The Civil War

Lyrics

Chorus
Here we go! Gather up the troops
This is war, blue and gray representing different groups
There they are! Treading in their boots
Let’s go! We’re going back to the Civil War
(×2)

Verse I
Once upon a time, believe it or not
America had problems and got tied in a knot
After Abraham Lincoln expressed sorrow for slaves
A great rage broke out throughout the southern states
Jefferson Davis led the confederate secession
11 southern states tried to teach the North a lesson
Yankees messing with their slavery expansion
So confederates rebelled with an army and an anthem
On April 12, 1861
They attacked Fort Sumpter and the battles had begun
And in July, the Battle of Bull Run
Was the first major battle, and Confederates won
Lincoln, feeling the heat
Took it to another level, put the pedal to the metal
Fighting Confederate rebels with a new general
Ulysses S. Grant, the man put in charge of the Union command

Chorus

Verse II
In March 1862
A water battle was fought that no one would lose
Monitor vs. Merrimac ended in a draw
Hopes soared high for the people up north
The Battle of Shiloh was the North’s victory
But one month later they retreated to DC
The confederate’s General Stonewall Jackson
Led the South to a few months of great action
But September that year marked defeat
For both the North and the South had blood on the streets
The Battle of Antietam goes down in the books
As the bloodiest day the U.S. military undertook
On January 1^st, 1863
Lincoln upheld the war’s original theme
His Emancipation Proclamation spread throughout the land
Said slaves must be released from their masters' hands

Chorus

Verse III
In March ‘63 another law was in play
The First Conscription Act was brought to the stage
Requiring men ages 20–45
To join the Union army to stand up and fight
Battle of Chancellorsville in May of ‘63
The South attacked the North with a strong strategy
The rebels prevailed, but with a major consequence:
Stonewall Jackson fell in battle with his men
The confederate General Robert E. Lee
Led a series of victories in northern territories
But his rampage ended at the Battle of Gettysburg
The South lost, but Lee flew away like a bird
November 19^th, 1863
Lincoln rallied the Union to protect the dream
The Gettysburg Address, “Four score and seven”
A speech that quickly went from lesson to legend

Chorus

Verse IV
The battles continued, though the days were running out
And things were looking grim for the soldiers in the south
April 9^th, ‘65, Lee surrendered for the south
In front of General Grant at Appomattox Courthouse
3 million fought, 600,000 died
As a result, America’s states reunited
Slavery abolished by the 13^th Amendment
Finally, everyone is independent

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Description

This song teaches about the major events in the American Civil War. It discusses Abraham Lincoln, his Emancipation Proclamation, and Gettysburg Address as well as the Confederate commander Robert E. Lee. It mentions the important generals Ulysses S Grant and Stonewall Jackson as well as the battles at Bull Run, Fort Sumter, Antietam, and Gettysburg. The teaching materials at the bottom of the page, including videos, lesson plans, worksheets, and activities help teachers and homeschool parents generate teaching ideas for the song topics. Students will better understand the important events of the Civil War.

This social studies song is suitable to help teach the Civil War to elementary school students (4th grade, 5th grade and 6th grade), middle school, high school, home school, and college classes.

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Related Reading and Activities

Reading

Schmoop
The Causes of Civil War
Contains helpful information on the war's causes, along with a timeline, biographies, and more The site also contains other helpful information on US history and civics.

Civil-war.net
The Civil War Homepage
This comprehensive website contains links to other resources, as well as battle maps, official war records, images, research materials and much more.

Socialstudiesforkids.com
The Civil War
Contains links, summaries, biographies and information about the Civil War.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Discoveryeducation.com
The Civil War: A Nation Divided
Lesson plans, activities, links and a glossary of terms. It primarily focuses on the causes of the war, and the role of Abraham Lincoln.

EdHelper.com
Civil War Theme Unit
Civil War quizzes, links, worksheets, maps, reading comprehensions and more.

Educationworld.com
Civil War Lesson Plan and Activities
Page has over a dozen lesson plans about the Civil War, including a worksheet for making timelines and recipes of foods that soldiers often ate.

Lessonplanspage.com
Advantages/Disadvantages of the Civil War
A lesson plan describes converts the card game ‘War’ into a history lesson.

Teach-nology.com
American Civil War Worksheets
Hosts a wide variety of worksheets with Civil War content.

Media

BrainPOP.com
Civil War (video) (log-in NOT required – special feature)
This video is a Q&A about the events of the Civil War.

Causes of the Civil War (video) (log-in required)
Tim and Moby teach students about the two major issues that led to the Civil War — slavery and states’ rights. The video explains how newly formed states fell into the slavery/states’ rights equation, and why some of the established states sided with the North on some issues, while siding with the South on others.

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State Standards

State standards listed here are representative of school standards across the United States.

California

8.10 - Analyze causes/key events, and complex consequences of Civil War

Florida

SS.8.A.5.6 - Compare significant Civil War battles/events and effects on civilian populations.
SS.8.A.5.1 - Explain causes/ course/consequence of Civil War (sectionalism, slavery, states' rights, balance of power in Senate).

Illinois

14.F.4a - Determine the historical events and processes that brought about changes in United States political ideas and traditions (e.g., the New Deal, Civil War).
I16.D.4b(US) - Describe unintended social consequences of political events in United States history (e.g., Civil War/emancipation, National Defense Highway Act/decline of inner cities, Vietnam War/anti-government activity).

Massachusetts

USI.39 - Analyze roles/policies of various Civil War leaders. Describe important Civil War battles/events. (H)

New York

S.1.I.3 - Study major social/political/economic/cultural/religious developments in N.Y. State and U.S. history involves learning about important roles/contributions of individuals/groups.
S.1.C.1 - N.Y. State/U.S. history requires analysis of American culture, diversity/multicultural context and the ways people unified by values/practices/ traditions. (Standard 3)

Texas

8.8 - Understand individuals/issues/events of Civil War

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