ERNEST WITHERS | Howard Greenberg Gallery
07: Civil War
Dear Diary: The Civil War Writings of Carrie Berry | Atlanta History Center
It's not uncommon to come across the assertion that it was not until WOrld War II that civilians became victims of war - this diary entries show something different
History of the Negro Race in America ... - Google Books
Is this the connection with General Orders 329?
Mr. Lincoln's T-Mails
Collection of telegraphs sent and received by Lincoln during the Civil War
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Much of what can be found here is expected, though take note of the "report a heritage violation" link
The Civil War, Part 1: The Places - In Focus - The Atlantic
These pictures have been seen before, though these are fairly detailed versions
What Twenty-First-Century Historians Have Said about the Causes of Disunion: A Civil War Sesquicentennial Review of the Recent Literature | Journal of American History | Oxford Academic
Teacher's can read this article to prepare for that conversation with the parent who remains after the back-to-school-night presentation to talk about why states rights was the cause of the Civil War.
Land and the roots of African-American poverty | Aeon Ideas
Someone looking for evidence of systematic racism in the United States and its economic effects limiting opportunities for African Americans can see some of it here tracing the economic effects of the Homestead Act.
Letter from John Mosby - Encyclopedia Virginia
John Mosby was a confederate cavalry commander renowned for his raids and ability to elude capture. 30 years after the war he made it quite clear that to him, the war was only about slavery
Lincoln's Order of Retaliation - July 30 1863
It's like that most high school US History teachers wouldn't believe that Abraham Lincoln ordered the execution of Confederate prisoners of war on a one-to-one basis a couple of weeks after Gettysburg. It is even less likely that they could, when told it was true, could figure out why - because of the execution and enslavement of black soldiers of the United States
The Avalon Project : First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln
The Gettysburg Powerpoint Presentation
Another way to demonstrate how powerpoint can kill a message. This shows the "death by powerpoint" effect on Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Show this to students and ask them what is wrong with it.
Why We Need a New Civil War Documentary | History | Smithsonian
This article details many of the shortcomings of the Ken Burns series that many teachers might not even notice. Students reading this, or even just selections from it, can recognize how history is a discipline with standards and its practitioners won't hesitate to take each other to task for not living up to them
Yes, John Wilkes Booth did Speak Those Notorious Words At Lincoln's Last Speech | History News Network
This article shows the depth of research necessary to determine the authenticity of a "historical fact" that many people take for granted. If respected historians agree that John Booth said something - do we all know he actually said it? That is the chain of custody that takes a quote from the past and brings it to the present?
History and roster of Maryland volunteers, war of 1861-5 : Maryland. Commission on the Publication of the Histories of the Maryland Volunteers during the Civil War : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Facts - The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)
Basic, reliable statistics, and a good graphic
Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln
The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln represented the first major scholarly effort to collect and publish the complete writings of Abraham Lincoln, and the edition has remained an invaluable resource to Lincoln scholars.
Antietam and Emancipation: Traditional Elementary Civil War Lesson Plan | American Battlefield Trust
Several days needed for this lesson to encompass the timeline and battle itself along with its connection with the Emancipation Proclamation. This is another example of why Antietam is the better instructional choice compared to Gettysburg.
An Uncommon Time: The Civil War and the Northern Home Front
This link will take you to a chapter in Google Books that briefly describes Jay Cook's bond drives and the way in which they made the victory of the US government possible. HIs financial network raised more than a billion dollars for the government - has that ever been taught?
An Army of Officials: The Civil War Bureau of Internal Revenue | Tax Notes
Lengthy article about the debate surrounding the development of internal tax system to fund the Civil War. Useful for a 19th century view of the power to tax and how it can be enforced
Sons of Confederate Veterans video
Great to use for perspective, just have students watch this video without any introduction. See if they can see the manner in which the message is twisted. Choose first the video that blames the north for slavery.
Civil War 150th - BackStory with the American History Guys
When most southerners were not slaveholders, and most northerners were not abolitionists, how had a war infused with the question of slavery even begun? This question lies at the heart of any understanding of the Civil War but is universally ignored in high school history classes. This hour-long podcast episode explores that question and more - from the Backstory and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.
The Civil War - Themed Resources
Examine different points of view from both the Union and the Confederacy through poetry, music, images, letters, maps and other primary documents. Hear former slaves tell their stories, and read first-hand accounts by Civil War women. From Library of Congress
Civil War and Reconstruction Documents:
Primary Documents of American History (Virtual Programs & Services, Library of Congress)
Stone Mountain: Carving Fact from Fiction | Atlanta History Center
1862: Antietam and Emancipation
Lesson plan that will allow students to state the meaning and impact of the Emancipation Proclamation.
1863: The Shifting Tides
Lesson plan focusing on the effects of the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, paying particular attention to the Gettysburg Address.
Battle Cry of Freedom (excerpts)
The single best one-volume history of the Civil War is James McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom. This pages include snippets and quotes from the entire book. Put the book on your "to-read" list over the summer and use this page to prepare yourself for teaching right now. If you have read the book before, skim through this as you prepare to teach that sectionalism unit.
Lincoln, Stowe, and the "Little Woman/Great War" Story: The Making, and Breaking, of a Great American Anecdote
If debunking the apocryphal from history is more fun that a curmudgeon's cry to "get off my lawn", then add this article to your reading list which shows how the famous Lincoln quote wasn't said in the first place. Maybe Stowe's family was better than Betsy Ross's in building a legacy where there was none.
Eastman Johnson, A Ride for Liberty—The Fugitive Slaves, c. 1862
Eastman Johnson's painting of fugitive slaves helps address ways to teach a pivotal question in U.S. history: Did Lincoln free the slaves—or did the slaves free themselves?