Great American History (GAH) provides free educational material, lesson plans, class outlines, and quizzes on the subjects of the American Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, and Abraham Lincoln.

GAH is divided in to 4 main subject areas:

Revolutionary War Outline

In our Outline of the American Revolution you will find easy access to other websites that cover various topics on the American Revolutionary War, organized in "Outline" fashion. This outline presents the people, battles, and significant events of the American Revolutionary War in an organized manner for educators and students. It is an excellent research tool.

Civil War Outlines

In the Outline of the American Civil War you will find easy access to other websites that cover various topics on the Civil War, organized in an easy-to-use "Outline" fashion. This has been a popular tool for educators and students of the Civil War for over twelve years.

Civil War and Abraham Lincoln Library

In the "Civil War and Abraham Lincoln Library" you will find free educational material on the subjects of the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln. The library includes:

Lesson Plans

In the Abraham Lincoln Lesson Plans you will find free educational material, including a lesson plan and assignments for the study of our greatest president. Material is offered for grades 6-8 and 9-12.

In addition, we provide two Quizzes on the Civil War: The Beginner’s Quiz, which can be used to test your basic knowledge on the Civil War, and The Research Quiz, which can be used in conjunction with the Outline of the Civil War for a more in-depth test. Answers to both quizzes are provided.

Lincoln Quotes Book

On the Lincoln Quotes page you will find information on a new book written by the web author on the subject of Abraham Lincoln quotations and speeches.

About the Author of Great American History

Gordon Leidner


Gordon Leidner has maintained the Great American History website for over ten years. GAH has been visited millions of times (we lost count) by students, educators, homeschoolers, researchers, and writers seeking free, quality material on the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln.

Gordon has been a lifelong student of the Civil War. His accomplishments include:

  • Member of the Board of Directors for the Abraham Lincoln Institute
  • Author of 4 books on Abraham Lincoln
  • Author of several academic articles on Lincoln’s role as a Transformational Leader
  • Author of many published articles on the Civil War
  • Lecturer at The Smithsonian Institution and Johns Hopkins University
  • Guest Commentator on various radio programs
  • Former president of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia
  • Developer of the website createdcosmos.com

We hope you enjoy our website. If the material has been helpful, please consider Donating to Great American History.