Chasing Lincoln's Killer

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Between 1861 and 1865, the United States had a Civil War between the states in the North and the South. What was the major cause of division between the North and South? What was the outcome of the war, and how did the American population respond?

Teaching Suggestion: This Short Answer question invites students to consider the historical context of the text: the postbellum period in US history. While slavery was the main issue at the core of the disagreement, both Northern (i.e., Union) and Southern (i.e., Confederate) states differed in a multitude of ways, including the systems of slave-based economies versus manufacturing economies and the issue of states’ rights versus federal rights. While the Confederates surrendered in the spring of 1865, the same period that John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln, many Confederate sympathizers sought to not admit defeat; as a result, southern states passed racist laws that prolonged the suffering of formerly enslaved persons.

• National Geographic provides a plethora of information for students learning about the “Civil War.