Mini LapBook Directions: Print out page 3. (It will be sturdier on cardstock.) Fold on the dotted lines. You should see the title of the lapbook on the front flaps. It should look like this: A M E R I C A N C I V I L WAR 2. Read about the war and do the activities to put into your mini-lapbook. 3. There are four activities to be done and this can be completed in a week s time or in one afternoon. 4. Upon completion here is a sample of what the inside of the lapbook should look like. 2
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When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, it started a wave of dissent in the southern states. Believing Lincoln to be an abolitionist who would infringe on the state s legal rights to own slaves, eleven states would eventually secede (leave) from the Union and form a new nation called the Confederate States of America (the South). They elected a provisional president, Jefferson Davis. The states that seceded were: South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Florida, Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia. They would fight against 25 Union states (the North): Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Maryland, West Virginia (created during the war), New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Nevada, California, Oregon, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, and Kentucky. President Lincoln and the republicans agreed that the Union must not be dismantled for any reason and in his inaugural address said that secession would not be accepted. This increased the anxiety of the South and put them on edge in fear that the federal government would gain too much power. In April of 1961, a little over a month since the inauguration, the first shots of the American Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter. Thus began a war over states rights and keeping a country together. Cut out the North and South scrolls. Cut out the states initials and paste them on the correct scroll. The states are found in the Why the War Happened reading section above. Paste the Scrolls inside your mini-lapbook where it is shown on page 2. WV ME KS WI KY NY TX PA GA MD NH VT OH NC SC TN CA NV OR MO CT DE RI NJ MA AL AR MS MN FL LA VA IO IN IL MI 4
Read each mini-biography. Cut out the picture and information plaques. Older children can fill in the plaques, while answers are provided for younger children. PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States of America. He was the commander-in-chief of the Union or North soldiers. When elected to office, he promised to keep slavery legal in the states that already had legalized it but also promised to keep slavery from spreading to the free states, as they were called, and to territories wanting to become states. The southern states believed this was overstepping the federal government s boundaries, but Lincoln was trying to preserve the Constitutional statement of all men are created equal. A war started that divided a nation and by mid war, Lincoln was convinced that slavery had to be abolished and declared all slaves free in the Emancipation Proclamation. President Abraham Lincoln Role/Position in the War President of the United States of America GENERAL ULYSSES S. GRANT- General Grant was general of the Union troops during the American Civil War. Before he became a general, he fought as a soldier and earned the reputation for being an aggressive but a good leader. He was given promotion after promotion and had many, many successful battles against the Confederate army. Soon, he was promoted to the highest rank of General where he would take on many high casualty battles against Confederate General Robert E. Lee. Grant would eventually take over Richmond, the Confederate capital, and have General Lee surrender to the Union. After this, the Confederacy collapsed and the Civil War was at its end. General Ulysses S. Grant General of the Union Soldiers 5
Read each mini-biography. Cut out the picture and information plaques. Older children can fill in the plaques, while answers are provided for younger children. JEFFERSON DAVIS Jefferson Davis was an American military officer and statesmen. During the Civil War, Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederacy. At first, Davis was against seceding from the Union but the majority of delegates were for it and so, he gave in. He approved the decision to attack Ft. Sumter and that decision started the American Civil War. After Virginia seceded from the Union, Jefferson Davis moved his government to Richmond, Virginia. He has been faulted for his failed military strategies and mismanagement of his generals. After the fall of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis was captured and imprisoned for two years for treason. Even after the loss, the people of the South still highly respected and honored Jefferson Davis as a man who tried to stop the federal government from becoming too powerful. Jefferson Davis Role/Position in the War President of the Confederate States of America GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE- General Robert E. Lee had been offered the position of General for the entire Union army by President Abraham Lincoln. However, Lee s home state of Virginia was seceding from the Union and he decided to follow his home state in his convictions. It Was not long before Lee was offered command of the entire Confederate army. He became known for his shrewd military tactics. Lee would win battle after battle but after a time, the Union troops would become more powerful under the direction and General Ulysses S. Grant and Lee would start to face defeat. Lee s army was becoming worn down. Eventually, he would surrender to General Grant. Finally, there was an end to the War Between the States. After the war, Lee was not arrested or imprisoned, but he did however, lose the right to vote and lost some of his property. General Robert E. Lee Role/Position in the War General of the Confederate Soldiers 6
Cut out the Cannon Pocket and glue or tape it into your lapbook where shown on the main directions page. Glue or tape is to be placed on the outside edges so as not to interfere with the pocket. Allow glue to dry before placing anything into the pocket. Cut out the map and only tape the bottom and two sides into the lapbook (where shown). This creates a pocket as well. Read about each battle and then cut out the cannonball and place it into your Cannon Pocket. The cannonball numbers correspond to the numbers on the map. This shows where this battle was held. The larger battle bios can be stapled together and placed into the Map Pocket. 3 2 4 1 7