Lincoln goes to war
http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=263
A lesson plan for grade 11 Social Studies
This lesson plan explores the decision-making process that precipitated the Civil War, focusing on deliberations within the Lincoln administration that led to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861.
Students first review the situation that Lincoln inherited when he took office in March 1861, and summarize his views on the critical issues before him as reflected in his First Inaugural Address. Then students examine the conflicting recommendations that Lincoln received from his cabinet as he formulated a response to the Confederate demand that federal troops evacuate Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina.
Working with primary documents, students argue the risks and benefits of the options Lincoln had before him, re-enacting the debate among his cabinet members, and then, based on Lincoln’s final decision, seek to determine what he thought was ultimately at stake. Finally, students investigate the Confederate contention that, by attempting to secure Fort Sumter, Lincoln provoked the South to defend itself and thus ignited the Civil War. Looking back at the words Lincoln addressed to the secessionists in his First Inaugural Address — “We must not be enemies” — students consider whether or not his actions bore out those sentiments.
The goals of this lesson are:
- to learn about the secession crisis of 1861 and the significance of the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter
- to explore how Abraham Lincoln made the decision to secure Fort Sumter despite Confederate objections
- to evaluate the extent to which Lincoln’s actions were calculated to provoke conflict
- to gain experience in working with official papers, private correspondence, and public speeches as resources for historical study
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 11–12 — Advanced Placement United States History
- Goal 6: Crisis, Civil War, and Reconstruction (1848-1877): The learner will analyze the issues that led to the Civil War, the effects of the war, and the impact of Reconstruction on the nation.
- Objective 6.01: Evaluate the role of compromise and crisis in bringing about the American Civil War.
- Objective 6.02: Assess the impact of Abraham Lincoln and the emergence of the Republican Party in relation to Civil War and secession.
- Objective 6.03: Analyze the major, military, political, economic, and social events of the Civil War period and determine their impact on the course of the war.
Grade 11–12 — United States History
- Goal 3: Crisis, Civil War, and Reconstruction (1848-1877) - The learner will analyze the issues that led to the Civil War, the effects of the war, and the impact of Reconstruction on the nation.
- Objective 3.01: Trace the economic, social, and political events from the Mexican War to the outbreak of the Civil War.
- Objective 3.03: Identify political and military turning points of the Civil War and assess their significance to the outcome of the conflict.
