American History Iby Matthew Caggia
- Unit 1A: The Civil War
- Unit 1B: Reconstruction
- Unit 2: Westward Expansion
- Unit 3: Industrial Revolution & Populism
- Unit 4: Progressive Movement
- Unit 5A: Imperialism
- Unit 5B: World War I
- Unit 6: The 1920s
- Unit 7: The Great Depression & The New Deal
- Unit 8: World War II
- Unit 9: Early Cold War Conflicts & The 1950s
- Unit 10: Era of Social Change
- Unit 11: The Vietnam War & The Counterculture Movement
- Unit 12: Passage to a New Century (Nixon & Beyond)
- "The Americans" Textbook
Unit 1B: Reconstruction
Chapter 1
Now that the Civil War is over, the battle for civil and equal rights begins. The backdrop is the rebuilding of the nation: economicaly, politically, and socially. The events that take place here will impact the development of the United States for generations, even through today. Will they get it right? Will we ever?
Study Tools
Slideshows
The slideshows are best if viewed full screen.
Plans for Reconstruction
Online Textbook Resources
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"The Americans" TextbookThese pages contain the links to the online content for student practice. It includes Chapter Overviews, Web Activities, Self-Check Quizzes, ePuzzles and Games, Vocabulary Flashcards, Charts in Motion (to accompany diagrams in the textbook), and Interactive Graphic Organizers.
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USHistory.org Free Online TextbookEach link is to the beginning of a chapter. There are several sections within each chapter; I would like to link to each section, however it becomes too cumbersome for the webpage. Instead, click "Next" on each page to get to the next section of the online textbook. | ![]() |
Vocabulary
Link to Quizlet! Vocabulary is the key to understanding any subject. Once you can break down the barrier of language the ideas and concepts are wide open. Here you can find the vocabulary for the unit to practice by using online flash cards and by practicing online generated vocabulary quizzes.
- Unit 1A Vocabulary Quiz on Quizlet
Practice your vocabulary for Unit 5 by trying this quiz of the unit's vocabulary.
When you get to the Quizlet Quiz page, you can adjust what type of quiz to take by clicking the "Options" link on the bottom left.
Videos!
Khan Academy - The Civil War
If you are not familiar with Khan Academy, you should be! It is a GREAT resource for ALL subjects. They have videos and activities to supplement what your teacher is doing in class. Below is a playlist of the videos from Khan Academy regarding the Civil War. It is a good resource to get some more information or to help you study what we covered in class.
Hip Hughes - The Emancipation Proclamation
Ok, let me start by saying, I love this guy! I wish I could do the green screen stuff like him (and had the time to do it!) His style keeps you listening and watching. Here he debunks the myth of the Emancipation Proclamation - Abraham Lincoln frees the slaves with the Emancipation Proclamation.
America: The Story of Us - The Civil War
From the History Channel video, this segment documents the Civil War in the context of part of the American Identity. It demonstrates new technologies of war and their catastrophic effects. It will also chronicle some of the important events, such as Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" and Sherman's March. Use the Video Guide as you watch to get the main points of each segment. Complete each topic as well as the crossword puzzle on the second page.
The Presidents: Abraham Lincoln
Watch the video and answer these multiple choice questions.
Crash Course American History #19: Battles of the Civil War
Warning: Not much content here, pretty much just a list of some of the battles of the Civil War.
Crash Course American History #20: The Civil War, part 1
From the Publisher
In which John Green ACTUALLY teaches about the Civil War. In part one of our two part look at the US Civil War, John looks into the causes of the war, and the motivations of the individuals who went to war. The overarching causes and the individual motivations were not always the same, you see. John also looks into why the North won, and whether that outcome was inevitable. The North's industrial and population advantages are examined, as are the problems of the Confederacy, including its need to build a nation at the same time it was fighting a war. As usual, John doesn't get much into the actual battle by battle breakdown. He does talk a little about the overarching strategy that won the war, and Grant's plan to just overwhelm the South with numbers. Grant took a lot of losses in the latter days of the war, but in the end, it did lead to the surrender of the South.
Crash Course American History #21: The Civil War, part 2
From the Publisher
In which John Green teaches you how the Civil War played a large part in making the United States the country that it is today. He covers some of the key ways in which Abraham Lincoln influenced the outcome of the war, and how the lack of foreign intervention also helped the Union win the war. John also covers the technology that made the Civil War different than previous wars. New weapons helped to influence the outcomes of battles, but photography influenced how the public at large perceived the war. In addition, John gets into the long term effects of the war, including the federalization and unification of the United States. All this plus homesteading, land grant universities, railroads, federal currency, and taxes.
Check out the US National Archives Flickr. They have an awesome collection of Matthew Brady Civil War photography here.
Links
- The Civil War Trust
A fantastic website dedicated to the Civil War and the preservation of Civil War battlefields, parks, and monuments. It includes a wealth of information about individual battles and the people involved. Interactive maps are an amazing component of this site, but it also includes diagrams, videos, and historic maps.
From the website:
The Civil War Trust is America's largest non-profit organization (501-C3) devoted to the preservation of our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields. The Trust also promotes educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives to inform the public of the war's history and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.