Advanced Placement United States History

War on the Outer Banks

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 3.2

Article describes action along the coast of North Carolina during the Burnside Expedition, 1862.

Format: article

The Union blockade

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 2.5

At the beginning of the U.S. Civil War, Union forces blockaded Confederate ports to stop exports of cotton and imports of war supplies.

Format: article

Timeline of the Civil War, July 1861-July 1864

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 2.2

Timeline of events from the First Battle of Bull Run to the summer of 1864.

Format: timeline

Timeline of the Civil War, August 1864–May 1865

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 7.1

Timeline of major events in the last year of the U.S. Civil War.

Format: timeline

Slaves escape to Union lines

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 6.3

Federal Writers' Project interview with former slave Mary Barbour. Includes historical commentary.

Format: interview/primary source

Sherman's march through North Carolina

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 7.7

After capturing Atlanta in September 1864, Union General William Sherman led his troops on a "March to the Sea" across Georgia, destroying crops, livestock, supplies, and civilian infrastructure that might possibly support the Confederate war effort. He then turned north into the Carolinas, entering North Carolina in March 1865. This "Carolinas Campaign" ended with the surrender of Confederate General Joseph Johnston to Sherman at Bennett Place on April 26.

Format: article

Rose O'Neal Greenhow describes the Battle of Manassas

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 2.6

Excerpt from the memoir of the Confederate spy in which she describes the First Battle of Manassas in June 1861 and her role in getting intelligence to Confederate generals. Includes historical commentary.

Format: book/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by L. Maren Wood.

The Roanoke Island Freedmen's Colony

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 6.4

During the Civil War, former slaves freed by the Union army and African Americans who escaped to Union lines were given a village on Roanoke Island.

Format: article

North Carolina secedes

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 1.7

Ordinance of secession passed by a convention of delegates from North Carolina counties on May 20, 1861. Includes historical commentary.

Format: legislation/primary source

North and South in 1861

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 2.1

A comparison of the two sides at the beginning of the Civil War, focusing on their preparedness for war.

Format: book

"No one has anything to sell"

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 6.8

Diary of Julia Johnson Fisher, a Georgia woman, in March and April 1864, in which she describes the difficulty finding food and other necessities during the Civil War. Includes historical commentary.

Format: letter/primary source

Lincoln's plans for reconstruction

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 7.5

In Abraham Lincoln's second inaugural address, with the Civil War nearly over, Lincoln called for reconciliation between North and South.

Format: speech/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by David Walbert and L. Maren Wood.

Johnston surrenders

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 7.11

Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his army to Union General William T. Sherman at Bennett Place in present-day Durham, North Carolina on April 26, 1865, effectively ending the Civil War.

Format: article

The Emancipation Proclamation

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 4.6

Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln, January 1, 1863, freeing slaves in states or parts thereof then in rebellion against the United States. Includes historical commentary.

Format: proclamation/primary source

The Civil War: From Bull Run to Appomattox

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 2.3

Summary of military and political action in the U.S. Civil War, 1861–1865.

Format: article

The Burnside Expedition

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 3.1

Union General Ambrose Burnside led an assault on Roanoke Island in February 1862. Burnside's forces would take and hold much of the coast of North Carolina for the remainder of the war.

Format: article

The burning of Elizabeth City

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 3.4

Excerpt from Richard Creecy's memoir describing the fall of Elizabeth City to Union troops in February 1862 and its partial burning by residents. Includes historical commentary.

Format: book/primary source

The battle of Roanoke Island

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 3.3

Dispatch from Roanoke Island to northern newspapers after the Union victory in February 1862. Includes historical commentary.

Format: newspaper/primary source

The Battle of New Bern

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 3.5

The Battle of New Bern on March 14, 1862, won by Union General Burnside's forces, was the second of three major engagements on the North Carolina coast in the second year of the Civil War.

Format: article

The Battle of Gettysburg

In North Carolina in the Civil War and Reconstruction, page 4.8

The diary of Confederate soldier Louis Leon in the first days of July 1863, describing his experiences at the Battle of Gettysburg. Includes historical commentary.

Format: diary/primary source

Commentary and sidebar notes by David Walbert and L. Maren Wood.

Resources on the web

Lincoln goes to war

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... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment

Attitudes toward emancipation

The Emancipation Proclamation carried Americans across an important frontier in the political growth of the nation. Through the Internet, students can return to this frontier and explore the many obstacles and alternatives we faced in making this passage... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 11 Social Studies)

Provided by: ESITEment