Civil War Web Quest
This Web Quest focuses on students exploring the different perspectives of the American Civil War, and creating three different writing pieces.
Introduction
There are many causes of the American Civil War. The leading cause that resulted in the tension between the North and the South over the issue of slavery and property rights. The other main causes are the Compromise of 1850, the differences between the Northern and the Southern economies, the argument of the legality of slavery and states rights, and Secession. In this Web Quest, you will listen and read about the treatment of slaves, how the Southern plantation owners felt about slavery and its impact on their economy, and the position that the North and South held on the resulting causes of the Civil War. This Web Quest will take you approximately 2 to 3 class periods. As you are completing the Web Quest, imagine if you had to live during the 1860's. Think about all the possible perspectives that were held at that time period.
Task
Imagine you’re living through the beginning of the Civil War. Your task will be to complete three different processes and have three different writing pieces where you are exploring the different perspectives of the causes of the Civil War. In this Web Quest you will complete:
1. A Journal entry
2. A news article
3. A chart explaining the North and the South’s differences
Process
Introduction
Begin by completing an introduction to the topic. Click on this link:
This is a site commemorating the 150th anniversary of the civil war as done by the History Channel. It is a top notch resource. There are 7 different major links that are on this site. Explore all of them, and their sub-links as they will do a tremendous job explaining the civil war to you. When you have completed this task, create a cover page with name, class, and topic on it. Make it creative. Then create a 3 to 5 paragraph introduction to your project with this site as the sole source.
Process 1:
Slavery was a major cause of the Civil War. It was an uncontrollable conflict between the North and South. In the West, the United States was expanding, and questions over the territories becoming a slave or free state caused conflicts in Congress.
Northern opposition to slavery caused the South to fear a threat to them owning slaves and their economy (slave based Plantation systems). Abolition movement ( a group of people who considered slavery to be morally wrong) was growing strong in the North. Southerners found slavery profitable and considered slavery to be good.
Approximately ¼ owned slaves and a ½ of the families that owned slaves had fewer than 5. Most Southerners who did not own slaves supported slavery because they believed the Southern economy would collapse without slaves and Blacks were inferior to whites.
Assignment: Imagine you were a slave during the 1800's, and the horrible treatment you would face. Use your previous knowledge on slavery and the following Web sites to write a journal entry where you are pretending to be a slave. This journal should be about 1 page in length. Include the following criteria:
1. How slaves were treated by their masters?
2. What different obstacles slaves faced?
3. Describe working and living conditions?
4. Describe slaves’ lives outside of working on the plantations?
Web sites:
- Read the narratives of the slaves that Worked on the Plantations.
- Read through 3 narratives of what these 3 slaves went through.
- Read All
Process 2
The South’s population in 1860 was approximately 12 million, with about 4 million enslaved people. Most people lived on farms in spread-out communities, lived on self-sufficient plantations, and cities were trading centers. The economy was based on agriculture, supported by slave labor, and the growth of cash crops such as cotton, tobacco, and sugar. Large plantation owners controlled much of the Southern traditional and conservative society.
Assignment: Imagine you were plantation owner during the 1800's, and you are defending the need for slavery and how abolishing slavery would negatively affect the South’s economy. Use your previous knowledge on the South’s economy in the 1800’s and the following Web sites to write a news article explaining why slavery should still be used. This article should be 1-2 pages in length. Include the following criteria:
1. Why Southerners believed slavery was okay?
2. Describes the South’s economy in the 1800’s.
3. How the South’s economy would be affected if slavery was abolished?
Web sites:
Process 3
The following are Causes of the Civil War:
Slavery: The North and South argued over the morality of slavery, and the treatment of slaves.
Compromise of 1850: This was a group of acts that were passed to settle the slave question and give satisfaction to both the North and South. Henry Clay proposed that One, California be admitted as a free state (slavery not permitted); Two, Utah and New Mexico would use Popular Sovereignty (decide to be either a free or slave state); Three, The US would allow slavery to continue, but would abolish the slave trade in Washington, DC. Four, A stricter fugitive slave law that would require Northerners to return escaped slaves back to their owners.
Legality of Slavery: The North and South continually argued over the legality of slavery. The North feared it might bring competition between slave laborers and wage earners, or would threaten to reduce the status of white workers. They also supported the Wilmot Proviso. In the South, whites feared a social and economic revolution if slavery was not legalized, and believed slaves as property were protected by the Constitution. They were against the Wilmot Proviso.
Secession: In December 1860, South Carolina seceded, and was the first state to secede. In January 1861, Mississippi , Florida , Alabama , Georgia , and Louisiana seceded. On February 4, 1861, representatives met in Montgomery , Alabama and established the Confederate States of America . The President elected was Jefferson Davis (of Mississippi ) and Vice President elected was Alexander H. Stephens (of Georgia ). On March 2, 1861, Texas seceded.
Economies: The North’s economy was based on manufacturing, producing textiles, ships, iron, and lumber, and foreign trade. The South’s economy was based on agriculture, slave labor, and the growth of cash crops.
States Rights: The North and South argued over how much control the federal government had over the states.
Your Assignment is to create a chart that explains what the North and South’s position was on EACH of the above causes of the Civil War. Use the following Web sites to complete the assignment and the chart example.
Chart Example:
North
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South
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Compromise of 1850
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Slavery
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Secession
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Economies
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Legality of Slavery
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States Rights
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Web sites:
Evaluation
Evaluation of the task and assignments of the:
Which side would you have chosen during the Civil War?
WebQuest Rubric
3-Excellent
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2-Satisfactory
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1-Unsatisfactory
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Slave Journal Entry
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Creative, clear descriptions, includes an accurate explanation of the specified criteria, and has specific references from the given Web sites
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Minimum explanation on the specified criteria, and references to the given Web sites.
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Did not follow the specified criteria, provides no references to the Web sites, no explanation, and is unclear.
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Southern Plantation
Owner News Article
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Creative, clear descriptions, includes an accurate explanation of the specified criteria, and has specific references from the given Web sites
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Minimum explanation on the specified criteria, and references to the given Web sites.
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Did not follow the specified criteria, provides no references to the Web sites, no explanation, and is unclear.
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North and South position on the Causes
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Chart Clearly explains what the North and South positions were on the Causes of the War, and uses specific references from the given Web sites.
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Chart has Minimum explanation on the North and South’s positions on the Causes of the Civil War, and uses minimum references from the given Web sites.
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Chart does not accurately explain the positions of the North and South, provides no explanation, there are no references from the Web sites, and is unclear.
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Conclusion
This WebQuest was to help you understand a variety of perspectives from that of the North and the South over the resulting causes of the American Civil War. It was also to help you be able to describe the life of a slave and explain the Southern mentality about slavery and their economy. Just to remind you, the North’s cause was to keep the nation together and to abolish slavery, while the South’s cause was to keep their economy strong and keep their cheap workforce intact. Which side would you have chosen to fight for? In a one-page summary, tell me which side you would have been on and why?
The Union Army or The Confederate Army??
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