How do you piece together
the history of the Civil War?

As explorers of the past, we can look at a variety of sources—maps, letters, diaries, objects, music, images, and more—to piece together a sense of the Civil War’s complexity. The images and related resources from this poster are designed to get students thinking about how primary sources can help uncover stories about the past. As the poster illustrates, it takes many sources to create a more complete picture of the Civil War.

Use this interactive poster to begin a conversation with students about what we know about the past, and especially about our nation’s most deadly conflict, the Civil War.

How to Use This Interactive Poster

The poster is divided into four quadrants. Hover your mouse over a quadrant to highlight it and click. When the image of that quadrant appears, click on an asterisk to learn about the object and find related learning and teaching resources.

Learn More

• Causing the Civil War
• The Crisis of the Union

Teaching Resources

• “What is Historical Thinking?” video
• Learn What Primary Sources Are
• Learn What Secondary Sources Are

Poster Request

• Request a copy of this poster for your classroom.
• Request multiple copies for your school or organization.