Unit 9: The Civil War Era- Performance Level Descriptors

Unit 9: The Civil War Era- Performance Level Descriptors
Level I Descriptor: Identify significant individuals, events, and issues in U.S. history
 Philip Bazaar- Latin-born sailor who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the war. Serves to remind us that the war was
not just whites fighting whites, but that minorities fought and died as well, despite not be treated as equals
 John C. Calhoun- Congressman and one-time Vice-President who strongly believed in states’ rights and the principle of nullification (see unit 6) to protect it
 William Carney- born in Virginia as a slave, Carney enlisted in the all African American 54th Massachusetts regiment during the Civil War; he is the first
African American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor
 Henry Clay- the “Great Compromiser;” credited with the negotiations of the Missouri Compromise (1820) and the Compromise of 1850, which may have
held off the Civil War for decades
 Jefferson Davis- President of the Confederate States of America (or Confederacy, for short) before and during the Civil War. Supported secession as an idea
and right of the states, but did not support it for his home state (Mississippi) or any other state because he did not feel that the North would allow states to
go peacefully. Having served as in the War with Mexico, and then as a Senator and as Secretary of War, he kept much of the decision making regarding
military matters to himself, one of the biggest criticisms against him
 Frederick Douglass- a runaway slave from Maryland, Douglass was well spoken and educated, writing an autobiography that helped open people’s eyes to
the horrors of slavery. He eventually purchased his freedom, became an outspoken abolitionist, and met on several occasions with President Lincoln to
argue for and advise on behalf of blacks.
 Ulysses S. Grant- eventual commander-in-chief of all Union troops by the end of the war, Grant moved his way up the ranks by showing a willingness to
keep fighting where many others feared. While this resulted in tremendous causalities during the war, Lincoln often defended him on the grounds that at
least he would fight! Following the war, he became President in 1869 and helped oversee Reconstruction in the South, though scandals surrounded him and
his poor judgment when it came to advisors.
 Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson- Confederate general who makes a name for himself as a front lines leader who stands strong (like a stone wall) against Union
forces. Is mortally wounded by friendly fire and dies in 1863, leaving Lee without to say “I have lost my right arm”.
 Robert E. Lee- West Point graduate who was offered command of the Union army before the war began, but could not fight against his home. Begins his
service as an advisor to President Davis but eventually rises to command all of the Confederate troops for the second half of the war before their final
surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.
 Abraham Lincoln- 16th President of the United States and first Republican president ever elected; hated slavery but officially called only for its limitation, not
elimination; expanded executive authority (Presidential power) more than anyone since Jackson because he felt he had to in order to maintain the Union and
keep the Southern states from being able to break away; he was insistent in the belief that the war could not end with slavery still a part of our nation and
pushed for the Thirteenth Amendment to be passed before the war’s end (the whole premise of the movie- Lincoln); had a plan for Reconstruction of the
South that would likely have been more lenient [easy] than what eventually came down, but was not able to follow through on it since he was assassinated
one week after the war ended in April of 1865; first President to be assassinated; created the Secret Service as an organization to stop counterfeiting [making
and using of fake money], but it wasn’t until years after his assassination that become in charge of protection of the President as well
 Dred Scott- a slave who sued for his freedom after living with his master in free territory for much of his life. His case went to the Supreme Court (Scott v.
Sanford/Sandford) where they ultimately decided that the government did not have the right to prohibit slavery in any territory, therefore declaring the
Missouri Compromise unconstitutional; their decision also said that a slave did not have the right to sue for freedom
Unit 9: The Civil War Era- Performance Level Descriptors
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Daniel Webster- the northern part of the “Triumvirate” [trio] with Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun, who helped organize and pass many significant
legislations to maintain balance and compromise in the decades leading to the Civil War; famously said “Liberty and Union now and forever, one and
inseparable”
Jefferson Davis’s Inaugural Address- explained the reasons why the states that had seceded had no choice but to break away from a tyrannical and corrupt
government in which they had been essentially pushed out. Blamed the North for events leading to the Secession Crisis and requested that they simply be
allowed to go without a fight
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address- called for the seceding states to remember what makes our nation great and that “we must not be enemies, but friends”;
warned that there could “be no conflict without yourselves being the aggressors”
the firing on Fort Sumter- located in the harbor of Charleston, SC, the fort was attacked in the early morning hours of April 12, 1861 after Union troops
under Major. Anderson refused to surrender the fort and supplies to the Confederacy; they eventually surrendered, beginning the Civil War
the Battle of Antietam- the bloodiest day in U.S. history; fought in Maryland in September of 1862, combined deaths totaled over 5,000 and missing or
wounded was over 20,000; it is one of the two major pushes by Robert E. Lee into Northern territory and though it is claimed as a Union victory, it was
devastating for both sides
the Battle of Gettysburg- Lee’s second invasion in to the North in the summer of 1863 (July1-3); high casualties for both sides, but is considered the turning
point of the war (not that the Union didn’t have losses after, but they generally did better- and eventually forced a Southern surrender)
the Gettysburg Address- a speech by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg in memory of the Union soldiers who had
died trying to protect the ideals of freedom upon which the nation was founded
the Battle of Vicksburg- Union victory at the port city that held final control of the Mississippi River; once the Union controlled Vicksburg, the Confederacy
was cut in half at the Mississippi River; the siege lasted six weeks before Confederate troops surrendered on July 4, 1863
the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation- an order issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declaring slaves in the Confederate states to
be free; had little immediate effect on slavery as the Confederacy ignored it, but for many in the North, the Emancipation Proclamation changed the war into
a crusade for freedom.
Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address- delivered in March of 1865, just before the end of the war; Lincoln spoke to the idea of forgiveness and healing for the
nation
Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House- April 9, 1865- Lee surrenders to Grant as Union troops close in around him (referred to as the “Anaconda
Plan,” where the South would be choked/suffocated in to submission). Some fighting would continue over the next month in other parts of the country, but
the Army of Northern Virginia was done.
the assassination of Abraham Lincoln- while attending a show at the Ford Theatre in Washington, D.C., President Lincoln was shot by actor and
Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth; Booth had knowledge of the theatre layout and was well known for an actor in those days (though his brother
was actually far more famous); Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head with a small pistol and then leapt from the balcony onto the stage, injuring his leg.
Lincoln was immediately attended to by a doctor attending the play, and was taken across the street to the Petersen House, where he died the following day.
His assassination was just one part of the plot to “cut the head off of the snake.” Vice-President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William Seward each
had assassins after them that same night- Seward was attacked in his home but survived, and Johnson’s would-be attacker backed out due to nerves.
Unit 9: The Civil War Era- Performance Level Descriptors
Level I Descriptor: Define major social studies terminology
 Confederacy- another name for the Confederate States of America, made up of the 11 states that seceded from the Union; though we often refer to the
Confederacy simply as “the South,” this name is not actually accurate because there were many Southern states that didn’t secede (the Confederacy claimed
up to 17 states, including New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma (which didn’t actually become states until the 1900s) and slave states that didn’t actually
officially secede, including Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware.
 Union- this name refers to the portions of the United States that did not “rebel” against the government and secede; in more general terms, it is a shortened
name for the United States
 Draft- also known as conscription; a system in which people are ordered to join the armed services in time of war; while always controversial, both sides had
them and Civil War drafts were particularly favorable to the rich, even allowing Southern slave owners out if they owned enough slaves
 Emancipate- to free from restraint, control, or the power of another; especially to free from bondage, capture or slavery
 Secession- the act of seceding, or formally withdrawing from
 Sectionalism- concern with local interests or distinctions at the expense of general well-being; in our context, the relation of areas based on their beliefs and
tolerance for slavery, rather than economic or broader political issues
 Total War- the strategy believed in by Generals Grant and Sherman that called for a war on the enemy’s will to fight and support its army; it permits for the
destruction of crops, towns, industrial centers, railways, and any other means and resources that could otherwise help
Level I Descriptor: Recognize major historical points of reference
 November 6, 1860- Lincoln elected as President with no Southern state voting for him; the South feels alienated, as if they are no longer a relevant piece of
the puzzle
 April 12, 1861- the attack on Ft. Sumter in South Carolina officially begins the war
 January 1, 1863- Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation becomes official
 April 9, 1865- Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia
 April 15, 1865- Lincoln dies after an assassination attempt the night before
Level II Descriptor: Analyze the causes and effects of the Civil War, including slavery, the development of sectionalism, states’ rights, and Reconstruction
TEKS Assessment Alignment
8.7(A): analyze the impact of tariff policies
on sections of the United States before the
Civil War
Foundational TEKS
8.7(D): identify the provisions and compare the effects of congressional conflicts and compromises prior to the Civil
War, including the roles of…John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster
8.12(D): analyze the causes and effects of economic differences among different regions of the United States at selected
times in U.S. history
8.17(B): explain constitutional issues arising over the issues of states’ rights, including the Nullification Crisis and the
Civil War
Unit 9: The Civil War Era- Performance Level Descriptors
8.7(C): analyze the impact of slavery on
different sections of the United States
8.7(B): compare the effects of political, economic, and social factors on slaves and free blacks
8.8(C): analyze Abraham Lincoln's ideas about liberty, equality, union, and government as contained in his first and
second inaugural addresses and the Gettysburg Address and contrast them with the ideas contained in Jefferson
Davis's inaugural address
8.12(D): analyze the causes and effects of economic differences among different regions of the United States at selected
times in U.S. history
8.18(C): evaluate the impact of selected landmark Supreme Court decisions, including Dred Scott v. Sanford, on life in
the United States
8.8(B): explain the causes of the Civil War,
including sectionalism, states' rights, and
slavery, and significant events of the Civil
War, including the firing on Fort Sumter;
the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, and
Vicksburg; the announcement of the
Emancipation Proclamation; Lee's
surrender at Appomattox Court House;
and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
8.1(A): identify the major eras and events in U.S. history through 1877, including …sectionalism, [and] Civil War, and
…describe their causes and effects
8.1(C): explain the significance of the following dates: 1861-1865, Civil War
8.8(A): explain the roles played by significant individuals during the Civil War, including Jefferson Davis, Ulysses S.
Grant, Robert E. Lee, and Abraham Lincoln, and heroes such as congressional Medal of Honor recipients William
Carney and Philip Bazaar
8.26(A): describe developments in art, music, and literature that are unique to American culture such as … “Battle
Hymn of the Republic” …and other cultural activities in the history of the United States
8.22(A): analyze the leadership qualities of elected and appointed leaders of the United States such as… Abraham
Lincoln
8.22(B): describe the contributions of significant political, social, and military leaders of the United States such as
Frederick Douglass, [and]...Stonewall Jackson…
Level II Descriptor: Explain how geographic factors influenced issues and events in the United States, including the impact of immigration and domestic migration,
population distribution, settlement patterns, and modification of the environment
TEKS Assessment Alignment
8.10(B): compare places and regions of the
United States in terms of physical and
human characteristics
Foundational TEKS
8.10(A): locate places and regions of importance in the United States during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries
8.10(C): analyze the effects of physical and human geographic factors on major historical and contemporary events in
the United States