The U.S. Civil War: A Personal Journey
An Internet-based inquiry activity researching personal aspects of the Civil War.
Jim Schoepski
Social Studies Teacher
Belvidere High School
Belvidere IL


Scenario

  
 
  Imagine you are living in the mid-1800's. You are in the prime of your life - ready to embark upon your adulthood. However, your country is falling apart around you. What your forefathers fought so hard to unite, today is breaking in half. There are so many reasons this is happening, it is hard to list just one. Your life has now taken a turn towards serving your country - whether you support succession or unification. What will you do? What will happen to you, your family, your home? How will you support your country-will you join the army or stay at home? How will your life change? What will happen if you win or lose your battle? This is the story of your life during the great American Civil War.

Task

  
 
 
Before you begin to write in your journal, you must choose an identity from the following scenarios:

Union Soldier -
*Approximately 18 years old.
*You have enlisted with your father and left your mother and two sisters at home.
*You were hoping to go to school in the fall.

Confederate Soldier -
*Approximately 18 years old
*You enlisted with your brothers.
*You were engaged to be married.

Southern Belle -
*Approximately 16 years old
*Your fianc� and brothers have just gone off to war.
*You are left at home to manage the plantation.

Northern Woman -
*Approximately 19 years old
*Married to a man from the South, his immediate family stills lives there.
*You live in Baltimore, Maryland.

Female Abolitionist
*You are 35 years old
*You live in Pennsylvania on a 100 acre farm.
*You are in the process of helping 10 slaves escape to the north (Two separate families)

Answer these questions before beginning your journal:

1. Define "social history".

2. What social changes had occured in each of the following areas during this period?

*medicine

*fashion

*women's roles

*African-Americans

*technology

3. What hardships existed for soldiers involved in the war?

4. What hardships existed for those who remained at home?

5. How did the role of women change due to the war?

Resources

  
 
 

Main Sites
  Medicine during the Civil War
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/links8.htm#med
  Uniforms and dress (plus Navies and Flags of Civil War)
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/cwinfo3.htm#Uniforms
  Women in the Civil War
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/women/civilwar.html
  African Americans, Slavery, and Abolition
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/slave.htm
  Museums, plantations and tours
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/links3.htm#Images
  Maps, images and art
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/links3.htm#Images
  Battlefields, Cemeteries, and forts
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/hist.htm#Battlefields
  Diaries, Letters, Stories and Recollections
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/links6.htm#Letters

Other Info
  The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War
http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/lessons/blacks_in_civil_war/blacks_in_civil_war.html
The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War. Teaching activities, historical documents, and photographs explore the issues of emancipation and military service.
  Civil War Archive at the Library of Congress
http://rs6.loc.gov/cwphome.html
The Selected Civil War Photographs Collection contains 1,118 photographs.
  Letters of the Civil War
http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/7914/
 

Product

  
  While you are enduring this tumultuous time, you will keep a personal journal. Your journal will record what is happening to you and those around you. You will provide details, so that your children and your children's children will know exactly what you were experiencing during the war. You will begin to write in your journal prior to the Civil War and continue to write in your journal during and after the war. By reading your journal, your ancestors will be able to understand the enormous hardship you encountered - whether you were in the army or remained at home. You will have a minimum of 9 journal entries - three for each time period (before, during and after the war) and a minimum of 3 photos. Your journal entries will be organized in a booklet form for potential publication.

TO MAKE THE BOOKLET UNIFORM--ALL STUDENTS MUST USE MICROSOFT WORD TO COMPOSE THEIR JOURNAL. MARGINS SHOULD BE SET AT 1" ON ALL SIDES. THE SELECTED FONT SHOULD BE TIMES-NEW ROMAN WITH A SIZE OF 12. THE JOURNAL SHOULD BE SINGLE-SPACED.




NOTE: Keep in mind that this is a project and not just an essay. When organizing your journal entries into a final booklet, utilize the following check list to make sure you have included everything:
*Did I include all the required journal entries - minimum of 3 entries per time period?
*Is my journal put together in creative manner - such as in a booklet form?
*Can my reader get a feeling for what I experienced through my use of descriptive language?
*Does my reader know which scenario I am portraying?
*Have I worked with my team mates to gather information?
*Did I include at least 3 photos in my journal?

Rubric

  
 
Competency: Advanced: Intermediate: Beginner: No Attempt: Weight:
Sources Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. All documented in desired format. Source information collected for all graphics, facts and quotes. Most documented in desired format. Source information collected for graphics, facts and quotes, but not documented in desired format. Very little or no source information was collected. 20%
Content Covers topic in-depth with details and examples. Subject knowledge is excellent. Includes essential knowledge about the topic. Subject knowledge appears to be good. Includes essential information about the topic but there are 1-2 factual errors Content is minimal OR there are several factual errors 20%
Organization Content is well organized using headings or bulleted lists to group related material. Uses headings or bulleted lists to organize, but the overall organization of topics appears flawed. Content is logically organized for the most part There was no clear or logical organizational structure, just lots of facts. 20%
Originality Product shows a large amount of original thought. Ideas are creative and inventive. Product shows some original thought. Work shows new ideas and insights. Product shows no original thought, but does properly credit the work of others. Product fails to show any original thought and does not give proper credit to the work of others. 30%
Mechanics No misspellings or grammatical errors. Three or fewer misspellings and/or mechanical errors. Four misspellings and/or grammatical errors. More than 4 errors in spelling or grammar 10%


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