Summary
In this lesson, students analyze primary source documents to explain why the Southern states seceded from the Union. They record their initial ideas about the causes of secession and view a short video about the election of 1860. Next, students examine South Carolina’s secession declaration and two accounts from Union and Confederate perspectives. Finally, students summarize their learning by writing a six-word memoir about secession.
Essential Question(s)
How did supporters of secession justify leaving the Union?
Snapshot
Engage
Students use the Preflections strategy to consider what they already know about secession.
Explore
Students view a video and discuss the issues surrounding the election of 1860.
Explain
Students analyze South Carolina’s declaration of secession to identify its stated reasons for leaving the Union.
Extend
Students compare accounts from Union and Confederate perspectives to examine the writers’ reasons for supporting their respective causes.
Evaluate
Students reevaluate their initial responses and summarize their learning in a six-word memoir.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
South Carolina’s Declaration of Secession (attached; one per student)
Union and Confederate Perspectives (attached; one per student)
Notebook paper
Writing utensils
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Begin by displaying slides 3–4 to review the essential question and learning objectives of the lesson with students. Advance to slide 5 and introduce the Preflections strategy. Explain that students will record their initial thoughts about what they expect to learn about secession during the American Civil War. Ask students, “What do you think led to the secession of Southern states from the United States?”
Have students write their response on a piece of notebook paper. Allow two minutes of quiet writing time for students to record their responses, then collect the Preflection responses to be revisited at the end of the lesson.
Explore
20 Minute(s)
Display slide 6. Inform students that they will watch a short video clip and that, as they do, they should identify the main issue facing the country in 1860. Play the Civil War Election of 1860 video, which outlines the major issues surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s election.
After the video, display slide 7 and introduce the Elbow Partners strategy. Ask students to discuss the issues facing the country that were presented in the video. Invite a few volunteers to share their responses with the class.
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Move to slide 8 and distribute the attached South Carolina’s Declaration of Secession handout to each student. Introduce the Categorical Highlighting strategy to students. Invite students to read the handout and highlight or underline evidence explaining why South Carolina seceded after the 1860 presidential election.
After students finish reading, have them compare their selected evidence with a partner. Invite several volunteers to share examples with the class. Lead a whole-class discussion about the reasons South Carolina gave for seceding from the United States.
Extend
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 9 and pass out the attached Union and Confederate Perspectives handout to each student. Explain that the handout contains primary source accounts from two soldiers who supported opposing sides of the American Civil War.
Have students use the Why-Lighting strategy as they read the handout. Ask students to highlight or underline passages explaining why each person supported his respective cause and write notes in the margins that explain why they highlighted or underlined the text.
Provide time for students to complete the task. As an alternative, have students work with partners or complete the Why-Lighting activity as a class. After students analyze the handout, lead a whole-class discussion comparing the reasons each writer supported his cause.
Evaluate
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 10 and return students’ Preflection responses from the beginning of the lesson. Ask students to review their initial responses. Introduce the Six-Word Memoirs strategy, which challenges students to summarize their learning in exactly six words. Have students create a six-word memoir about why the Southern states seceded. Provide time for students to write their memoir on their Preflections paper. Collect students’ papers to assess their understanding of the lesson content.
Resources
K20 Center. (n.d.). Categorical Highlighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/192
K20 Center. (n.d.). Elbow Partners. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/116
K20 Center. (n.d.). Preflections. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/191
K20 Center. (n.d.). Why-Lighting. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/128
MGH. (n.d.). Civil War election of 1860 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGg5uDYHEQA