1861

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/1861

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the gregorian calendar start?1861 commenced on a Tuesday in the Gregorian calendar system
2. What is the julian calendar start?The Julian calendar, still in localized use, began on a Sunday
3. What happened in the United States in 1861?The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861, when the Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter. Eleven Southern states had already left the Union.
4. Why did the Southern states leave the United States in 1861?They were worried about slavery and felt threatened by President Lincoln’s election, so they seceded to form the Confederate States of America.

Gregorian Calendar: The internationally accepted civil calendar, characterized by its 365-day cycle and leap year adjustments.
Julian Calendar: An older solar calendar introduced by Julius Caesar, which was gradually superseded by the Gregorian calendar.
Serfdom: A system of unfree labor in feudal societies where individuals are bound to the land and subservient to a landowner.
Secession: The formal withdrawal of a state from the federal union of a nation.