Battle of Fort Sumter

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/battle-of-fort-sumter

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 date of bombardment?April 12-13, 1861
2. What is the location?Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
3. Why did South Carolina want to take over Fort Sumter?They saw the fort as a federal army on their land and wanted it to belong to the new Confederate state.
4. How did President Lincoln try to help the soldiers at Fort Sumter?President Lincoln sent unarmed supply ships to bring food and water, but the Confederates thought it was a threat and ordered the fort to surrender.

Secession: The formal withdrawal of a state from the federal union.
Confederate States of America: The political entity formed by eleven Southern states that seceded from the U.S. in 1860-1861.
Union: The United States of America, referring specifically to the federal government and the states that remained loyal.
Ultimatum: A final demand or statement of terms, the rejection of which will result in retaliation or a breakdown in relations.