Why should you study the Civil War? The Civil War is one of the most important events in our nation’s history. It was a time when our nation turned on itself. It was Americans fighting Americans and it was the bloodiest war in our history. Friends and families fought each other; best friends and brothers turned on each other. It was a time of complete chaos and madness, death and misery were every where and it was a very scary time to live in the United States. To this day, there are still disagreements as to what caused the Civil War. Was is states’ rights? Was it slavery? Was it the election of Lincoln? Was it a mixture of all three? The fact is, even after over 150 years, the Civil War is still a very controversial topic.
The most interesting part of the Civil War is the fact that it turned so many people against loved ones. People did not know what side to take and there were many people who wanted nothing to do with the war; although, there were many people who believed the war was perfectly valid. You can look at so many perspectives within just one family. The primary sources available for this unit of study are incredible. You can read journals of soldiers, men, and women living during the Civil War. You can read all about their ideas and opinions of different aspects of life. You can also look at photographs and see the harsh reality of war and slavery. You can find letters that friends and families wrote to each other and see what they wanted to share. For the reconstruction, you can read old laws- many that you would not believe existed! You can learn about some of the most hateful people and see what they did to make things their way.
The Civil War and the Reconstruction is an amazing unit of study. It was one of the most controversial, deadly, and important times in our nation’s history. By the end of this unit of study you will be able to create your own opinions about the Civil War and the Reconstruction and you will be able to trace many of today’s ideologies back to their Civil War/Reconstruction origins.