connections: Civics/History, English Language Arts, Science, and
Technology
21st Century Themes:
CRP1. Act as a responsible and contributing citizens and employee.
CRP4. Communicate clearly and effectively and with reason.
CRP5. Consider the environmental, social, and economic impact of decisions.
CRP7. Employ valid and reliable research strategies.
Standards
Standards: 6.1 U.S. History; America in the World; 6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century
Strands: D. History, Culture, and Perspectives
Overarching Questions: How do our interpretations of past events inform our understanding
of cause and effect and continuity and change? How do they influence our beliefs and
decisions about current public policy issues? How can the study of multiple perspectives,
belief systems, and cultures provide a context for understanding and challenging public
actions and decisions in a diverse and interdependent world?
CPI#
Cumulative Progress Indicator (CPI)
6.1.8.D.1.b
Explain how interactions among African, European, and Native
American groups began a cultural transformation.
6.1.8.D.2.b
Compare and contrast the voluntary and involuntary migratory
experiences of different groups of people, and explain why their
experiences differed.
6.1.8.D.3.b
Explain why the Declaration of Independence was written and how
its key principles evolved to become unifying ideas of American
democracy.
6.1.8.D.4.b
Describe efforts to reform education, women’s rights, slavery and
other issues during the Antebellum period.
6.1.8.D.4.c
Explain the growing resistance to slavery and New Jersey’s role in the
Underground Railroad.
6.1.8.A.5.a
Explain how and why the Emancipation Proclamation and the
Gettysburg Address continue to impact American life.
6.1.8.A.5.b
Compare and contrast the approaches of Congress and Presidents
Lincoln and Johnson toward the reconstruction of the South.
6.1.8.B.5.a
Assess the role of various factors (i.e., geography, natural resources,
demographics, transportation, leadership, and technology) that
affected the course and outcomes of the Civil War).
6.1.8.C.5.a
Assess the human and material costs of the Civil War in the North
and South.
6.1.8.C.5.b
Analyze the economic impact of Reconstruction on the South from
different perspectives.
6.1.8.D.5.a
Prioritize the causes and events that led to the Civil War from
different perspectives.
6.1.8.D.5.b
Analyze critical events and battles of the Civil War and determine
how they contributed to the final outcomes of the war.
6.1.8.D.5.c
Examine the roles of women, African Americans, and Native
Americans in the Civil War.
6.1.8.D.5.d
Analyze the effectiveness of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to
the United States Constitution from multiple perspectives.
6.3.8.D.1
Engage in simulated democratic processes (legislative hearings,
judicial proceedings, elections) to understand how conflicting points
of view are addressed in a democratic society.
Focus of Lessons/Learning
1. Unit Essential Questions
Unit Enduring Understandings
2. What were the causes of the Civil
War? What were the challenges of
 The slave labor system and the loss
Reconstruction? How does the
of Native American lives had a
events of the Civil War and
lasting impact on the development
Reconstruction impact American life
of the United States and American
today?
culture.
3. How did racial slavery develop in the
United States? How did racial slavery
differ from indentured servitude?
How did these differences set the
stage for present day race
relationship?
4. What atrocities did African
experience as American slaves? Why
did these conditions begin to divide
the nation?
5. What were the reasons given by the
abolitionist to abolish slavery? What
was the role of the abolitionist in
slavery?
6. How did the stories of fugitive slaves
cause further division between the
slave owners and abolitionist? What
were the similarities in thought
about slaves in the North and South?
7. Who or what encouraged the
expansion of settlers into new
territories? How did expansion
impact slavery? How did Native
Americas react to the expansion?
How did the expansion impact Native
Americans? How did expansion
further divide the country?
8. What was the impact of the Dred
Scott decision, the Compromise of
1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act on
the conversation about slavery in
territories? How did these decisions
impact the institution of slavery?
9. How did the John Brown insurrection
move the American psyche closer to
civil war? Did the Nat Turner
insurrection have the same impact?
Why or Why not? Was John Brown a
hero or a menace? Was Nat Turner’s
insurrection successful?
10. What were the most notable
thoughts about slavery and
preserving the union during this time
period? How did these viewpoints



The fundamental principles of the
United States Constitution serve as
the foundation of the United States
government today.
The Civil War resulted from complex
regional differences involving
political, economic, and social issues,
as well as different views on slavery.
The Civil War and Reconstruction
had a lasting impact on the
development of the United States.
exemplify the course towards a civil
war?
11. What did the north and south stand
to gain by preserving the union?
What did they stand to lose by going
to war/ Would more be gained or
lost?
12. What was the primary purpose of the
Emancipation Proclamation? What
events led to the signing of the 13 th
Amendment?
13. What was the significance of the
Gettysburg Address? Who won the
Civil War?
14. What were cultural changes due to
the Civil War? What was gained?
What were the challenges of
reconstruction? How did different
segments of the American
population view the Emancipation
Proclamation?
15. Why was the 14th Amendment
significant to African Americans?
What decision did the 14th
Amendment overturn? How did the
results of Reconstruction policy
shape the politics of the
reconstructed states and the nation
at large?
16. Why were all three Civil Rights
Amendments necessary? Which
Amendments was the most
powerful? Which Amendment has
been challenged the most after
Reconstruction?
17. How did women use the rights
outlined in the 13th, 14th and 15th
Amendments to gain full citizenship?
Unit Learning Targets: (What students will know and be able to do)
Students will need to know…
 Causes of slavery in America
 Impact of slavery and the genocide of Native Americans on the developing US



The fundamental principles of the US Constitution Declaration of Independence,
Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg address and how these documents
are related to or impacted the Civil War and present day life
The regional differences that led to the Civil War
The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments
Students will be able to …
 Construct a timeline of the events leading up to and after the Civil War
 Explain the major events that led to the Civil War
 Compare and contrast the viewpoints of Southerners and Northerners, Women and
Men, Slaves and Free people, etc on slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction
 Use Maps and other documents to explain the migration of people during this time
period
 Compare and contrast differing interpretations of historical and current events
 Select and analyze information from a variety of sources to present a reasoned
argument or position in a written and /or oral format
 Present information in a logical manner using evidence and reasoning while
demonstrating presentation skills
Evidence of Learning
Formative Assessments: see curriculum
Summative Assessment: edConnect Benchmark Assessment (BM1SS8)
Topic Planning Sequence
Topic
Time Frame
Introduction to the Unit
September 6th – 8th
4 days
Causes of the Civil War
September 12th – October 3rd
16 days
Perspectives of the Civil War
October 4th –October 18th
10 days
Cultural Shifts and Reconstruction
October 19th – November 3rd
11 days
Benchmark 1(BM1SS8)
edConnect Benchmark Assessment
November 4th -7th
2 days
Vocabulary:
Tier One (basic words used daily, rarely have multiple meanings): civil, war, slavery, farmer
Tier Two (important for meaning, multiple meanings, can be generalized across content):
Incentive, scarcity, abolish, sharecropping, tenant farming, KKK
Tier Three (low frequency of use, content specific, multiple meaning and shades of
meaning): abolitionist, Antebellum, capitalism, common good, representative democracy,
suffrage, 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th Amendments, Gettysburg, Emancipation Proclamation,
confederacy, black codes, Jim Crow
Curriculum Resources:
Slavery: Document based Activities
Constitution and Slavery Activities
Analyzing Slavery power point and poster
Atlantic Slave Trade reproducible
Slavery in the 19th Century
US Indian Policy 1815-1860 reproducible
America: The Story of US 3 DVD’s
Websites:
Amistad Commission Amistad.net – entire unit & resources (you will need to register)
www.chnm.gmu.edu (sample unit)
www.lessonplanshop.com (resources, some costs up to $4.00)
www.civilwar.org (you will need to register)
www.icivics.org (you will need to register)
www.edsitement.neh.gov (lesson plans)
http://teachinghistory.org. (power point on primary documents)
www.nara.gov (primary resources)
www.loc.org (primary resources)
www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part1/index.html (primary and secondary resource, background)
www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/index.html (primary and secondary resource, background)
www.teachingamericanhistory.org (interactive test; lesson plans)
http://www.nps.gov (slavery brochure)
www.telegraph.civil.war.org
www.gilderlehrman.org (resources, lessons, and more)
www.digitalhistory.uh.edu (articles, short film clips)
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem (The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full
Citizenship)
www.supremecourt.gov
www.boundless.com
www.pbs.org/stantonanthony/resources/index.html
Teacher Notes: