The USA in the 19th Century: Westward
expansion and the+ Civil War 1803 – c.1890
Should we study the US Civil War?
What makes an event significant in History?
Activity 3
This activity is an ideal start to the investigation of the growth of sectional tensions and the coming
of Civil War. Students often lack a basic understanding of the US Civil War and its significance. This
activity helps to seat the subsequent investigations in context and make them more meaningful to
students. Students are firstly encouraged to think about what makes an event significant in History.
They can then either develop their own criteria or be given one by the teacher (see suggestion in
PowerPoint). Students are then provided with a ‘Civil War fact file’ to annotate using the significance
criteria. They must give a brief explanation of each measure of significance and then come to an
overall judgement to answer the question ‘should we study the US Civil War?.
Resources:
http://www.civilwar.org/resources/battles-of-the-civil-war-infographic.html#.T_XEKfV0n-I
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/faq/
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What makes an event significant in History?
Importance: to the people living at the time
Profundity: how deeply people’s lives have been affected by the event
Quantity:
how many lives were affected
Durability: for how long people’s lives have been affected
Relevance: the extent to which the event has contributed to an
increased understanding of present life.
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Should we study the US Civil War?
1. Stick in your fact file.
2. Circle any historically significant
facts – annotate with significance
criteria + brief explanation.
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OCR Resources: the small print
OCR’s resources are provided to support the teaching of OCR specifications, but in no way constitute an endorsed teaching method that is required by the Board, and the decision to
use them lies with the individual teacher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the content, OCR cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions within these
resources.
© OCR 2015 - This resource may be freely copied and distributed, as long as the OCR logo and this message remain intact and OCR is acknowledged as the originator of this work.
OCR acknowledges the use of the following content: Pages2,3 : Dead Federal Soldiers, Universal Images Group, www.quest.eb.com/EDIT; Page 3: Battles of the Civil war,
www.civilwar.org/ copyright © 2014 Civil War Trust.
Please get in touch if you want to discuss the accessibility of resources we offer to support delivery of our qualifications: resources.feedback@ocr.org.uk
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The USA in the 19th Century: Westward expansion and the Civil War 1803 – c.1890
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