The Civil War

Lesson 11 Activities The Civil War

 

Tell students that during the Civil War soldiers had to carry at least 40 pounds of equipment and personal items. Have students make a list of the items that had to carry.

musket bayonet bowie knife
canteen cartridge box knapsack
underwear soap towels
comb looking glass paper and envelopes
pens ink shoe blacking
photographs buttons fork
pencils smoking and chewing tobacco brush
blankets rubber ground cloth pipes
toothbrush twine cotton strips for wounds
spoon needles and thread

We invited a Civil War reenactor to visit our class. We learned a lot about the soldiers' clothing and the sleeping roll (full of all necessary supplies including a wooden spoon and fork, tin cup, and even hard tack)!!

Civil War Reenactor

Civil War Reenactor

Civil War Reenactor


Assign each student a historical figure from the Civil War time period to research. Have the students find at least 5 interesting facts about the person.

Have a history quiz game with the information. Students can divide into two teams. The interesting facts about each person are read. The teams take turns trying to guess who the person is. Points are awarded for correct guesses. The team with the most points after all facts have been read wins.


Watch the burning of Atlanta from the movie Gone with the Wind.


Have students make recruiting posters for the Union and/or Confederate army. Have students list the reasons men should join the army on the posters.

 


Take a blank map of the United States. Make a color key. Color the map according to the following regions in the Missouri Compromise of 1820:

Free States
Free Territory
Slave States
Slave Territory
Unorganized Territory

Answer these questions:

  1. What was the purpose of the Missouri Compromise?
  2. What were the three main parts of the Compromise of 1850?
  3. What two states were admitted to the Union as part of the Missouri Compromise?
  4. Where did the Missouri Compromise "imagery line" run?
  5. Why did new problems about the spread of slavery come up after the Missouri Compromise?

 

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