Civil War Resources for Homeschoolers

We are just about to embark on the Civil War in our homeschool. A time of huge unrest and change in our country.

I have been gathering resources so we can get a thorough understanding of this period in time.

Causes of the Civil War

Sometimes these big events in history are a bit overwhelming to study. The Civil War lasted 4 long years, that’s a great deal of information to cover so I wanted to boil it down into easy to understand concepts for my children (and myself!). I found a great article that gives the Top Five Causes of the Civil War. It was a great overview and jumping off point.

I never knew that the South didn’t like the term “Civil War” and preferred to call it the War Between the States. It’s fun to learn along with my kids, although some times I feel like I slept through history in high school!

Anyway, a brief list of the causes of the Civil War:

1. Many differences between North & South

2. State rights vs Federal rights

3. Slave vs Non-Slave states

4. Abolition Movement grows

5. Election of Abe Lincoln

Often, having a decent understanding of why groups of people are fighting makes it easier to understand the conflict as a whole.

Civil War Resources for Your Homeschool

Slavery and Civil War Unit Study – Cindy has great suggestions for literature, projects and field trips

10 Books About Famous Civil War Era Women

Children’s Books and Unit Studies on Slavery – more book ideas to learn more about Slavery and the Underground Railroad

The Civil War Comes to Kansas Territory – a focus on how the Civil War affected the state of Kansas

Civil War Unit Study and Lapbook – Shower of Roses shares a beautiful lapbook as well as books, coloring books etc

Civil War Unit Study – free printables and field trip ideas

Gettysburg Address Copywork

FREE Civil War Lapbook

Abraham Lincoln Crossword Puzzle

Civil War Cannon Chalk Art Tutorial

Civil War Field Trips

You know I always like to include a field trip on whatever we are studying. If I could swing it I’d love to come up with the “field trip method” of homeschooling and go on a field trip a couple of times per week 🙂

The Freedom Center – Cincinnati, OH

Top 10 Civil War Sites – National Geographic

Civil War Books

More Civil War Resources

Civil War Pinterest board