The Civil War: the sides, the turning points and the Emancipation Proclamation
Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet
Circle the best answer.
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Card A (January 1, 1863): "The Emancipation Proclamation". Who made it: President Abraham Lincoln. For whom: the nation, the armies, and people held in slavery. Why: to free enslaved people in the states in rebellion and to strengthen the Union's cause. Excerpt (the 1863 proclamation, quoting that of September 22, 1862; as printed in 1863 and 1896): "...all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free..." What it changed for people: It applied only to the states that had seceded, not the border states. It also opened the Union Army and Navy to Black men, and almost 200,000 Black soldiers and sailors served. How far can I trust it? For: It is the proclamation itself, kept by the National Archives. Against: It shows a promise; freedom came only as Union troops advanced. Card B (today): "Counting the cost". Who made it: historians at the American Battlefield Trust and the National Park Service. For whom: readers today. Why: to estimate how many lives the war cost. Summary in our words, not a quotation: An estimated 620,000 soldiers lost their lives, about 2 percent of the population. Some historians put the number as high as 850,000; sources differ. What it changed for people: Losses reached both the North and the South: about 2 of every 100 Americans of 1861. How far can I trust it? For: Historians build the estimate from army and census records. Against: No exact count was kept, so the number is a range. Below the strip: A turning point is an event after which the war went differently.
By card A, where did the Proclamation free enslaved people, Ari asks?
- In the border states
- In the states that had seceded
- In West Virginia and no other state
- In each state of the Union, North and South
By card A, what did the Proclamation open to Black men, Bo asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Land in the western territories
- Seats in the Confederate Congress
- The right to vote in each state of the Union
- Service in the Union Army and Navy
By card A, about how many Black soldiers and sailors served, Esme asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- About 620,000
- Almost 20,000
- Almost 200,000
- Almost 2,000,000
When did Vicksburg surrender, by the strip, Jun asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- July 4, 1863
- January 1, 1863
- July 1–3, 1863
- April 9, 1865
Why is Vicksburg called a turning point, Kira asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- It made Lincoln president for the first time
- It ended the war that same week
- It gave the Union control of the Mississippi
- It freed each enslaved person in the South
By card B, how many soldiers' lives did the war cost, Milo asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Exactly 620,000, counted one by one
- About 620,000, or as many as 850,000
- About 62,000, or as many as 85,000
- About 200,000 soldiers on both sides
By card B's trust line, why is the cost a range, Noah asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- The count includes later wars
- The Union refused to count
- No exact count was kept
- Historians made the number up
How many months passed from the Proclamation (January 1863) to Gettysburg (July 1863), Pia asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- 16 months
- 12 months
- 7 months
- 6 months
Which claim about the Proclamation is careful, Ren asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- It changed the war's purpose but did not end slavery everywhere
- It was issued after the war ended
- It ended slavery in each state of the Union and the Confederacy in 1863
- It had no effect on the war
What happened on April 14, 1865, by the strip, Tala asks?
Use the picture in question 1.
- Lincoln was assassinated
- Lincoln was reelected
- Vicksburg surrendered
- The war began
