Civil War 150: Bloodshed and Emancipation

Puzzle It Out
English, Social Studies, U.S. History
Two types of puzzles are provided in this guide. Use them to warm-up students to the study of the battle of Antietam. "At Antietam Creek" is a word find. Students might be asked to use five or more of the terms in a paragraph about the battle. "Maryland Cornfield, September 1862" is a scrambled word puzzle.

Read a Map
Geography, Social Studies, U.S. History 
As students prepare to focus on the Civil War’s continuation into the fall of 1862, locate the following places on a U.S. map: Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia; Shenandoah Valley, Potomac River, Shenandoah River; Harpers Ferry, Sharpsburg, and Antietam. Why would this section of the country be vital to the war efforts of the North and South?

Activate an Interactive Map
Geography, Social Studies, U.S. History
For an interactive map experience, visit The Washington Post’s “Battles and Casualties of the Civil War map.” 

On the timeline at the top, select the tab for September 1862. Students should watch the map as it changes to focus on places where military action was taking place between September 1 and 30, 1862.

• First read the “Battle casualties” bar across the top. How many battles took place that month? How many casualties took place?
• How do students easily know where most action was taking place?
• How is “casualty” defined?
• Using casualties as an indicator of activity of troops, where was the most action taking place in September?

Roll over the largest circle.
• Where is this action taking place?

• Click on the circles for more information. Position the map so that Rockville in the east and Gore in the west are within the field. Students could be assigned to explore different red circles. As they read the information given, create a timeline for the days in September. For each date indicate: Who was involved, where were the troops, how many soldiers were involved, and what loses took place.

Meet Exceptional People
Political Science, Social Studies, U.S. History
Individuals played many roles in the 1800s — facing slavery, fighting and recording the war and healing the wounded. Read about and discuss the lives of eight such people in the “Cast of character." 

Use these nine individuals to give students experience in formulating an historical question and conducting research to find the answer. “Compose Historical Questions: Meet a Cast of Characters” guides this assignment. After students have formed a question about an aspect of the Civil War, they are to use one of the individuals in the “Cast of Characters” to illustrate the response:
Mary Ann “Mother” Bickerdyke
Ambrose E. Burnside 
Benjamin F. Butler
Alexander Gardner and his photographs
Gen. Philip Kearny 
Dr. Jonathan Letterman
William B. Mumford
George W. Smalley 
Henry David Thoreau

Explore the Exploits of the Gray Ghost
English, Social Studies, U.S. History
One of the elusive and effective Southern military leaders lived to be an old man. Linda Wheeler’s “Confederate raider Mosby was a master of surprise,” captures the colorful personality of John S. Mosby.

A young lawyer, Mosby joined the Confederate army and served under Capt. J.E.B. Stuart. On a map of northern Virginia locate places where Mosby and his small band disrupted Union movement, captured a Brig. Gen. and surprised soldiers. What role did enterprising officers such as Mosby play in the war effort?

Set the Stage in Harpers Ferry
Geography, Social Studies, U.S. History 
On the “Battles and Casualties of the Civil War map” locate the casualty circle for Harpers Ferry. Discussion questions and activities could include:

• How many casualties were experienced by the Confederate troops? How many by the Union troops?
• What kinds of conditions are included in the definition of “casualty”?
• Click on the circle for more information. Why was the Union casualty total so high?
• Who are Col. Miles, Jackson, Lee and A.P. Hill? How did each figure in the capture of Harpers Ferry?

The Washington Post Civil War 150 commemoration included print special supplements and online Special Reports. The digital coverage that coincides with the printed CW 150 coverage is divided into chapters. For this curriculum guide, we focus on Chapter 5.

For background and more details of the military encounter at Harpers Ferry, read “At Harpers Ferry, a prelude to slaughter.”  Joel Achenbach begins his article:

One of the most beautiful Civil War sites, at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., commemorates an unsightly and chaotic battle that led to the capture of more than 12,000 Union soldiers and set the stage for the wholesale slaughter of rebels and federals at Antietam two days later.

Review this lede (or lead) with students. How does he indicate the present (“commemorates) and the past (“led to the capture” and “two days later”)? He implies the Who (Union and Confederate forces), describes the Where (Harpers Ferry), and tells the What (chaotic battle).

Continue to read the article about the Confederate victory and its influence. Discussion questions are provided in “Confederates Gain Confidence at Harpers Ferry.” Answers for the discussion questions are provided. 

Relive the Battle at Antietam
Photography, Social Studies, U.S. History
In “Antietam’s bloody, defining day” Washington Post reporter Michael E. Ruane introduces readers to the actions that took place in Maryland on September 17, 1862. Through eyewitness remembrances, documents and interviews with historians, Ruane captures the day’s events and decisions that lead to the most casualties of any one day of military engagement of U.S. troops.

Discussion questions and activities are found in “When a Creek Turns Red.” These include consideration of the writer’s craft and Alexander Gardner’s photograph that accompanies the article. 

View the Photographs of Battle
Art, English, Photography, Social Studies, U.S. History
More than 70 of the photographs in the Mathew Brady exhibit were taken by Alexander Gardner, the first to capture the Civil War dead on the field of battle. He was one of the team of photographers Brady had hired to photograph the war — portraits, field camp scenes and battlefields. Brady realized the significance of the war and the important role that the new technology of photography could play to inform his contemporaries and future generations.

View examples of Civil War photography with students. Teachers may focus on battlefield images or life during the time period. The Library of Congress photographs, glass negatives , and Gardner’s Photographic Sketch Book of War are accessible sources. The National Park Service and the National Archives as well as Civil War history websites are additional resources.

Ask students to select photographs. Whether taken by Mathew Brady and his team of photographers, those hired by the Union and Confederate governments, civilians or military, how do these images reflect life during 1860-1865? Write about aspects of the Civil War —North and South, civilian and military activities, in battle and its aftermath — as illustrated in the photographs.

Review Photographs of Battle
Art, Journalism, Photography, Social Studies
On October 20, 1862, The New York Times published a review of an exhibit at Brady’s New York gallery. The Times comments on the impact of Matthew Brady’s photographs and the public’s response, or lack of sympathy, to the dead of the civil war. The images of the battle at Antietam are those of the first battle on American soil to be photographed. Read “Brady’s Photographs.; Pictures of the Dead at Antietam.” An excerpt is provided in this guide or students may read the entire review as it was published in 1862 online. 

In what ways is the selection as much an editorial as it is a review of an art exhibit?

PBS offers “The Battle of Antietam,” a lesson plan in which students act as a newspaper staff working in September 1862. The information found in Michael Ruane’s “Antietam’s bloody, defining day,” Gene Thorp’s maps and the Civil War photographs found in the resources listed above will help students to complete the assignment.

Question Leadership
Mathematics, Social Studies, U.S. History
For more advanced study of the battle at Antietam and the role of the military leader, read “In defense of George McClellan: A contrarian view.” Gene Thorp presents a case for a different perspective on General McClellan’s leadership. Questions and activities tied to this article include:
• Gene Thorp enumerates the criticism of McClellan’s leadership. State four arguments against McClellan.
• Thorp counters with the situation faced by McClellan. Summarize Thorp’s arguments in favor of McClellan.
• What is Special Order No. 191?
• Explain the research done by Maurice D’Aoust at the Library of Congress.
• Create the timeline of McClellan’s action beginning Sept. 13 as presented by Thorp.
• Prepare a bar graph to illustrate the number of casualties of the battle of Antietam as given in records of Confederates, McClellan and those researched by Thorp.
• Write a statement in which you explain why you are/are not persuaded by Gene Thorp’s “contrarian view” of Gen. George McClellan’s leadership. 

Read a KidsPost Article
Reading, Social Studies
“Life for slave children in 1861” by Carolyn Reeder was first published in KidsPost on June 14, 2011. It provides a perspective on the life of a child who was held as a slave. Younger students who read it have background for understanding slavery and the need for the D.C. Emancipation Act and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Carolyn Reeder wrote about history for young readers. Two of her works about the Civil war are Shades of Gray  and Captain Kate.

Discover D.C. Emancipation
Social Studies, U.S. History
Nearly nine months prior to establishing the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln took action against slavery in the District of Columbia. On April 16, 1862, “An act for the Release of certain Persons held to Service or Labor in the District of Columbia” was enacted. This day is celebrated annually as a holiday in the District of Columbia.

In D.C. Emancipation Act, teachers are provided primary documents, questions to direct discussion of the documents, a Washington Post article and resources for additional study.

Develop Vocabulary
English, Social Studies, U.S. History
Within the You and Your Rights lesson, “The Fourteenth Amendment: Guardian of Our Liberties,” terms are defined for better comprehension.

Check out the vocabulary words found In the Know. These are terms are found in the Emancipation Proclamation and Philip Kennicott's "The Freedom Conundrum." Review these terms before reading the document and The Washington Post article. 

Act With Abraham Lincoln
Civics, Social Studies, U.S. History
Writing the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln confronted the limits of democracy and stretched the Constitution in its interpretation of an executive’s war powers. He was also prepared to enact slavery laws beyond the borders of the District of Columbia.

Students could be asked to explore Lincoln as the candidate, the president and the commander-in-chief.

The KidsPost article, “Lincoln inaugural foreshadowed Civil War” summarizes the events between Lincoln’s election and his taking the oath of office. As younger students think about the election of a president every four years in America, teachers might have students discuss what it might have been like for Abraham Lincoln to take the stands he did when he ran for office and the points he made in his first inaugural address.

To discuss Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address and his legacy, teachers should review Presidential Legacy and Language, a previous Washington Post NIE curriculum guide, published January 9, 2009.

Ask older students to consider what they would do if they were faced with a country divided over the issue of slavery. Brainstorm the choices they think were available to the president at that time. Include reading Article II which denotes the executive powers in the U.S. Constitution. “The Freedom Conundrum” by Philip Kennicott provides information for understanding public response to Lincoln’s decisions. Acting as President Lincoln, why would you:

•  sign a preliminary emancipation document and speak to a crowd that had gathered outside the White House?
• be uncertain if this is the time to issue manumission in the rebelling states?
• want government and the presidency to solve crises?
• defend the Emancipation Proclamation as a military necessity?

Prepare for the Emancipation Proclamation
English, Journalism, Social Studies, U.S. History
Teachers should discuss with students the social, historical and military context of Fall 1862 to January 1863. This would include the reasons for and against ending slavery, the role of media, and Lincoln’s leadership.

President Lincoln read his “preliminary proclamation” to his Cabinet in July 1862. Under advice, he withheld it from the public until the Union experienced a military victory. The abolitionists were sounding their concerns. Lincoln did write a letter to Horace Greeley, the abolitionist editor of the New York Tribune who had criticized Lincoln for not making emancipation a priority goal. It was published on August 22, 1862.

After the bloody battle at Antietam, the preliminary proclamation of emancipation was signed and sent for publication on September 22. 

Locate the States in Rebellion
Geography, Social Studies, U.S. History
Lincoln states in the Emancipation Proclamation that as Command-in-Chief of the Army and Navy he has authority to identify the states and parts of states that are in rebellion against the United States. It is these areas that the emancipation of slaves took effect on January 1, 1863.

Review the “Legality of slavery” map. Have students identify the states and parts of states in which slavery is illegal as of January 1. Why were only parts of Virginia and Louisiana exempted? Why may Tennessee and border states retain slaves?

Parse the Emancipation Proclamation
English, Political Science, Social Studies, U.S. History
Teachers are encouraged to lead students in parsing the Emancipation Proclamation. The careful reading may be guided by using “After Reading the Emancipation Proclamation.”

Philip Kennicott writes a thoughtful piece that examines what President Lincoln considered “the signal accomplishment of his administration.” In “The Freedom Conundrum,” Kennicott examines Lincoln’s decision to write and publish the document as well as enact it on January 1, 1863.

Kennicott uses an extensive vocabulary. Terms found in his article and the Emancipation Proclamation are found in In the Know. Teachers should assign or review these terms before students read the selections.

Indecision and strategy are part of the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation’s history. Are these reflected in the document itself? Discuss also the reaction to the document by the different stakeholders.

For additional study, read “An Act of Justice,” John Hope Franklin’s essay. The historian gives context to the document.

Debate the Emancipation Issue
Debate, English, Social Studies, U.S. History
In April 2012, D.C. Emancipation Day observance included the “Great Debate” at the Lincoln Theatre. As a reminder of the seven debates between Senate candidate Abraham Lincoln and incumbent Sen. Stephen Douglas, in which slavery was a prominent topic, the debaters focused on contemporary issues.

Teachers could either hold a debate as if it were held in the Fall of 1862, focusing on slavery, emancipation and the war’s continuation or hold a debate on today’s issues.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation and Lincoln’s Cottage provides another resource in which students play the role of one of President Lincoln’s cabinet members to debate emancipation. Review “Debating Emancipation Online” for its activities, Emancipation Timeline for younger and older students, guidelines and glossary of Civil War terms.

Study the Fourteenth Amendment
Civics, Government, U.S. History
The Fourteenth Amendment is one of three post-Civil War amendments known as the “Reconstruction” or “Civil War” amendments. Daniel J. Crooks III, a Fellow with the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project and licensed attorney, wrote the You and Your Rights lesson.

The resources in Fourteenth Amendment guide can be used as a lesson taught over several days or used individually to focus on different lessons, such as “How to Amend the U.S. Constitution,” “What Is Due Process?” and “Focus on the First Section of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Historical background includes an overview of the Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, and the Constitution and slavery. The main lesson focuses on the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment, including court cases in which this section has been applied. A handout relating to the Due Process Clause is also included. Study questions check on students’ understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Government teachers may use this lesson to introduce the amendment process. Students could be asked to review the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the history of all the amendments and contemporary discussion of amending the Constitution. If they were to amend the Constitution what would they change? Why would they make this change?

History teachers might have students note events from 1858 to the end of the Civil War that lead to the Fourteenth Amendment.

Amend the Constitution
Civics, English, U.S. History, Government
Making an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is fairly complicated. Once Congress or the states propose an amendment, the Archivist of the United States sends a packet of information to all 50 governors, who then send the proposed amendment to their respective state’s legislature. If a state votes to ratify the amendment, then the state sends the decision back to the Archivist of the United States, who records all of the votes. If there are enough states that ratify an amendment, the Archivist certifies that the amendment has become part of the Constitution.

Teachers may use the Fourteenth Amendment lesson to introduce the amendment process. Students could be asked to review the Articles of Confederation,  Constitution and Bill of Rights, the history of all the amendments and contemporary discussion of amending the Constitution. If they were to amend the Constitution what would they change? Why would they make this change?