Teaching the Civil War with Technology

Eric Langhorst is an 8th Grade History teacher from Illinois and is the host of the Speaking of History podcast.  Well, a while back he made a trip to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and recorded a podcast of his thoughts on the museum.

You can view pictures from his trip and listen to his podcast on the visit on his Speaking of History Blog.

He also recorded a podcast about some of the historic locations in Springfield, Illinois related to Abraham Lincoln that you can listen to HERE.

Be sure to check out all of the links Eric has included in his show notes. I’ll try to cover some of them in upcoming blog posts.

Until next time…

Posted under Famous People, Websites

As promised in an earlier post about the PA Civil War 150 Website, there are more new resources and content for teachers and students (and anyone interested in the Civil War) to engage with the Civil War through technology. PACivilWar150.com recently unveiled its newest multimedia exhibit “Interactive Soldier.” (see image) The Interactive Soldier explores Civil War-era infantry, artillery and uniforms as demonstrated by re-enactors from the 11^th PA Volunteer Infantry Company K and Purcell’s Battery and 1^st PA Battery A re-enactment groups.

In the uniforms section, you can rotate the soldiers in a 360-degree view of their clothes, gear and military decorations. The stars callout important details about the uniforms with a zoomed-in view and description, such as the forage cap worn by Captain Felice, which could be used to store food and personal items during travel. (see image)

Your students can select commands for an infantry unit to execute on the battlefield in the Infantry section, where there are more than a dozen battlefield commands—from “stacking arms,” for intertwining the bayonets of the rifles to stand up on the ground, to “kneel by files,” where soldiers kneel in order to fire their rifles at different levels. Students can also watch a demonstration of the process of loading and firing an authentic Civil War cannon in the Artillery section.

And keep an eye out for more new content that’s coming soon to the website, including Civil War tourism experiences, intimate stories of real Pennsylvanians who persevered through the war, and lesson plans for teachers. Expect the new content to be pretty interesting. Here are a few teasers to get you excited:

• Medicine Then & Now: An in-depth look at how medical practices have evolved since the Civil War reveals how doctors were forced to learn new surgical techniques on the job when faced with thousands of casualties during battles.
• “French Mary”: Despite being robbed by her husband at an encampment and removed from the army payroll because of her gender, the bold and fiery Marie Tepe Leonard was not deterred from serving for the Union Army cause—sporting a skirt, of course.
• Martin Robison Delany: A vigorous proponent of African American participation in the U.S. military, Martin Delany became the highest ranking African American officer of a field regiment during war in U.S. military history serving as a Major in the 104^th regiment of the U.S. Colored Troops.

So bookmark PACivilWar150.com and check back often.

Posted under Websites

In this season of elections, I thought it would be interesting to share a website on Civil War era elections.

Harper’s Weekly has created a website for researching historical elections from 1860 to 1912. According to the website, the Presidential Elections page features political cartoons from several different digital resource centers such as Harper’s Weekly, the Library of Congress and Vanity Fair. The website also “provides explanations of the historical context and images of each cartoon, campaign overviews, biographical sketches, a review of the era’s major issues, and other valuable information.”

Let’s take a moment to explore the 1860 election between Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge and Bell. First, each election contains four sections: Overview, Cartoons, Biographies and Events. From here you can learn about the events leading up to to the 1860 election, how the Democratic party split, the Union Constitution Convention, the Republican Convention and the Campaign.

One of the greatest part of this site for teachers are the political cartoons. Let’s look at one and see how you can use it in your classroom.

The above image shows Abe Lincoln as a rail-splitter and is intended to appeal to the average voter. Before giving your students the full description of the cartoon, ask them to tell you what they see, what do they think is going on in the cartoon, what does the little child represent and why are the words “Democratic Party” listed on the rail?

You can then follow up by reading them the complete description: “In order to appeal to average voters, Republicans emphasized the poor, hardworking origin of their candidate through the myth of Abraham Lincoln as a rail-splitter. This cartoon in the Wide-Awake Pictorial plays on that image by joking that the last rail he split is th Democratic Party in 1860, which divided into the Northern and Southern Factions.”

Then, have your students think about presidential campaign ads or commercials they have seen recently. Do any of those ads try to appeal to the average voter by making the candidate look like every hardworking American? I think so and can name a few but let me know what your students come up with as you review these cartoons.

Until next time….

Posted under Lesson Ideas, Primary Sources, Websites

Editors note:  This is the first in a series of posts by the Civil War Preservation Trust on all of the wonderful educational resources they have to offer.  Enjoy!

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As senior manager of education programs at The Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) I am extremely pleased to work with Teaching the Civil War with Technology and grateful for the wonderful platform Dr. Beeghley offers with this blog. Today I am excited to discuss the latest offering on our website; a new animated map depicting the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee.

Just to tell you a little bit about us, CWPT is America’s largest non-profit organization (501-C3) devoted to the preservation of our nation’s endangered Civil War battlefields. CWPT is also committed to providing educational programs and resources to inform the public of the war’s history and the fundamental conflicts that sparked it.

The animated maps are one of the feature educational offering of CWPT.  The Franklin animated map, launched this week, is a part of a series of animated maps including: the Battle of Fredericksburg, Saving Bentonville, the First Day at Chancellorsville, the Battle of Chantilly, and the Battle of Cedar Creek.  Through these animated maps the battles of the Civil War come to life.

CWPT Franklin Animated Map

Over the past year CWPT has worked on these maps, gradually developing a template for the “animated map.” Taking the traditional static battle map, we have compressed the battle into a short/bite-size presentation, inserted a historical narrative, and set the once still armies into animated action.  The outcome is a user friendly, high-speed learning experience for students of all ages.

In my opinion one of the greatest parts of the animated map is that it is not a static map sitting on a self or table by itself.  The animated map is surrounded by information and resources.  It is a full narration of the battle from beginning to end.  The animated map provides the user with context for the battle, opening with an introduction which explains where and when the battle took place, who was involved, why the battle happened at that time and in that location.

During the battle troops can be seen moving in and around the battle, those that are not involved in the major action at a certain moment can still be seen.  The user can also see the roads, topography of the land, rivers, and railroads.  Historians have provided a narrative of the battle. As the battle progresses the narration follows along providing the user with information that could not be discussed on a static map.  Following the battle there is discussion about what effects the battle had on the soldiers and community. The preservation efforts or lack there of are also discussed.

Another great feature of the animated map is the use of primary sources; newspaper articles, pictures, illustrations, and letters appear thought-out the animated map presentation.  This provides the user with a visual context for the time and landscape in which the battle was fought.  It also exposes the younger audience to the use and variety of primary sources.

CWPT Franklin Animated Map

As someone who began to learn about the Civil War fairly recently I really appreciate the animated map approach to military history.  I never understood how a static battle map was useful, these always seemed to make me more confused.  I needed to see the movement; I needed to know where the armies were coming from, and where they were going.

The animated map is useful at so many levels of Civil War scholarship.  We are very fortunate to have the technology to do this and the ability to provide it free to all who want to learn about the war.

I hope to post again soon, Nicole Osier.

education@civilwar.org

Posted under Websites

The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (also on Twitter @phmc) launched a new website dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and the role Pennsylvania played in that war.  In addition to the new website, the commission also announced that there will be a Pennsylvania Civil War Road Show.  According to a press release, the Road Show will be “a traveling museum experience based in a 53-foot tractor trailer that will bring interactive exhibits and unique programming to all 67 counties in the state from 2011 to 2015.”

According to Barbara Franco, the Executive Director for the PHMC, “The Pennsylvania Civil War 150 commemoration is far more than a formal remembrance. It is a collection of stories brought to life that are as epic as the fields at Gettysburg or as small as the struggles of a soldier’s wife working to survive her husband’s absence on a Pennsylvania farm. Through these stories, Pennsylvania Civil War 150 will renew interest and engagement in our state’s heritage.”

The new (and very interactive ) website is packed with information for you and your students to learn about Pennsylvania’s role in the Civil War.  They have broken the website into four distinct sections:  Understanding, The War, Through People and Then and Now.

Under the section on Understanding, the website provides some excellent information related to understanding the cause and events leading up the the Civil War.  The TIMELINE section shows events beginning in 1780 with PA Abolishing Slavery up to 1877 (Compromise of 1877).  This section also provides pictures and a narrative of various primary sources related to a particular year.  The Understanding section also provides information on Pennsylvania’s Role, the Home Front, Slavery, and the Role of Religion.

Within the WAR section of the website, visitors can learn about Battlefields and Tactics along with the Weaponry and Uniforms of Civil War soldiers.

The THROUGH PEOPLE section of the website contains some outstanding stories from Pennsylvanians on how they experienced the Civil War.  There are stories of Children, prominent politicians like Governor Curtain, and stories of women and other civilians.  This section has some great photographs of the individuals that can easily be used to start a classroom conversation.

The Then and Now section provides some brief snapshots into how various things such as Industry & Commerce, Government and Politics and Media and Communications (check out the photo).

In addition to all of the stories, photographs, bibliographic references and primary sources, the website offers ways for you and your students to participate in the discussion and to share your stories.  You can also Experience the Civil War through an an interactive map along with a great collection of artifacts.  These resources provide more great opportunities for teachers and students to explore and discuss.

Finally, there is a terrific section dedicated to resources for Teachers.  This section provides some great links to resources and lessons for teaching the Civil War which are aligned to the Pa State History Standards.

Check out the full PRESS RELEASE

So, take some time and explore this great new resource.  There is more to come with this website so be sure to check back often for new resources.

Posted under Lesson Ideas, Primary Sources, Websites