The Civil War: the sides, the turning points and the Emancipation Proclamation

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Card A (today): "The sides in 1861". Who made it: historians at the National Park Service. For whom: students and visitors. Why: to list the states on each side and what each had. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Union: 20 states, led by President Abraham Lincoln. Confederacy: 11 states, led by Jefferson Davis. Border states: Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri, slave states that stayed in the Union. The Union had about 18.5 million people; the Confederacy had 5.5 million free people and 3.5 million enslaved people; the border states had 2.5 million free and 500,000 enslaved. What it changed for people: Enslaved people made up a large share of the Confederacy's population, and the Union had far more people to draw on. How far can I trust it? For: The counts come from the 1860s records National Park Service historians use. Against: Counts from the 1860s are estimates, not exact. Card B (today): "Who served". Who made it: historians at the National Park Service. For whom: students and visitors. Why: to count who joined each army. Summary in our words, not a quotation: The Union Army enlisted 2,672,341 soldiers, including 178,975 African American soldiers and 3,530 Native American troops. The Confederate Army enlisted between 750,000 and 1,227,890; sources differ. What it changed for people: African American and Native American soldiers served in the Union Army. How far can I trust it? For: The numbers come from army records. Against: The Confederate count is a range because records are incomplete.

3. 1.

   In Ari's card A, who led the Confederacy?

   • Jefferson Davis
   • Stephen Douglas
   • Abraham Lincoln
   • John Wilkes Booth
4. 2.

   By card A, which is a border state, Bo asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Virginia
   • Kentucky
   • South Carolina
   • Ohio
5. 3.

   By card A, what were the border states, Esme asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Free states that joined the Confederacy
   • States that had no enslaved people
   • Slave states that stayed in the Union
   • Territories that voted on slavery
6. 4.

   By card A, how many enslaved people lived in the Confederacy, Jun asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • About 350,000
   • About 500,000
   • About 18.5 million
   • About 3.5 million
7. 5.

   When did West Virginia become a state, by the strip, Kira asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • April 9, 1865
   • April 12, 1861
   • June 20, 1861
   • June 20, 1863
8. 6.

   By card B, how many African American soldiers served in the Union Army, Milo asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • 3,530
   • 178,975
   • 2,672,341
   • 17,897
9. 7.

   On card B, why is the Confederate count given as a range, Noah asks?

   Use the picture in question 1.

   • Its records are incomplete
   • The war had not started yet
   • The Union kept those records
   • It is an exact count
10. 8.

    How many years did the war last, from 1861 to 1865, Pia asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • 4 years
    • 2 years
    • 3,726 years
    • 14 years
11. 9.

    By card A, which side had more people, Tala asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • The Union, with about 18.5 million
    • Both sides had the same
    • The border states, with about 3 million
    • The Confederacy, with 9 million people
12. 10.

    By card A's trust line, why are its numbers not exact, Zee asks?

    Use the picture in question 1.

    • They count just one side
    • They were made up for the sheet
    • They come from today's census
    • Counts from the 1860s are estimates