Visual Vocabulary for The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln

While studying historical events, it's important for students to have a good understanding of key terms they'll encounter. By creating a word map with these terms, students will be able to understand the political actions and decisions of Abraham Lincoln. This will allow students to further analyze the actions Lincoln took during his presidency as well as constitutional law and executive powers overall. The teacher may pre-select any terms terms they feel necessary to help guide and teach students about Lincoln’s presidency. This activity is great for students to complete at the beginning of the unit as a way of introducing them to the terminology. Completion after the unit is helpful for assessing how well students comprehended the lesson.

Suggested Key Terms for Lincoln's Presidency

• Martial Law
• Republican Party
• Writ of Habeas Corpus
• Executive Powers
• Presidential Cabinet
• Veto Power

Extended Activity

Have students expand on one term, further explaining it, what the term means to Lincoln’s presidency, and its significance for other presidents. Students can correlate the term between Lincoln and future (or past) presidents to better understand its use in politics and American history.

Student Instructions

Create a spider map that defines and explains key terms from Abraham Lincoln's presidency.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Type each term into a title box.
3. In the descriptions, summarize the term and it's importance.
4. Create an illustration for each cell using appropriate scenes, items, and characters.
5. Save and exit when you're done.