The American Civil War - Lesson 1

This is the first lesson out of two on the American Civil War (although there are enough materials in this lesson alone to last at least two lessons). This lesson looks at the short-term and long-term causes of the American Civil War. Originally designed for the AQA GCSE Paper 2 (Thematic Studies, Power and the People, Challenging Royal Authority) however these resources could be used for any Key Stage 3, 4 or 5 lesson on the American Civil War. The lesson begins with a Dictagloss exercise followed by a differentiated marketplace activity which looks at the reasons for the Civil War: The English colonies in North America, taxes to the British army, feeling bossed around, Navigation Acts, No Taxation Without Representation, Boston Massacre of 1770, The Lexington Incident and the American Declaration of Independence. The lesson finishes with a GCSE exam-style question: “Compare the English and the American Revolutions. In what way were they similar?” The lesson outlines how to answer a similarity question such as this and what the markscheme is so pupils can peer assess each others answers.