Crisis of the Union: The Civil War through Many Perspectives

Spring 2005

Session 1

Topic: The Civil War and communities in the Upper CT River Valley

Question: How do I find information from my town about the Civil War

Background Essays and Timelines

Primary Source Documents:

Links:

Vermont in the Civil War
VermontCivilWar.org is a grassroots effort attempting to document the story of Vermonters who served in the War of Rebellion, not only with official rosters and published books, but also previously unpublished diaries, letters, and journals.

Vermont in the Civil War: Two Soldiers' Stories
Elijah Brown and Edwin Horton are just a few of the many Vermonters who fought in the Civil War. Each wrote many letters home to his family describing the conditions in which he lived and his experiences.

Session 2

Topic: The American Republic - Georgia: A Case Study in Conflicting Values

Question: How does the African American experience in Georgia add to the complexities of the establishment of the American Republic?

Readings:

Freedom: Georgia's Antislavery Heritage by Michael Thurmond

Numbering the Bones by Lois Lowery

Between Two Rivers by Richard Peck

Links:

Andersonville National Historic Site

The African-American Mosaic A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & Culture

Session 3

Topic: The Battle of Gettysburg

Question: How do people make sense of war with Personal Narrative, Documentary Photography, Fiction and Politics?

Readings:

Introduction to Gettysburg by Haskell and Oates and selected excerpts or whole text

Introduction to Gettysburg: A Journey in Time and selected excerpts or whole text

"The Battleground" by Elsie Singmaster

"Lincoln's Gettysburg Address"

Links:

Gettysburg National Military Park

The Gettysburg Address

Using Civil War Photographs as Historical Evidence

Session 4

Topic: Reconstruction through Literature

Question: How does an author's present day experiences with Civil Rights translate into literature about that same theme in a different time period?

Readings:

Eric Foner OAH Pamphlet on Reconstruction

The Land by Mildred Taylor

Meet Mildred Taylor, biography