Wisconsin and the Civil War
Unit Outline and Lesson Essential Questions

Lesson 1: A Nation Divided

• How did slavery divide the North and the South in the mid 1800s?

• How did the United States government deal with the issue of slavery?
  
  

Lesson 2: Slavery through Primary Resources

• How are primary sources valuable to our study of history, and slavery specifically?
• What can we learn from primary sources that we might not be able to learn through secondary sources, and vice versa?

Lesson 3: Abolitionists and the Underground Railroad

• How were people in Wisconsin involved in events related to the issue of slavery and the Underground Railroad?
• How did various people (slave owners, fugitive slaves, free slaves, Underground Railroad workers, abolitionists, northern citizens, etc.) view these issues?
  

Lesson 4: The Beginning of the Civil War

• What was happening to the nation prior to the Civil War?
• How and when did the Civil War begin?
  

Lesson 5: Wisconsin Prepares for War

• How did Wisconsin get ready for the war?
• What was training and daily life like for soldiers?

Lesson 6: How were Different Groups of People Affected by the War

• Who fought in the war?
• How were African Americans and Native Americans affected or involved in the war?
• How were women involved?
  

Lesson 7: End of the War- A Turning Point for the US

• How did the Civil War end?
• How was the civil war a turning point for the United States?
• What effects did the war have on Wisconsin?
• Where can we go to learn more about our State’s past?
  

Presentation by Civil War Re-enactor

• What was daily life like for a Civil War soldier?
• How can we learn more about history through events like re-enactments?
  

Field-trip

Summative Assessment: Letters from the Civil War