{photo by Daniel Schwen via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0}
This week we will continue to supplement our studies of the Civil War. There's a lot here, but this really is merely a fraction of the many online resources for learning more about this time period. These videos and websites are purely optional, as always, and meant to augment your home day learning or to provide E&E when you have time. Parents, please preview and enjoy with your kids!
VIDEOS:
Brain Pop video on The Civil War – Learn all about the bloodiest war in the history of the United States from this educational site. Most of their videos require a subscription to view, but this one is free to watch.
What Caused the Civil War – From the Virginia Historical Society, here’s a short video that looks at the differences between the North and South and the outbreak of the Civil War:
Jefferson Davis – Mini Biography – From the Biography channel, here’s a quick look at the President of the Confederacy:
The Civil War in Four Minutes: Jefferson Davis – Another biography:
North and South – Lincoln Holds War Meeting – This is a clip from the 1985 TV mini-series saga about the Civil War, North and South:
You can watch full episodes of this series on YouTube – here’s Episode 1, and you can find the rest from there.
150th Battle of Bull Run Reenactment – Manassas, Virginia:
Lego Battle of Antietam – This might inspire some kids who love to use legos for history narratives! A student shows his lego creation of the Battle of Antietam and talks about the battle and how he created his display:
Music During the American Civil War – From Smithsonian Magazine:
Songs of the Civil War: Shiloh – Here’s a track from an album of civil war music, with accompanying photographs (there are a few photos of men lying on the battlefield, but nothing gruesome):
Dixie – Another classic Civil War song, Dixie, is performed here by a live band during a reenactment event:
Here are a few longer documentary series about the Civil War, if you’re interested:
- The Ultimate Civil War Series – A 7-part series available to stream for free with Amazon Prime.
- Ken Burns: The Civil War – A 9-part series available to stream on Netflix. Or you can watch a few video clips from this series here on PBS.
- Civil War 360 – A 3-part series available to stream on Netflix.
And of course there are many many movies and tv series set during the Civil War! Far too many to list here, but here’s a list.
One recent show not on the above list is the favorably reviewed PBS series, Mercy Street. Recommended for parents and older teens (it's rated TV-14), here's the decsription: “Based on real events, Mercy Street takes viewers beyond the battlefield and into the lives of a distinctive cast of characters — doctors, nurses, contraband laborers and Southern loyalists — realizing the chaotic world of Union-occupied Alexandria, Virginia, and the Mansion House Hospital in the early years of the Civil War.” Two season have aired so far. Watch it here for free with Amazon prime.
WEBSITES:
Adam Andrews on “Paul Revere’s Ride in Context” – Several years ago Adam Andrews (the director of the Center for Literary Education and author of Teaching the Classics, which we use for literary analysis here at SLOCA) visited our school and gave several talks about analyzing and discussing literature. If you attended, you may remember a session where he took us through the poem, Paul Revere’s Ride and discussed its true context relating to the Civil War. It was a fascinating talk, and we happened to find a written version of it online! This might be a fun thing to read aloud to your middle school and up kids (some younger ones might enjoy it too…). We also found this unit study activity guide for this poem.
Below is a wonderful photographic series on the Civil War. View these stunning photos, published by The Atlantic:
- The Civil War, Part 1: The Places
- The Civil War, Part 2: The People
- The Civil War, Part 3: The Stereographs – This was an early type of 3D photography for those with access to a stereographic viewer. The images in this collection are in “stereo pairs,” which will animate when clicked (starting with photo #2).
Civil War Photo Gallery – Here's another collection of photos from the time period.
Civil War Interactive Battle Map
Virtual tour of the Antietam battlefield
“The Mini Page” – A pdf of a kids newspaper with an overview of the Civil War plus activities.
Civil War Soldier game – from WebRangers, this interactive game requires Flash.
Civil War Rags to Riches game – Answer questions about the Civil War to earn money in this quiz game.
Civil War Challenge and Discovery – An interactive game that will test your knowledge of the affiliation of the states and figures of the Civil War, the locations of the major battles, and the advantages the sides had over each other. Learn while playing!
Printable Civil War Word Search
You can also search the App Store or Google Play Store for educational games about the Civil War, such as the Civil War App from Kids Discover.
