DESCRIPTION Narration, reenactments, and graphics chronologically highlight the major events of the Civil War. Part 1 compares Union and Confederate resources and war strategies, and explores a soldier's life. Ends with the Emancipation Proclamation. Part 2 discusses the roles of slaves in the war and home life in the North and South. Includes Sherman's march to the sea, and Lee's surrender at Appomattox. ACADEMIC STANDARDS Subject Area: U.S. History Standard: Understands the course and character of the Civil War and its effects on the American people Benchmark: Understands military events that influenced the outcome of the Civil War (e.g., the "hammering campaigns" of Generals Grant and Sherman, the wartime leadership of Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln) (See Instructional Goal #4) Benchmark: Understands the influence of Abraham Lincoln's ideas on the Civil War (e.g., the Gettysburg Address, how the Emancipation Proclamation transformed the goals of the Civil War) (See Instructional Goals #1 and #3) Benchmark: Understands how the Civil War influenced Northern and Southern society on the home front (e.g., the New York City draft riots of July 1863, the Union's reasons for curbing civil liberties in wartime. Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus during the war) (See Instructional Goals #2 and #3) Benchmark: Understands how the Civil War influenced both military personnel and civilians (e.g., the treatment of African American soldiers in the Union Army and Confederacy, how the war changed gender roles and traditional attitudes toward women in the work force) (See Instructional Goals #2, #3, and #4) INSTRUCTIONAL GOALS 1. To identify and explain the causes that led to the conflict known as the American Civil War. 2. To compare the North and the South as they relate to the Civil War. 3. To discover how the war affected social issues on the home front. 4. To identify the military strategies and important battles of the Civil War. VOCABULARY 1. secede 2. Confederacy 3. Union 4. ironclad 5. blockade 6. amputation 7. rations 8. resources 9. militia 1
10. arsenal Part Two 1. draft 2. ransacking 3. regiment 4. total war BEFORE SHOWING 1. Locate a map of the United States at the time of the Civil War. a. Distinguish between the Northern and Southern states. b. Distinguish between the east side of the Appalachian Mountains and the west side. c. Locate Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; and New Orleans, Lousiana. 2. Discuss what life was like as a solider in the Civil War. Part Two 1. Review. 2. Locate a map of the United States at the time of the Civil War. a. Locate Richmond, Virginia; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Petersburg, Virginia; and Atlanta, Georgia. DURING SHOWING Discussion Items and Questions 1. View the video more than once, with one showing uninterrupted. 2. Pause before War Strategy for the North. a. Examine the preparedness of each camp for the war. b. Discuss which had the greater advantage and why. 3. Pause before The War in the East. a. Compare both war strategies. b. Discuss which had the better tactical position. 4. Pause after each of the battles. a. Determine which generals were leading. b. Compare casualties on both sides. c. Discuss who was victorious. d. Examine how the battle affected the rest of the war. 5. Pause after A Soldier s Life, and then again after A Field Hospital. Review and discuss what it was like to be a solider during this time period. Part Two 1. View the video more than once, with one showing uninterrupted. 2. Pause before The War in the East. Compare the women of both sides of the war. 3. Pause periodically at the end of specific battles and review. 2
a. What specific gains or losses were made for each side? b. Which generals were leading? c. How many casualties were there? 4. Pause after General Grant s strategy is revealed. Discuss the concept of total war. AFTER SHOWING Discussion Items and Questions 1. Describe the event that began the Civil War. 2. Examine some of the differences between the North and the South. a. Which states fought with the North and which states fought with the South? b. Who were their presidents? c. What were their respective strategies for winning the war? 3. There were four states called Border States. Determine where their allegiance was. 4. The first real battle of the war was at Bull Run in Virginia. a. What was so unusual about this battle? b. How prepared were the two sides? c. What was the outcome of this first clash? 5. The life of a solider wasn t what most of the recruits thought it would be. a. Describe some of the problems that the soldiers encountered. b. Identify the quality of their food, clothing and shelter. c. Explain some of the things they did for entertainment. d. Discuss some of the problems that the officers had with the new recruits. 6. What was the rebel yell? 7. Describe the ethnic composition of the troops on both sides. Discuss what unique problems African American soldiers had. 8. What killed more troops than bullets in the Civil War? 9. Examine medical knowledge at this time. a. Describe a field hospital. b. Explain the problems that doctors of this era had but were not aware of. 10. Compare the war east and west of the Appalachian Mountains. a. How were the strategies different? b. Which front would determine the outcome of the war? 11. Analyze the Union strategy under the command of General Grant. a. How did Grant acquire the nickname Unconditional Surrender Grant? b. What happened at the battle of Shiloh? 12. Identify the new technology in navy ships during the Civil War. Describe the advantages of this technology. 13. The North established naval blockades in Southern waters. a. What were the purposes of these blockades? b. What did the South do to combat these blockades? c. How successful were they? 14. Describe the peninsula campaign. Determine its effect on the war. 15. One of the Union s strategies was to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond. They started this campaign in May of 1862. 3
a. How did the Confederates keep the Union from capturing Richmond at this time? b. Why was this bluff successful? 16. Compare the first battle of Bull Run to the second battle of Bull Run. 17. Describe Confederate General Robert. E. Lee s failed invasion of the North. Part Two 1. What exactly was the Emancipation Proclamation? a. What did this do for the slaves? b. What effect did it have on the South? c. What effect did it have on African Americans? 2. Explain why Britain and France never fully entered the war on the side of the South. 3. Describe how slaves contributed to the South s war effort. 4. Compare the plight of Southern women to that of Northern women. What did each contribute to their respective cause? 5. What caused the shortage of goods in the South? 6. What was Confederate General Robert E. Lee s reasoning for invading the North a second time? 7. Describe the Battle at Gettysburg. a. What was the significance of this battle? b. What was the outcome of this battle? 8. One of the turning points of this war was the surrender at Vicksburg. Discuss why this victory was so important. 9. As the war dragged on, what were the reactions of the Northerners? 10. General Grant s strategies for the Union differed from those that were adopted at the beginning of the conflict. a. How were they different? b. What were the effects of these strategies? c. To what did these strategies lead? 11. How did taking Atlanta and Mobile contribute to the reelection of Lincoln? 12. Describe what took place as General Sherman marched from Atlanta to the coast. 13. What was the toll of the war in lives, cost, and property? 14. What were two immediate results of the war? Applications and Activities 1. Create a two-column sheet, one labeled North and the other South. Compare battles, victories, and casualties on both sides as presented in the video. 2. In the Civil War, most of the soldiers were excited about going to war. Compare this to other wars in which America has fought. 3. Research the vessel Merrimack/Virginia. Find out what was so special about this ship. 4. Watch the first few minutes of the film Dances with Wolves to get an idea of medical practices in the Civil War. 5. Sometimes soldiers who didn t have enough supplies would trade across enemy lines. Examine this in the video Goodnight, Alden (#3133). 4
Part Two 1. After the Emancipation Proclamation, describe what happened as the Union soldiers marched through the South. See the video The Rebel Slave (#2217). 2. The Union went through many different generals during the course of the war. a. Why did that happen? b. Did it have an impact on the war? 3. Gather different opinions about General Grant. a. What are the positive and negative points of his strategy? b. What do his actions say about him as a person? c. How could Grant justify his actions? 4. In the end, did the Civil War strengthen or weaken the United States of America and its Constitution? 5. Imagine that South won the Civil War. a. What would be the same or different in our society now? b. Could there have been another war? c. Would slavery still exist today? 6. At the end of the video is a Civil War song The Battle Hymn of the Republic. a. Research this and other Civil War songs. b. Discover their origins. c. Analyze the lyrics of the songs. d. Compare the songs of the Union with those of the Confederacy. 7. Obtain a copy of Lincoln s Gettysburg Address. a. Translate it into American Sign Language. b. Present it at an assembly on Presidents Day. 8. Research the contributions of people who are deaf or hard of hearing to the war on both sides. 9. Prepare magazine reports or Hyperstudio stacks about significant people or events in the Civil War. RELATED RESOURCES Captioned Media Program Across Five Aprils: A Time to Choose #2447 Across Five Aprils: War and Hope #2448 34 th Star, The #1735 Bend in the River, A #2256 Goodnight, Alden #3133 Rebel Slave, The #2217 Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation #886 Glory #7498 Gone with the Wind #5272 World Wide Web The following Web sites complement the contents of this guide; they were selected by professionals who have experience in teaching deaf and hard of hearing students. Every effort was made to select accurate, educationally relevant, and kid-safe sites. However, teachers should preview them before use. The U.S. Department of Education, the National Association of the Deaf, and the Captioned Media Program do not endorse the sites and are not responsible for their content. 5
STUDY WEB http://www.studyweb.com/his/american/amcivwar.htm An online homework helper. Many good links with age-level, synopsis, and visual content information. CIVIL WAR LINKS http://home.ptd.net/~nikki/cwlinks.htm A links site with many good links. Includes the American Civil War with a well-done timeline; the U.S. Civil War Center with many good links in categories; a copy of the Gettysburg Address; and Maddie s Civil War Battlefield Trips, a dog s tour of different battlefields that is cute and informative. THE CIVIL WAR HOMEPAGE http://civil-war.net/ Another Civil War site. Great outlines of each battle in alphabetical order. Many other good features. 6