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Civil War Challenge
Video Clip (1:00)
HISTORY® and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) congratulate the scholarship winners of the National Civil War Student Challenge — a nationwide contest in which high school students from across the country put their Civil War knowledge to the test. In addition to the $15,000 scholarship grand prize, HISTORY and HMH awarded a $7,500 first prize scholarship, a $5,000 second prize scholarship and seven $1,000 third prize scholarships.
Over 22,000 students participated in the Civil War outreach initiative through preparation on an innovative Facebook-based game, studying with Civil War curriculum materials and taking the online Challenge in April. The 30 top-scoring finalists were then invited to take an in-school final exam to determine the scholarship winners.
Of the students from all 50 states who took the Challenge, the top winners include:
Grand Prize Winner:
Jordan L.of Joshua, TexasFirst Prize Winner:
Alexander F. of Dunellen, New JerseySecond Prize Winner:
Tyler L. of Ambler, Pennsylvania
* Third Prize Winners:
- Misha B. of Evanston, IL
- Brendan F. of Phoenix, AZ
- Adam E. of Warriors Mark, PA
- Alexander D. of Raleigh, NC
- Bryan R. of Kill Devil Hills, NC
- Jory M. of Niskayuna, NY
- Charles J. of Ft Worth, TX
HISTORY and HMH sponsored the Challenge as part of their observance of the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. Over the next four years, HISTORY will air a comprehensive lineup of Civil War-themed programming, exploring all aspects of this pivotal chapter in American history.
To receive notification of the next National Civil War Student Challenge, please sign up here.
National Civil War Student Challenge
Interactives (4)
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Civil War 150
Civil War 150Interactive
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Civil War Today on iPad
Civil War Today on iPadInteractive
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National Civil War Student Challenge
National Civil War Student ChallengeInteractive
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Sherman's March
Sherman's MarchInteractive
Videos (38)
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America Divided
America DividedVideo Clip (3:54)
Video Clip (3:54)
America is at the brink of a Civil War as cotton spreads west and threatens to expand slavery into new territories.
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Civil War's Greatest Myth
Civil War's Greatest MythVideo Clip (2:41)
Video Clip (2:41)
What you think you know about the Civil War may not be the whole truth.
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Civil War Tech
Civil War TechVideo Clip (2:17)
Video Clip (2:17)
The Civil War saw the rise of major technological advances in warfare.
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Grant or Lee?
Grant or Lee?Video Clip (2:19)
Video Clip (2:19)
Which of the admired Civil War generals would you want to lead your country?
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Civil War in One Word
Civil War in One WordVideo Clip (1:13)
Video Clip (1:13)
If you had just one word to describe the Civil War, what would it be?
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America and the Civil War
America and the Civil WarVideo Clip (4:04)
Video Clip (4:04)
Discover how the bloodiest war in American history transformed the face of the nation.
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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham LincolnVideo Clip (3:48)
Video Clip (3:48)
Today he is known as one of the greatest American presidents, but at the time of his election no one would have predicted Lincoln's success.
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Confederate vs. Union Soldiers
Confederate vs. Union SoldiersVideo Clip (2:39)
Video Clip (2:39)
Find out what divided the men of the Civil War, and how in many ways they were more alike than different.
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Civil War Turning Point
Civil War Turning PointVideo Clip (3:08)
Video Clip (3:08)
Find out what event turned the tide of the Civil War.
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Legacy of the Civil War
Legacy of the Civil WarVideo Clip (1:22)
Video Clip (1:22)
One hundred and fifty years after it began, the Civil War is still an important component of our national character.
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Lincoln's Most Pivotal Speech
Lincoln's Most Pivotal SpeechVideo Clip (3:02)
Video Clip (3:02)
Which of President Lincoln's many eloquent speeches was the most important?
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Coroner's Report: Stonewall Jackson
Coroner's Report: Stonewall JacksonVideo Clip (2:35)
Video Clip (2:35)
The Confederate general Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men during a major Civil War battle, but it wasn't his wounds that killed him eight days later. How exactly did the commander die?
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Chamberlain at Gettysburg
Chamberlain at GettysburgVideo Clip (1:26)
Video Clip (1:26)
Find out how the actions of a former Maine professor helped the Union win at Gettysburg, the deadliest battle of the Civil War.
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Gettysburg Battle Strategy
Gettysburg Battle StrategyVideo Clip (2:53)
Video Clip (2:53)
In the small Pennsylvania town of Gettysburg, 3,000 Union soldiers prepare to face the onslaught of 60,000 advancing Confederate soldiers.
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Lincoln's War Machine
Lincoln's War MachineVideo Clip (3:01)
Video Clip (3:01)
Twenty-four thousand miles of railroad replenishes troops and supplies for the North and delivers disaster to the South.
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Last Charge at Gettysburg
Last Charge at GettysburgVideo Clip (3:06)
Video Clip (3:06)
General Robert E. Lee disregards a basic principle of military strategy and orders his forces to attack Union troops perched on the high ground at Cemetary Ridge. Known as Pickett's Charge, the maneuver was a disastrous end to the three-day battle.
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Impact of the Civil War
Impact of the Civil WarVideo Clip (3:27)
Video Clip (3:27)
The Civil War was a long and gruesome conflict that claimed more than 620,000 lives and had lasting effects on military and civilian survivors.
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Civil War Counter-Terrorism
Civil War Counter-TerrorismVideo Clip (3:26)
Video Clip (3:26)
Federal Agent Felix Stidger infiltrated a Confederate terrorist organization called The Sons of Liberty and revealed terror plots against strategic Union targets.
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Civil War Biological Warfare
Civil War Biological WarfareVideo Clip (3:56)
Video Clip (3:56)
Confederate agents experiment with an early version of bio-warfare, attempting to spread yellow fever throughout Northern cities.
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Confederate Bomb Plot
Confederate Bomb PlotVideo Clip (3:39)
Video Clip (3:39)
Confederate agents plot to bomb the White House with Lincoln and his cabinet inside to destabilize the Union's leadership during the Civil War.
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The Plot to Kill Jefferson Davis
The Plot to Kill Jefferson DavisVideo Clip (3:38)
Video Clip (3:38)
Union leaders hatch a conspiracy to assassinate Confederate President Jefferson Davis in an attempt to bring and end to the Civil War.
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Chamberlain Defends Little Round Top
Chamberlain Defends Little Round TopVideo Clip (2:48)
Video Clip (2:48)
Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Regiment make a daring downhill charge to defend Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg.
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Robert E. Lee's Great Regret
Robert E. Lee's Great RegretVideo Clip (1:35)
Video Clip (1:35)
Biographer Liz Pryor reveals Robert E. Lee's greatest regret about his military career.
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Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman and the Underground RailroadVideo Clip (3:07)
Video Clip (3:07)
Born a slave, Harriett Tubman became a famous "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, leading hundreds of slaves to freedom.
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Frederick Douglass
Frederick DouglassVideo Clip (2:25)
Video Clip (2:25)
Find out how Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery to become one of the most respected and effective abolitionist leaders.
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John Brown
John BrownVideo Clip (4:34)
Video Clip (4:34)
John Brown's failed attempt to loot the armory at Harper's Ferry sparks the beginning of abolition.
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Massachusetts 54th Regiment
Massachusetts 54th RegimentVideo Clip (2:48)
Video Clip (2:48)
The 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment was one of the first official black units in the U.S. armed forces. Their courageous assault on Fort Wagner played a key role in bringing about an end to slavery.
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The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation ProclamationVideo Clip (2:14)
Video Clip (2:14)
Issued after the Union victory at Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation had both moral and strategic implications for the ongoing Civil War.
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The Original Gettysburg Address
The Original Gettysburg AddressVideo Clip (2:58)
Video Clip (2:58)
Original or facsimile? The original Gettysburg Address bears creases in it it from when Abraham Lincoln placed it in his pocket.
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The Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg AddressVideo Clip (1:36)
Video Clip (1:36)
Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is regarded as one of the most powerful and poignant speeches in American history.
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What was in Lincoln's Pockets?
What was in Lincoln's Pockets?Video Clip (2:16)
Video Clip (2:16)
Ordinary items such as spectacles, a handkerchief and confederate cash were discovered inside the pockets of President Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated.
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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural
Abraham Lincoln's Second InauguralVideo Clip (2:11)
Video Clip (2:11)
Lincoln's second inaugural address somberly intoned the sacrifices made to end slavery and preserve the Union while calling for mutual forgiveness between North and South as the work of rebuilding began.
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Abraham Lincoln's House Divided Speech
Abraham Lincoln's House Divided SpeechVideo Clip (2:31)
Video Clip (2:31)
Abraham Lincoln's 1858 "House Divided" speech catapults him into the national consciousness with its bold moral assessment of the future of American slavery.
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Ulysses S. Grant's Near Miss
Ulysses S. Grant's Near MissVideo Clip (1:28)
Video Clip (1:28)
A descendant of Ulysses S. Grant reveals an historical near miss that could have changed history.
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The Path to Civil War
The Path to Civil WarVideo Clip (2:25)
Video Clip (2:25)
The election of Abraham Lincoln was a tipping point on the path to Civil War. In the wake of Southern secession, would the new president defend the U.S. forts in rebel territory?
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First Battle of Bull Run
First Battle of Bull RunVideo Clip (2:08)
Video Clip (2:08)
The first major land battle of the Civil War, near Manassas, Virginia is a decisive Confederate victory, ending hopes of a quick end to the conflict.
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Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of FredericksburgVideo Clip (2:26)
Video Clip (2:26)
General Burnside takes Fredericksburg but experiences a disastrous defeat when attacking Confederate forces entrenched in the high ground above the town.
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Battle of Shiloh
Battle of ShilohVideo Clip (2:45)
Video Clip (2:45)
At Shiloh, Tennessee in April of 1862, a Confederate surprise attack backfires when the Union holds firm at the "Hornet's Nest."
Photo Galleries (8)
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Faces of the Civil War
Faces of the Civil War(28 Photos)
28 Photos
The Library of Congress recently acquired a rare collection of nearly 700 Civil War-era ambrotype and tintype photographs, donated by the Liljenquist family.
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Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln(19 Photos)
19 Photos
See pictures from the life and presidency of Abraham Lincoln.
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Civil War: Mathew Brady
Civil War: Mathew Brady(18 Photos)
18 Photos
Photographer Mathew Brady and his associates would create more than 10,000 images of the American Civil War, bringing the harsh realities of war to the American public..
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Civil War: Union Military Leaders
Civil War: Union Military Leaders(13 Photos)
13 Photos
View images of Union leaders from the Civil War, like Abraham Linoln and Ulysses S. Grant, and learn more about the roles they played in this bloody engagment.
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Civil War: Confederate Leaders
Civil War: Confederate Leaders(13 Photos)
13 Photos
View images of Confederate leaders from the Civil War, like Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and learn more about the roles they played protecting the southern states.
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Civil War: Battles of Bull Run
Civil War: Battles of Bull Run(10 Photos)
10 Photos
Learn about the two battles of Bull Run through paintings and photographs of the participants, the battlefield and the surrounding areas.
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Civil War: Antietam
Civil War: Antietam(12 Photos)
12 Photos
Explore the Battle of Antietam--one of the bloodiest of the Civil War-- through photographs of soldiers, the battlefield and monuments.
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Civil War: Artifacts
Civil War: Artifacts(9 Photos)
9 Photos
Explore Civil War artifacts, from medical kits and personal hygiene items, to carbines and currency.
Speeches & Audio (1)
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General Howell Recounts Civil War Experience
General Howell Recounts Civil War ExperienceAudio Clip (6:29)
Audio Clip (6:29)
In a recorded interview in 1947, 101-year-old General Julius Howell recalls fighting as a Confederate soldier during the Civil War and the moment he heard about Lincoln’s assassination.
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The American Civil War, fueled by the debate over slavery and states' rights, pitted North against South in the costliest conflict fought on U.S. soil.
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