GA 8 Teaching Tools

8 th Grade 

UNIT #6 

Impact of 

Civil War on 

Georgia 

©Gallopade • All Rights Reserved • www.gallopade.com

UNIT 6 

GEORGIA EXPERIENCE | GRADE 8 | UNIT 6 

Social Studies Themes page 1 

IMPACT OF CIVIL WAR 

ON GEORGIA 

ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS 

These themes provide the underlying framework for many important “big picture” concepts that 

your students will be learning throughout this unit. Use these questions to help students apply 

what they learn about the Impact of the Civil War on Georgia toward their understanding of 

these Enduring Understandings throughout the unit. 

CULTURE 

The culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, 

customs, traditions, and government of that society. 

How did cultural differences cause the North and the South to split prior to the Civil War? 

Why did southern states feel they needed to secede from the Union? 

INDIVIDUALS, GROUPS, & INSTITUTIONS 

The actions of individuals, groups, and/or institutions affect 

society through intended and unintended consequences. 

What effects did President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation have on Northerners 

and Southerners? 

BELIEFS & IDEALS 

The beliefs and ideals of a society influence the social, 

political, and economic decisions of that society. 

How did the idea of popular sovereignty influence people’s decisions prior to the Civil War? 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION 

Societies resolve conflicts through legal procedures, force, 

and/or compromise. 

What compromises were passed by the federal government to appease northern and 

southern states? 

©Gallopade • All Rights Reserved • www.gallopade.com 

Permission is granted to use Toolbox only with students for whom a current-year Experience Class Set is purchased.

UNIT 6 


Social Studies Themes page 2 

CONFLICT RESOLUTION 

Societies resolve conflicts through legal procedures, force, 

and/or compromise. 

What compromises were passed by the federal government to appease northern and 

southern states? 

GOVERNANCE 

As a society increases in complexity and interacts with other 

societies, the complexity of the government also increases. 

Why did the states feel they had more authority than the federal government before the 

Civil War? 

GAIN FROM TRADE 

Parties trade voluntarily when they expect to gain. 

Why were Georgia’s delegates split on the decision to secede? 



UNIT 6 


START WITH 

THIS ACTIVITY 

Hook & engage 

to boost curiosity, 

inquiry, motivation, 

and results! 


ON GEORGIA 

UNIT OPENER 

Inquiry-Based Learning 

Launch this unit with a lesson on Alexander H. Stephens’ speech of January 1861 against 

Georgia’s secession from the Union. The speech can be found on several websites, including: 

http://civilwarcauses.org/steph2.htm. 

You can provide printed copies, have the speech available via digital devices or whiteboard, 

read portions of the speech to the class, or show a video (several can be found online). You can 

choose excerpts from the speech if you wish. 

If students listen to the speech, encourage them to take notes. If students read a copy of the 

speech, tell them to highlight things they find interesting. After students read or listen to the 

speech, ask them to share their reaction to it. Guide a class discussion with questions you have 

written or use these: 

1. Alexander Stephens’ speech represents one side of the secession issue. Is he in favor or 

against secession? Answer: against. 

2. What reasons did Stephens give against secession? Correct answers include: 

• Secession would cost the South a lot of money. 

• Southern lives would be lost. 

• Southern power in the federal government had always been strong and the South 

had gotten almost everything it asked for from the federal government. 

• The federal government subsidized many services (postal service, for example), and 

the subsidies would end with secession. 

3. Do you think Stephens’ speech was effective? Why or why not? 

4. Do you think Alexander Stephens would be a strong supporter of the Confederacy if 

Georgia secedes? 

• Have students make a prediction about this and post the predictions. 

• Revisit the predictions when discussing Confederacy leadership. 

5. Tell students they are beginning a unit on the Civil War and, in particular, the impact that the 

Civil War had on Georgia. 



UNIT 6 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 



ON GEORGIA 

DEFINE THESE TERMS BASED ON WHAT YOU ALREADY LEARNED. 

(IT’S OK TO FLIP BACK TO PREVIOUS CHAPTERS.) 

compromise 

confederation 

Vocabulary Builder 

proclamation 

USE A DICTIONARY TO DEFINE THESE TERMS. THEN HIGHLIGHT EACH 

TERM THE FIRST TIME YOU SPOT IT IN THE TEXT. 

abolition 

blockade 

campaign 

civil 

emancipation 

nullify 

popular sovereignty 

secession 

tariff 



UNIT 6 

Down 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 



ON GEORGIA 

Complete the crossword puzzle. 

1. formal separation from a political 

union (in this case, the United States) 

2. a public or official announcement of 

an important matter 

3. to declare something no longer legal 

and binding 

Vocabulary Review 

5. an alliance of countries, states, or 

other political units in which the 

individual members maintain their 

autonomy 

6. a release from bondage; setting free 

Across 

4. of or relating to a nation or its citizens 

5. a settlement of a conflict by each side giving up something in order to get something 

7. a series of planned actions that are taken to reach a goal 

8. a situation where enemy ships patrol a port to keep weapons, ammunition, food, or other supplies 

from moving in or out 

9. a tax on imports or exports 

10. the idea that government authority comes from people who have agreed to be governed 

11. the campaign to end slavery in the United States 



CHAPTER 16 

Issues and Events 

Divide the Nation 

CHAPTER TOOLS: 

Tool 

When To Use 

(start, end, or with which page of Student Workbook) 

Multimedia Resource Gallery 

Learning Objectives + Correlations 

Essential Questions Activity Sheet 

throughout 

start + ongoing 


Let’s Review page 67 

Writing Prompt #1 page 69 

Writing Prompt #2 page 70 

Primary Source Analysis page 70 

Interactive Workbook Scavenger Hunt 

Study Guide 

ExperTrack * Checkpoint #06a 

EOC 

EOC 

EOC (pretest optional) 

* 

license required 


CHAPTER 16 


Learning Objectives & Correlations 

GSE: 

ISSUES AND EVENTS 

DIVIDE NATION 

LEARNING TARGETS 

Students will be able to: 

Î Explain the importance of slavery and how it led to the 

Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of states’ rights and how it led to the 

Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of nullification and how it led to the 

Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of the Compromise of 1850 and 

how it led to the Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of the Georgia Platform relative to 

the Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of the Dred Scott case and how it 

led to the Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of Abraham Lincoln’s election and 

how it led to the Civil War. 

Î Explain the importance of the debate over secession in 

Georgia relative to the Civil War. 

CORRELATIONS TO STANDARDS 

SS8H5a 

Map and Globe Skills: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 11 

Information Processing Skills: 1, 8, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 



CHAPTER 16 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 



DIVIDE NATION 

What key issues and events led to the Civil War and how were they important? 

How did the issue of slavery lead to the Civil War? 

Essential Questions 

How did the issue of states’ rights lead to the Civil War? 

How did the issue of nullification lead to the Civil War? 

How did the Compromise of 1850 lead to the Civil War? 

What was the importance of the Georgia Platform? 

How did the Dred Scott Case lead to the Civil War? 

How did the election of Abraham Lincoln lead to the Civil War? 

What was the importance of the debate over secession in Georgia? 



NAME: _____________________________________________ 

THE FUGITIVE SLAVE ACT 

HISTORICAL IMPACT 

Slave owners paid slave-catchers to capture and 

return escaped slaves. The Fugitive Slave Act of 

1850 allowed slave-catchers to enter the North to 

capture fugitive slaves. Additionally, the Fugitive 

Slave Act made it illegal to help escaped slaves, 

even in the free Northern states. Anyone caught 

helping runaway slaves faced fines and time in 

prison. Runaway slaves were no longer safe in 

free states! To gain complete freedom, slaves 

had to travel even farther north to Canada. 

Despite the Fugitive Slave Act, many abolitionists 

continued to help slaves on the Underground Railroad. 

Explain how the Fugitive Slave Act affected each group of people. 

Effects of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 

Southern Slaveowners Runaway Slaves Northern Abolitionists 

Let’s Review 



NAME: _____________________________________________ 

ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND 

JEFFERSON DAVIS 

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES AND REGIONAL 

PERSPECTIVES 

Lincoln was born 

in Kentucky and 

lived most of his 

life in Illinois. 

Davis was born 

in Kentucky and 

lived most of his 

life in Mississippi. 

Abraham Lincoln, 

President of the United States 

of America 

Jefferson Davis, 

President of the Confederate States 

of America 

Our perspective and viewpoints are shaped by life experiences, such as where we grow up. 

Use biographies to research the lives of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis. Then explain 

how where they grew up may have influenced their positions on slavery. 

Writing Prompt 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 



NAME: _____________________________________________ 

THE SECESSION MOVEMENT 

STUDENT OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 

Look at the cartoon and answer the questions on a separate piece of paper. 

Primary Source Analysis 

"The Secession Movement" 

South Carolina 

Florida 

Alabama 

Mississippi 

Louisiana 

Georgia 

We go the whole hog—Old Hickory is dead, and now we’ll have it. 

Go it Carolina! We are the boys to “wreck” the Union. 

We go it blind, Cotton is King! 

1. What is the topic of this political cartoon? 

2. What do the riders represent? 

Down with the Union. Mississippi “repudiates her bonds.” 

Go it boys! We’ll soon taste the “sweets” of secession. 

We have some doubts about “the end” of that road and think it 

expedient to deviate a little. 

3. Who is leading the charge? Why? What is the significance of the order of the figures? 

4. A. From what point of view is the cartoon drawn? Explain your reasoning. 

B. What can you infer about the artist’s opinion of secessionist states? 

What details from the cartoon support your conclusion? 

5. What is the main message conveyed by this cartoon? 

Cite evidence to support your conclusion. 

6. What can you infer about Alabama’s reasons for seceding? 

7. Why is Georgia separated from the other states? Explain. 

(Do additional research if necessary.) 

Courtesy of Library of Congress 



CHAPTER 16 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 



DIVIDE NATION 

SCAVENGER HUNT 

Interactive Workbook 

1. Find and highlight each of these items or facts in your Student Workbook: 

A. The definition of nullify 

B. The definition of secession 

C. Per the Missouri Compromise, where slavery would not be allowed 

D. The number of states that seceded from the Union 

E. Reasons why the southern states needed slaves 

F. The reason why President Jackson put a tariff on imports in 1828 

G. How southern states reacted to the tariff 

H. Which controversy showed the strong feelings held in the South regarding 

states’ rights 

I. Where the Compromise of 1850 abolished the slave trade 

J. The name of the U.S. senator who helped negotiate compromises regarding slavery 

K. What part of the Compromise of 1850 was included to pacify the slave states 

L. The name of the politician who wrote the Georgia Platform 

M. An explanation of the Georgia Platform 

N. An explanation of popular sovereignty 

O. Why Dred Scott sued for his freedom 

P. How the Supreme Court ruled in the Dred Scott case 

Q. Who was elected President of the United States in 1860 

R. The main goal of the Republican Party in the 1860s 

S. Which state threatened secession if the Republicans won the 1860 election 

2. Circle and write PS by a primary source in each chapter of this unit. 

3. Underline two reasons northern states opposed slavery in the southern states. 



CHAPTER 16 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 


THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY 

1. How did the U.S. Constitution deal with slavery? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

2. Why was slavery a key issue leading up to the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

THE NULLIFICATION CONTROVERSY 

3. Describe what led to the nullification controversy and what resulted from it. 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

4. What did the nullification controversy show about the South’s views on states’ rights? 

Study Guide page 1 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

5. How was nullification a key issue leading up to the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

COMPROMISES 

6. What was the result of the Missouri Compromise? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

7. What was the result of the Compromise of 1850? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

8. Why did Georgians oppose the Compromise of 1850? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

9. How was the Compromise of 1850 a key issue leading up the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 



CHAPTER 17 

Georgia’s Role in 

the Civil War 

CHAPTER TOOLS: 

Tool 

When To Use 

(start, end, or with which page of Student Workbook) 

Multimedia Resource Gallery 

Learning Objectives + Correlations 

Essential Questions Activity Sheet 

throughout 



Graphic Organizer page 73 

Artistic Expression page 75 

Let’s Review page 76 

Primary Source Analysis page 77 

Interactive Workbook Scavenger Hunt 

Study Guide 

ExperTrack * Checkpoint #06b 

EOC 

EOC 

EOC (pretest optional) 

* 

license required 


CHAPTER 17 


Learning Objectives & Correlations 

GSE: 

GEORGIA’S ROLE IN 

THE CIVIL WAR 

LEARNING TARGETS 

Students will be able to: 

Î Describe how the Union blockade of Georgia’s coast 

affected the Civil War. 

Î Describe the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation 

on the Civil War and on Georgia. 

Î Describe how the Battle of Chickamauga affected the 

Civil War. 

Î Describe how Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign affected the 

Civil War. 

Î Describe how Sherman’s March to the Sea affected the 

Civil War. 

Î Describe Andersonville, what happened there, and its 

role in the Civil War. 

CORRELATIONS TO STANDARDS 

SS8H5b 

Map and Globe Skills: 6, 7, 8 

Information Processing Skills: 6, 8, 14, 15, 16 



CHAPTER 17 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 



THE CIVIL WAR 

What was Georgia’s role in the Civil War? 

Essential Questions 

What role did the Union blockade of Georgia’s coast play in the Civil War? 

What role did the Emancipation Proclamation play in the Civil War? 

What role did the Battle of Chickamauga play in the Civil War? 

What role did Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign play in the Civil War? 

What role did Sherman’s March to the Sea play in the Civil War? 

What role did Andersonville play in the Civil War? 



NAME: _____________________________________________ 

TO SECEDE OR NOT SECEDE 

DECISION MAKING 

In the Choice box 1, write “To Secede” and in Choice box 2, write “Not to Secede.” 

Choose the perspective of someone who lived in Georgia in the 1860s. Describe that person on 

the back of the graphic organizer. Include name, age, gender, economic status, social position, 

job, and other characteristics. 

Now, complete the graphic organizer from that perspective. 

Graphic Organizer 

put glue on the BACK of this striped section 

The decision I have to make: 

Choice 1: Choice 2: 

BENEFITS • PROS • GAIN 

COSTS • CONS • GIVE UP 

Circle the most important BENEFITS and COSTS 

Best Choice: 

BENEFITS • PROS • GAIN 

COSTS • CONS • GIVE UP 

To add this to your interactive workbook, cut along the outside dashed lines, and fold on the solid line. 

Put glue on the BACK of the striped area, and glue it to the top of a page it relates to. 

Glue it so it is readable when flat, and you can fold it upwards to read the workbook page. 



A CIVIL WAR BATTLE 

VISUAL THINKING STRATEGIES 

THE CIVIL WAR—CAUSES, EVENTS, & RESULTS 

1. Display this image on your whiteboard so all students can look at the image at the same time. 

https://i2.wp.com/militaryhistorynow.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/chickamauga.jpg 

2. Use the Visual Thinking Strategy process to discuss elements in the picture. 

(see info below) 

Artistic Expression 

3. Afterwards, you can provide additional information about the painting, such as: This is a 

painting of a Civil War battle scene from the Battle of Chickamauga. This battle was 

fought in September 1863 in the northwest corner of Georgia and in the southeast 

corner of Tennessee. The Battle of Chickamauga was the first major battle of the Civil 

War fought in Georgia. Casualties were high, second only to the Battle of Gettysburg. 

The outcome was a victory for the Confederacy, but both sides suffered high losses. 

A Brief Introduction to Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) 

“Visual Thinking Strategies” is an inquiry-based teaching method that uses art to teach visual 

literacy, cognitive thinking, and communication skills. Part of the effectiveness of VTS is that it 

enables students to use their existing skills to observe and identify things they already know, 

and in doing so, they also identify things they don’t know, sparking an inquiry process that they 

can explore independently or with peers. 

VTS instruction typically includes three key inquiries: 

1. What is going on in this picture? 

2. What do you see that makes you say that? 

3. What more can we find? 

Process: Ask question 1, and call on a student to answer. Ask that same student question 2. 

Ask question 3, and call on a different student to answer. Follow that answer by asking that 

student question 1 (adapt if needed; depending on how they answered question 3), and then 

question 2. Then ask question 3 again, and call on another student to answer. Continue this 

process. Students will likely start with big picture observations about the overall scene, but as 

you cycle through these questions, students may begin to observe details of things happening 

in parts of the image, finding stories within the story/artwork. 



NAME: _____________________________________________ 

SHERMAN AND HIS ARMY 

MARCH TO THE SEA 

On September 2, 1864, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman and his 

troops moved into the city of Atlanta. Sherman ordered any remaining civilians 

to leave the city. His troops remained in town until the middle of November, 

when Sherman ordered the burning of all the main buildings in Atlanta. 

The city’s strength as a railroad and industrial center went up in smoke! 

Sherman’s army then set out across Georgia, intending to break the will of 

the South. The Union forces were massive, consisting of 5,000 cavalrymen 

and 57,000 infantrymen. The army split into two wings that cut a path of 

destruction through the heart of Georgia that was 40 to 60 miles wide! 

Officers ordered soldiers to destroy rail lines, factories, bridges, and anything else that could 

help the southern war effort. The soldiers were under strict orders to leave private homes and 

property alone, but those orders were sadly ignored. The state of Georgia was devastated. 

The army moved about 15 miles a day, reaching Savannah on December 21, 1864. 

Answer the questions. Use additional resources if necessary. 

1. What was the goal of Sherman’s “March to the Sea”? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

2. Why did Sherman want to capture Atlanta? What was the importance of that city? 

Let’s Review 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

_____________________________________________________________________________________ 

3. Why do you think Sherman’s soldiers ignored instructions and destroyed homes and 

businesses? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

4. Sherman said the Union was “not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people.” 

What do you think he meant by that? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 



NAME: _____________________________________________ 

ANDERSONVILLE PRISON 

STUDENT OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 

Primary Source Analysis 

Use the photograph 

and journal entries to 

answer the questions. 

Andersonville Prison, Ga., August 17, 1864 — Southeast view of stockade 

April 3 – We have stopped wondering at suffering or being surprised at anything. Can’t do the subject justice and so 

don’t try. Walk around camp every morning looking for acquaintances, the sick, etc. Can see a dozen most any morning 

laying around dead. A great many are terribly afflicted with diarrhea, and scurvy begins to take hold of some. Scurvy is a 

bad disease, and taken in connection with the former is sure death. Some have dropsy as well as scurvy, and the swollen 

limbs and body are sad to see. To think that these victims have people at home, mothers, wives and sisters, who are 

thinking of them and would do much for them if they had the chance, little dreaming of their condition. 

May 19 — Nearly twenty thousand men confined here now. New ones coming every day. Rations very small and very poor. 

The meal that the bread is made out of is ground, seemingly, cob and all, and it scourges the men fearfully. Things getting 

continually worse. Hundreds of cases of dropsy. Men puff out of human shape and are perfectly horrible to look at. 

Philo Lewis died today. Could not have weighed at the time of his death more than ninety pounds, and was originally a large 

man, weighing not less than one hundred and seventy. Jack Walker, of the 9th Mich. Cavalry, has received the appointment 

to assist in carrying out the dead, for which service he receives an extra ration of corn bread. 

Union soldier John Ransom, Andersonville Diary, 1864 

1. Look at the photograph and imagine you are a Union soldier held prisoner. What can you infer 

from the photograph about what your life was like in the summer of 1864 at Andersonville? 

2. Read the April 3 journal entry by John Ransom, a Union soldier held prisoner at Andersonville. 

What does his journal entry tell you about the conditions of the prison? 

3. Andersonville Prison opened in February of 1864. The original design was for 10,000 prisoners. 

Read the May 19 journal entry. Explain what you think was the cause for the illnesses. 

Be specific and use examples from both diary entries in your answer. 

4. Using the image, the journal entries, and what you know about the Civil War, write a journal 

entry for June 19. 

5. Based on the information in the journal, infer what may have happened to John Ransom. 



CHAPTER 17 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 



THE CIVIL WAR 

SCAVENGER HUNT 

Interactive Workbook 

1. Find and highlight each of these items or facts in your Student Workbook: 

A. When the Confederate States of America officially formed 

B. The name of the Georgia leader who became vice president of the Confederacy 

C. Where the first conflict of the Civil War took place 

D. Where Union soldiers first attacked in Georgia 

E. The purpose of the Union blockade of Southern ports 

F. The definition of emancipate 

G. An explanation of the Emancipation Proclamation 

H. How Southerners and Northerners viewed the Emancipation Proclamation 

I. How slaves viewed the Union troops 

J. Why Union troops targeted Atlanta 

K. The name of the largest Civil War battle in Georgia 

L. The name of the general who led the Atlanta Campaign 

M. When Union troops burned Atlanta 

N. Where the Union troops headed after Atlanta 

O. When the Confederacy surrendered 

P. The location of the largest Confederate prison camp 

Q. A description of the conditions at Andersonville 

2. Circle and write PS by a primary source in each chapter of this unit. 

3. Draw a star beside the photo of the Georgian elected to be Vice President of 

the Confederacy. 

4. On the map on page 76, write the dollar amount of damage Sherman’s march 

caused in Georgia. 

5. Below the photo on page 77, write the number of men who died at Andersonville. 



CHAPTER 17 

NAME: _____________________________________________ 


GEORGIA’S ROLE IN THE CIVIL WAR 

1. How did the Union blockade affect Georgia’s role in the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

2. How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect slaves? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

3. How did the Emancipation Proclamation affect the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

4. What happened at the Battle of Chickamauga? How was it significant to Georgia’s role 

in the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

Study Guide 

5. What happened in Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign? How was it significant to Georgia’s role in 

the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

6. What happened in Sherman’s March to the Sea? How was it significant to Georgia’s role in 

the Civil War? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

7. What was Andersonville’s role in the Civil War? What happened there? 

__________________________________________________________________________________ 

__________________________________________________________________________________

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