The Civil War Primary Sources

The Civil War Primary Sources

Historical documents. What clues can you gather about the time, place, players, and culture?

A House Divided

We have an entire learning guide devoted to Abraham Lincoln's 1858 speech to the Illinois Republican Convention. This speech got him nominated for a seat on the United States Senate, and is known as the "House Divided" speech because Lincoln used that phrase to express his views about the coming crisis between the North and the South.

13th Amendment

The text of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which abolished slavery.

Lincoln's War Message

Abraham Lincoln's address to Congress, July 4th, 1861, in which he called for huge numbers of troops to fight the war.

Suspending Habeas

Abraham Lincoln's proclamation that suspended the writ of habeas corpus, September 24th, 1862.

Ex Parte Merryman

Chief Justice Roger Taney's (the same judge who presided over the Dred Scott Case) ruling in Ex parte Merryman, which stated that Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus was illegal.