The Civil War explores the causes and consequences of one of our nation’s greatest crises, as slavery divided states and citizens, leading to a four-year nightmare of bloodshed and bitterness, profound social changes, and still unresolved tensions. Students learn how arguments over slavery and states’ rights, and the election of Abraham Lincoln, led to Southern secession and armed conflict. Students consider the influence of Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists, the Dred Scott decision, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and the Emancipation Proclamation. Students explore important battles, new technologies (such as ironclad ships), and major leaders, including Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, and especially President Lincoln. Students learn about Lincoln’s assassination and the divisive struggles of the Reconstruction era. Some content is tied to the “Pathway to Citizenship,” an array of civics-focused knowledge, questions, and activities.