The Civil War

1861-1865


These are great resources for you to learn more:

Ms. G.'s
American Civil War Packet

4 2 Explore - Civil War

Library of Congress

Teacher Oz
American Civil War

Duke University Libraries

American Civil War

The History Place

Kids Zone

Civil War for Kids

http://storymaps.esri.com/stories/civilwar/

http://www.civilwar.org/resources/battles-of-the-civil-war-infographic.html

THESE ARE 3-D PICTURES FROM ATLANTA IN THE CIVIL WAR:http://www.myajc.com/news/online/war-our-backyard-3d-experience/ngsTq/

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin This classic book, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe made the horrors of slavery come alive to its readers. The book was originally published in 1853. When Abraham Lincoln met Ms. Stowe he said, "So you're the little lady who started this big war." Uncle Tom's Cabin was one of the many causes of the Civil War, because it outraged people about the horrors of slavery. You can click here to access an abbrieviated version of the story. The story contains a lot of dialect and racial references, which we will talk about in class. You can also click here to access an .MP3 file, which will read the story to you (this version cuts out much of the dialect).

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John Brown's Raid

John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry John Brown took a different route to ending slavery then Harriet Beecher Stowe. He wanted action. His plan was to raid a military armory at Harper's Ferry in Virginia, and then take the weapons and give them to slaves, so they could fight for their freedom. He and his whole raiding party were captured. He was convicted of treason and hanged on December 2, 1859. At first people thought he was crazy, but it got people talking about the horrors of slavery. For more details about John Brown's Raid click here. There was an old folk song which Civil war soldiers sang about John Brown, which eventually became part of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." To learn more about the song and hear it sung, click here.

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Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter--The Beginning of the Civil War Fort Sumter, in South Carolina, was where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Click here see an animated video/map of the Battle of Fort Sumter.

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Jefferson Davis

Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America in 1861 and remained the president throughout the Civil War. Click here, for additional info about Davis.

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Ulysses S. Grant

Grant became the leader of the Union Army part way through the Civil War and was important to the Union victory. Following the Civil War he became the 18th president of the United States. For more info about Grant, click here.

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Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point in the Civil War. The confederates had won a series of battles and were fighting in Pennsylvania, northern territory, for the only time in the war. If they had won the Battle of Gettysburg and continued advancing, the war may have ended very differently. See an animated version of the Battle of Gettysburg here.

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Robert E. Lee

Abraham Lincoln asked Robert E. Lee to lead the Union Army. Even though Lee did not particularly like slavery, he felt that he had to be loyal to his home state of Virginia, which was was seceding. Lee became the head of the Confederate Army and a key advisor to Jefferson Davis. Lee surrendered to U.S. Grant on April 9, 1865, ending the Civil War. I have linked a site with basic information about Lee and a more advanced website.

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The Atlanta Campaign

The Atlanta Campaign General Sherman conducted a military campaign straight down into the heart of the south. His goal was to destroy southern morale and end the war. The website linked here will provide all the details you could want in an animated version of the Battle of Atlanta. Sherman's March to the Sea After destroying Atlanta, General Sherman continued to march his army from Atlanta, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. His purpose was to destroy everything in his path, including homes and farms. He hoped that if they did enough destruction, then the south would no longer want to continue the war. His march concluded in December of 1864. By April of 1865, the South surrendered. To view an animation and learn more about Sherman's March click here.

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Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

Stonewall Jackson was one of the key confederate Generals who was remembered for his bravery, as his nickname indicates. Jackson died of a wound he received at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1864. When he died General Lee said, "I know not how to replace him." For additional info about Stonewall, click here.

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The End of the War - Appomattox Court House

After Sherman's long march to the sea, crippled the south's ability to continue fighting, Robert E. Lee finally surrendered at Appomattox Court House, following a series of battles. To see animation of the final battles of the war leading up to Appomattox click here.

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Abraham Lincoln

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Terrific Additional Resources:
Mr.Nussbaum.com is a terrific site for kids to learn more about the Civil War. Also visit, The Civil War for 5th Graders.
You can also see a short movie giving an overview of the Civil War on BrainPop.

The End of the War

The End of the War--Appomattox After Sherman's long march to the sea, crippled the south's ability to continue fighting, Robert E. Lee finally surrendered at Appomattox Court House, following a series of battles. To see animation of the final battles of the war leading up to Appomattox click here.

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Civil War Resources

Terrific Additional Resources:
Mr.Nussbaum.com is a terrific site for kids to learn more about the Civil War. Also visit, The Civil War for 5th Graders.
You can also see a short movie giving an overview of the Civil War on BrainPop.


 

More Important People of the Past.....

People you need to know during Civil War

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman is perhaps the most well-known of all the Underground Railroad's "conductors." During a ten-year span she made 19 trips into the South and escorted over 300 slaves to freedom. And, as she once proudly pointed out to Frederick Douglass, in all of her journeys she "never lost a single passenger."

Nat Turner

Turner was born into slavery in 1800, on a Southampton County plantation He became a preacher who claimed he’d been chosen by God to lead slaves from bondage. In August  1831, he led a violent, disorganized insurrection. He hid for six weeks but was eventually caught and later hanged. The incident ended the emancipation movement in that region and led to even harsher laws against slaves.

William Lloyd Garrison

News paper editor and writer.  For more than three decades, from the first issue of his weekly paper in 1831, until after the end of the Civil War in 1865 when the last issue was published, Garrison spoke out eloquently and passionately against slavery and for the rights of America's black inhabitants.

Frederick Douglas

Abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising presidents and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes, including women’s rights and Irish home rule. Among Douglass’ writings are several autobiographies eloquently describing his experiences in slavery and his life after the Civil War.

Sojourner Truth

Sojourner Truth was born into slavery as Isabella Baumfree, in Ulster County, New York, around 1787. After escaping to freedom, she quickly rose to prominence as an advocate of abolition and women’s rights. Her most famous speech, known under the title “Ain’t I a Woman?” was delivered extemporaneously at the 1851 Ohio Women’s Rights Convention. Truth died in Battle Creek, Michigan, in 1883.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist and an author. In 1852, she released the now-famous novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The work depicted the life of African American slaves. She based her writing on her own readings and personal observations. The tale energizing anti-slavery forces in the American North and incensed the South. She also wrote travel essays, memoirs, articles and essays.

Dred Scott

Dred Scott was a slave who was taken by his master from Missouri to the free territory of Wisconsin. He lived on free soil for a long period of time. When the Army ordered his master to go back to Missouri, he took Scott with him back to that slave state, where his master died. In 1846, Scott was helped by Abolitionist (anti-slavery) lawyers to sue for his freedom in court, claiming he should be free since he had lived on free soil for a long time. The case went all the way to the United States Supreme Court. Scott lost the decision as seven out of nine Justices on the Supreme Court declared no slave or descendant of a slave could be a U.S. citizen, or ever had been a U.S. citizen. As a non-citizen, the court stated, Scott had no rights and could not sue in a Federal Court and must remain a slave.

John Brown

John Brown was a man of action -- a man who would not be deterred from his mission of abolishing slavery. On October 16, 1859, he led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan to arm slaves with the weapons he and his men seized from the arsenal was thwarted, however, by local farmers, militiamen, and Marines led by Robert E. Lee. Within 36 hours of the attack, most of Brown's men had been killed or captured. John Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859.

Clara Barton

Clara Barton was born December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts. She became a teacher, worked in the U.S. Patent Office, and was an independent nurse during the Civil War. While visiting Europe, she worked with a relief organization known as the International Red Cross, and lobbied for an American branch when she returned home. It was founded in 1881, and Barton served as its first president.
online.maryville.edu/online-doctorate-degrees/doctor-nursing-practice/clara-barton/
Thanks Amanda for this resource!