Explore and Understand the Complicated Civil War: A Lesson Plan
LESSON PLANS FOR:
Learning About, Understanding, and Researching the
American Civil War Through the Use of the Novel, GRAYBACK: Long Road to Damascus
Lesson
Plans ©2017, S.H.Ford. Retrieved for free at
http://shfordauthor.blogspot.com/2017/09/explore-and-understand-complicated.html
http://shfordauthor.blogspot.com/2017/09/explore-and-understand-complicated.html
OVERVIEW:
Students gain a sense and
understanding of the history that surrounds the novel Grayback: Long Road to Damascus. Through studying primary source
materials, students may better grasp the historical events and people that
shaped what was most arguably the most turbulent time in American history and
which continues to cause conflict today.
This unit guides students
on a journey through the War Between the States, (Civil War), Era, 1861-1865.
Activities familiarize the students with Southern and Northern experiences
through the study of the novel and examination of primary sources.
OBJECTIVES: Students will be able to:
Ø
Learn
about the history of War Between the States/American Civil War through analysis
of historical and literary primary source photographs and other documents.
Ø
Demonstrate
visual literacy skills
Ø
Master
research skills including learning to differentiate between reliable and
unreliable sources.
Ø
Distinguish
points of view in several types of primary sources.
Ø
Understand
the concept of “Presentism.”
Ø
Complete
a properly cited research paper.
Ø
Understand
literary themes such as: novel, symbolism, allusion, and character development.
SUPPLIES NEEDED:
Ø
A
copy of Grayback: Long Road to Damascus
novel. (Available through Amazon.)
Ø
Internet
access.
Ø
Notebook
Ø
Word-processing
program.
TIME
REQUIRED:
3+ Weeks
GRADE
LEVEL:
8th Grade
11th Grade
(Use “Challenge” Options)
SUBJECT
AREA:
English/Language Arts
American History
DAY ONE:
Sources and Reliability
Watch the following video, the Civil War Trust’s Researching the Civil War: https://www.civilwar.org/learn/videos/researching-civil-war
As you do, jot down the answers to the
following questions:
1. Before the video, look up
“Primary Source” and write down the definition.
2. List some Primary Sources mentioned in the video.
3.
What
are some problems with Primary Sources?
Two
other types of sources are Secondary and
Tertiary Sources. Look up those
terms and write down their definitions along with examples.
DAY TWO: There are Two
Sides to Every Story
What
was the War Between the States/Civil War fought over? What caused the Southern
states to secede and the Northern states to shed so much blood to force them
back in? The truth of the matter is that historians have been arguing these
questions before the war even ended. There may be no true answer. The best
thing we can do is some honest research using primary sources.
It
can get extremely complicated as there are many events that make pinpointing
the cause seemingly impossible. One way to organize information is by breaking
it down into a “Cause” of the war, and then “Issues” that created that cause.
To
help you visualize this, get a piece of notebook paper and write two large
headings like so:
STATES RIGHTS
| SLAVERY
“States Rights” and “Slavery” are argued as
the causes of the war, with some furious fighting between historians as to
which one is correct. As you go along, and as “issues” arise, see under which
heading you can place them.
To
demonstrate the difference of opinions among historians, there are two articles
you can read.
The
first explains the reasons for secession to be mainly slavery and uses 4 Declaration
of Causes/Articles of Secession. What is interesting to point out, is that 11
states seceded and only 4 declared slavery as a reason in their statements on
why they were seceding. As such, this article is very much slanted in favor for
the Northern point of view. “The Reasons for Secession” by the Civil War Trust:
On
the flip side, there is a second article, this one written by an historian with
the Abbeville Institute, which is a group of Southern academics, mainly college
professors and authors, who became tired of the overwhelming anti-southern
narrative being presented and started an organization in which to publish
papers dealing with southern history. This of course, gives a slanted view in
favor of the Southern point of view. The truth most likely lies somewhere in
between these two articles. “Was the Civil War About Slavery?” by Dave Benner:
DAY THREE:
Taking
your States Rights/Slavery chart from yesterday, research other “issues” from
the war and place them in your chart:
Missouri Compromise
Compromise of 1850
Fugitive Slave Act
Morrill Tariff
Lincoln Election Results
Military Protection of
Texas in 1860
The Corwin Amendment
Lincoln’s Call for 75,000
Volunteers
Now,
looking at your chart, can Slavery be seen as an “issue” of States’ Rights? Why
or why not? How does this affect how you would answer the question: “What
caused the Civil War?”
Challenge Option: Get a copy of the U.S.
Constitution and the Confederate Constitution (http://fax.libs.uga.edu/ccsus/1f/confederate_constitution.pdf ). See what differences
you can find. (Remember, the U.S. Constitution only had 12 Amendments in 1861.)
These differences, what the Confederacy changed, can give us a large clue as to
why 11 states tried to create their own country.
DAY FOUR: What is
Presentism and Why Should I Avoid it?
When
war was declared in 1861, most of the individuals who left their homes to be
soldiers did not care about the “issues” or “cause” as you have laid out the
past few days. Their reasons for joining the Union or Confederate Armies were
much simpler. To get a better idea of those who lived at that time, watch the
Civil War Trust’s In 4 Video: The Civil
War Generation:
Write
a short paragraph on the key points made in the video.
One
point this video makes, is how the people of the 1860’s had drastically
different view of the world than we do now. A good historian tries to avoid
placing modern morals and judgement upon people of the past. To do that is
called Presentism. Presentism can be
very dangerous as we see today, many are saying individuals who were slave
owners do not deserve to be remembered honorably. The question we must ask
ourselves, is if we were born as that person, into that time and place, would
we have acted or believed any differently? Things seen as grievously wrong
today were seen as acceptable long ago and we need to take that into
consideration and hold our judgement.
Challenge Option: Other than slavery, find
some other belief held by people of long ago that today is considered wrong and
write about your findings.
DAY FIVE: The Importance
of Storytelling
Before
you begin reading the novel, there is one more 4 minute video to watch. This
one speaks of the importance of historical fiction. Once again, go to the Civil
War Trust and watch the In 4 Video: Historical
Fiction:
Now
write a short paragraph on the importance of historical fiction. Is historical
fiction “just fiction” where the author can “make up whatever he wants”?
Explain.
Now
read Chapters 1-3 in Grayback.
Bonus: The author interviewed in the video is Jeff Shaara. Shaara's most famous work is Gods and Generals, which was transcribed into a film adaptation. For a visiual "feel of the era," watch Gods and Generals. The Director’s Cut is
separated into 5 hour long “chapters” and can be watched as a mini-series.
DAY SIX: Setting and
Symbolism/Art as Primary Sources
The
beginning of the novel takes place in May of 1864 during the Battle of the
Wilderness. It was the first battle where Generals Lee and Grant faced each
other. During the winter, the armies made more permanent camps and rarely
fought. The winter of 1863-1864 had been relatively quiet. The Battle of the
Wilderness was the first major engagement of that year. One terrible feature of
the battle was the “wilderness” it took place in. The area was known for
mining, called “furnaces” at the time, and trees were cut to feed the furnaces
and dig for minerals. The area of the battle had been cleared some years ago so
that shorter trees and scrub brush had grown up and taken over, making it
difficult to get through. Look at an image sketched by a witness of “Wounded
Escaping from the Burning of the Wilderness” found in the collection of the
Library of Congress:
What
are some things you notice about the picture?
Another
picture from the LoC to look at is “Major-General Wadsworth Fighting in the
Wilderness.”
What
scene does this remind you of in the book? Is it how you imagined it as you
were reading?
Lastly,
there is a photograph taken shortly after the battle, “Battlefield of the
"Wilderness"--Views in the woods in the Federal lines on north side
of Orange Plank Road”:
Zoom
in and study the photograph. Describe some of the things you see. A battle had
been fought a year earlier in the woods, the Battle of Chancellorsville in
which many soldiers saw skeletons on the forest floor. Do you think that
bothered the soldiers fighting? Why do you think the trees are broken over?
Challenge: Symbolism is used in the
novel when Bertram sees a skull on the forest floor in the beginning of Chapter
2. There is a flower growing out of it. (Symbolism behind flowers was well
known and popular during the 19th century.) What is the flower?
Research the meaning behind the flower. There are several; which one do you
think is best used in this case?
Read
Chapter 4 in Grayback.
DAY SEVEN: Medicine of
the Past
Chapter
4 deals with medicine during the Civil War and military hospitals. Watch
another In 4 Video from the Civil War Trust, Civil War Medicine:
What
did you learn from the video? How did views on causes of infection and disease
differ back then from what we know now? Were all Civil War hospitals dirty?
What caused the biggest problem with treating battlefield wounds?
Read
Chapter 5 in Grayback.
DAY EIGHT: Photography as
a Primary Source—The Complexity of Truth
Chapter
5 centers around the Battle of Sharpsburg, (Antietam in the North). It also
deals with a war crime. Most of the time, the soldiers fought fiercely in
battle but when not fighting, respected each other as honorable enemies. In one
instance at Sharpsburg, some Union soldiers were so moved by the bravery of a
Texas color bearer who died in the cornfield, that they gave him a special
burial with a handmade cross explaining his honorable death. Sometimes,
however, war brought out the worst. One infamous photograph taken after the
battle shows a fresh grave of a Union soldier while a dead Confederate soldier
is left unburied nearby. It is in the collection of the Library of Congress “A
contrast! Federal buried, rebel unburied, where they fell at the Battle of
Antietam”:
What
is your reaction to this? Why do you think the soldier standing over the scene
would agree to this? Why do you think the photographer would have taken this
picture? How does it relate to what happened in Chapter 5?
Challenge: Search through other
images on the Library of Congress Photograph Collection website and search for
“Antietam.” Find another picture and write about it.
Bonus: See an overview of the
battle in the Civil War Trust’s Animated Map of Antietam. Antietam/Sharpsburg
was the bloodiest one day battle of the war—and in American history.
Reach
Chapters 6-8 in Grayback.
DAY NINE: Symbolism
The
term “grayback” was an insult for Confederate soldiers coined by their Union
adversaries since the Confederate soldiers wore gray coats. Grayback was also a
nickname for lice, which was a constant plague to soldiers who had to live in
camps outside with little chance for bathing. Additionally, Confederate paper
money, which had a gray side, were called “grabacks.” One way the North fought
the South off of the battlefields was by hurting their money and so Union
printing presses made millions of counterfeit Confederate bills, devaluing the
Confederacy’s currency so that by the end of the war, the graybacks were
considered useless. Now, though, Confederate money is valuable to those who
find any.
Knowing
this information, what might be the reason the author chose the term “grayback”
for the title of the book? Think of how Bertram perceives himself and how
others perceive him. Does he struggle with this perception? What sort of events
have contributed to his opinions of himself and others?
What
are some other terms you have come across that you do not know? Keep a list as
you read and create a Civil War dictionary. The Civil War Trust has a glossary
of some harder to find terms that you can access on their website: https://www.civilwar.org/glossary-civil-war-terms
Challenge: “Long Road to Damascus”
is an allusion to the Biblical story of the Apostle Paul’s conversion on the
road to Damascus. Found in the book of Acts, chapter 9, read the story of Paul
and as you read the novel, Grayback,
think on how Bertram changes both physically and spiritually. Write a response
on the conclusions you drew.
Read
Chapters 9 & 10 in Grayback.
DAY TEN: The Northern
Home Front
The
Northern home front was not a singular experience. Depending upon where you
lived at the time, would dictate what life was like. Some areas such as in
southern Ohio, Illinois, and parts of New York had a lot of “Copperheads,”
people who were anti-war or even sympathized with the South’s wish to leave the
Union. (The name “Copperhead” derived not from the snake but for their use of
the female head of Liberty on the copper pennies, which they would cut out and
wear as a pin to show their sympathies.) In fact, anti-war sympathies became so
strong in New York City that in 1863 there were riots that had to be put down
by the military and over a thousand people were killed. The New England States,
(Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island), were
extremely pro-Union. New Hampshire was one of the most peaceful states, being
so far removed from the war, and one of the most liberal states. In 1861, it
was one of the only states in the Union that allowed black citizens to vote.
(Contrary to popular belief, most Northern states did not allow black citizens
to have anything near equal rights, some being slave states like Delaware, West
Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri, some implementing strict
segregation, and some states even forbid free blacks from entering.) So keep in
mind as you read that Grace’s abolitionist sympathies were in the minority when
looking at the general population in the north just as Bertram’s passions about
fighting for ideals larger than defending his state and home also make him in
the minority.
To
get a better understanding of the divided feelings in the North, watch the
Civil War Trust’s Video “Your State in the Civil War”: New York in the Civil War:
Read
Chapter 11 in Grayback.
DAY ELEVEN: Points of
View in Primary Sources, Images
Chapter
11 takes place during the opening of the battle of Fredericksburg, the day
before the Union troops moved into the city. You can watch a video clip on the
Civil War Trust’s site, The River
Crossing at Fredericksburg:
Once
the Union troops were in the city, accounts talk of horrible abuse of the city
with theft and wonton destruction of citizens’ property. This of course would
not be received well at home, and newspapers in the north printed valiant
scenes of a tough battle through town. See an image from a period newspaper on
the LoC website, “Our Soldiers in the Streets of Fredericksburg”:
Now
we will look at two images sketched by participants in the battle showing
scenes in the town, both from the LoC website:
“Halt
of Wilcox’s Troops on Caroline Street Prior to Going Into Battle”:
and
“Night, the Sacking of Fredericksburg”:
Compare
and contrast the sketches with the newspaper image. How do they differ? What
sort of things do you see/not see in the different images? What does this tell us
about the importance of knowing who created the primary source and its intended
audience?
Read
Chapters 12-14 in Grayback.
DAY TWELVE: Further
Complexities in the North
In
chapter 14, Paul speaks of voting for “Little Mac,” what the Union soldiers
called General George B. McClellan and considering himself to be a Democrat.
Most Union soldiers voted for McClellan in the 1864 election, and Lincoln won
with a very narrow margin. The name Republican was even dropped from Lincoln’s
campaign and the word Union Party used instead. One reason, is that Republican
Party was rather new and based on the name of the Republican parties in Europe,
who were known to be radical revolutionaries that caused bloodshed in 1848.
Watch the Civil War Trust Video In4, The
Election of 1864:
At
the conclusion of the video, write down your reaction. Who would you have voted
for in 1864 if you were living in the Union and could vote?
Read
Chapters 15-17 in Grayback.
DAY THIRTEEN: Life in the South During the War
Life
in the south was much more difficult than in the north, especially if you were loyal
to the Confederacy. Almost all of the battles were fought in the south and both
armies lived off of the land, taking from the farms they passed. The Union
troops, seeing the southerners as the enemy, oftentimes stole anything of value
from the homes they came upon. Later in the war, most notoriously during
General Sherman’s march to the sea through Georgia, General Banks’ retreat
through Louisiana, or General Sheridan’s burning of the Shenandoah Valley,
homes, barns, and outbuildings were all put to the torch, leaving many families
homeless or without means to live. In recent years, historians readjusted the
commonly taught 620,000 figure of total dead due to the war to 850,000 or more
as they rightly decided to include civilians in the figures. Some of the
civilians hardest hit were slaves. When a plantation was burnt, it was their
home and livelihood as well and encompassed all they knew. Countless numbers of
slaves died of starvation or died from exposure as they attempted to follow the
Union Armies, which they were told would help them, but most often did not.
In
Grayback, Bertram’s girlfriend,
Molly, is a refugee who decides to attach herself to the Confederate Army of
Northern Virginia’s winter quarters in the winter of 1863-64. Armies did not
fight as much during the winter and were in a more permanent camp, giving opportunity
for families to camp nearby and visit or offer services such as laundry or
small shops to sell extra food or items of comfort.
To
see an overview of how women participated in the war, watch the Civil War
Trust’s Video In4: Women:
Also
addressed in the chapters you read, was daily life of the soldiers in camp.
There is an In4 Video you can watch Soldier
Life:
Read
Chapters 18-22 in Grayback
DAY FOURTEEN: Comparing
and Contrasting
One
thing that Bertram clearly fears and dreads, is being put in a prisoner of war
camp. To fully understand the horrible conditions of prisons during the war, do
some searching on two prison camps, one in the north, and one in south. Museums
are excellent resources and as of Summer of 2017, the two POW camps listed
below have museums with websites you can explore. Compare and contrast these
two camps. What made them so horrible? Write a page describing your findings.
Camps
to research: Andersonville Prison in Georgia (https://www.nps.gov/ande/index.htm ) vs. Elmira Prison in
New York (http://www.elmiraprisoncamp.com )
Read
Chapters 23-26 in Grayback.
DAY FIFTEEN: Understanding
Character Development
Part
of the definition of a novel, is having a character that changes, who goes
through a drastic development. Briefly, during chapters 23 and 24, Bertram is
the happiest he has been throughout most of the novel. What is it that makes
him content? Despite this, chapter 23 is called “Restless.” Why? What do you
think is going on in Bertram’s mind at that point in the story? Do things
change once Paul’s brother, Will, shows up? How might have things been
different if William had not shown up?
Read
Chapters 27-Epilogue in Grayback.
WRAP UP QUESTIONS
1.
At
the end of the book, were you surprised by the ending? Bertram struggled with
whether to stay or go, do you think, even though he was forced into the
decision he made, that he is happy with that decision?
2. Throughout the novel, one
reoccurring theme is Bertram’s struggle with a destructive part of himself. At
times he embraces it, at other times he abhors it. After the events in this
book, do you think he will act differently from before? Why or why not?
3. What do you think Paul
will do next? Explain.
SYNTHESIS
A.
Creative
Writing: Imagine that Bertram and Paul meet in the future. You can have it be
only a few months, while the war is still being fought, or several years later
when the war is over. Decide setting: a battlefield, in Virginia, in New
Hampshire, or maybe they both went west. Write a short story playing out their
reunion. Try hard to keep to their character as displayed at the end of the
book and make it as believable as possible. Remember, Jeff Shaara said that
when writing historical fiction, you can’t “just make it all up.”
B.
Challenge. Choose one of the topics
presented in the different activities you did and videos you watched, or from
the novel, and study it further. Think about the different types of sources you
used and be sure to use only reliable sources. (There is a bibliography in the
back of Grayback that can get you
started.) Write a full length research paper using guidelines set forth on the
MLA website. https://style.mla.org/
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