The American Vote
Civil WarAll 5 grade bands · K-2 through APFree download

1864

Lesson plan.
Abraham Lincoln vs George B. McClellanLincoln won re-election during the Civil War, defeating his former general George B. McClellan who ran on a peace platform. Early in the campaign Lincoln feared he would lose, as war weariness had set in; however, Sherman's capture of Atlanta in September dramatically shifted the public mood. Lincoln ran on the National Union ticket to attract War Democrats. Eleven Confederate states did not participate. Lincoln's re-election ensured the war would be prosecuted to total victory and emancipation.

The 1864 U.S. presidential election sent Abraham Lincoln (Republican) to the White House. Abraham Lincoln took 212 of the 233 electoral votes to George B. McClellan's 21. Abraham Lincoln led the national popular vote with 55.03%. The race falls within the Civil War era; the lesson packets below dig into its central debates, with Continuation of the Civil War among the major themes.

What is in each packet
Cover
Cycle metadata + band eyebrow
Lesson plan
Instructor — timing, materials, standards
Reading
Sized to grade band (K-2: ~250 words → AP: ~650)
Background
Curated cycles — 5-7 vocab terms + primary-source excerpt
Student worksheet
K-2: 3 questions → AP: 8, mixed format
Answer key
Instructor — rationale on every item
Discussion prompts
3 prompts tied to era
DBQ (AP only)
Long-essay + 5-point rubric + second source
Download by grade band
  • K-2
    Story
    4 pp
    20 min
    Free
  • 3-5
    Reading
    5 pp
    35 min
    Free
  • 6-8
    Reading
    6 pp
    50 min
    Free
  • 9-12
    Source
    8 pp
    75 min
    Free
  • AP
    DBQ
    12 pp
    105 min
    Free