Objectives
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-To provide students with reading and research material on the Civil War to create a clearer understanding of the role that women had during that time in history.
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-To teach students about the Civil War through literature.
Women of Interest during the Civil War
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Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906): A women suffrage leader.
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Clara Barton (1821-912) :A famous nurse during the Civil War.
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Sarah Grimke and Angelina Grimke: (1792-1873, 1805-1879) Daughters of a slave holding family, the Grimke sisters helped pioneer the antislavery and women’s rights movement.
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Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910): An American author and reformer.
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Lucy Stone (1818-1893): American feminist and abolitionist.
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Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): An effective speaker on the rights of women and blacks.
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Harriet Tubman ( 1820 -1913): Served as a nurse and cook for the Union Army during the Civil War. She also acted as a scout and a spy.
Have the students create a timeline depicting when and where these women appeared during the Civil War.
Have the students write a brief biographical sketch on each of women previously listed.
Historical Novels on the Civil War
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Denenberg, Barry.
When Will this Cruel War be Over? The Civil War diary of Emma Simpson. Gordonsville,Virgina,1864
. The story depicts in diary form the life of a young girl living in Virginia during the Civil War.
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Porter, Connie.
Meet Addy.
American Girl Collection. The series begins with Addy trying to escape slavery and ends with the struggle Addy endures in trying to unite here family after the Civil War ends.
Related Questions and Evaluation of Novels
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What were some of the main differences in the lives of Emma and Addy?
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Where were each of the girls from?
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What were the life styles of the two girls?
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How were the lives of the two girls similar?
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What effect did the Civil War have on both of the girls?
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How did the war affect each of their families?
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What activities did the girls do?
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Do you think the two girls could have been friends if they had ever met?
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Would you recommend these books to a friend and why?
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Have the students answer the above questions and hold discussions on the books and time periods in which they occurred.
Writing Prompt
During the Civil War many people were treated unfairly. In our everyday lives we treat each other unfairly or unkindly without even thinking about it . Write about a time you were treated unfairly or unkindly and how it made you feel. What did you learn from this experience on how you should treat others?
Additional Suggested Reading
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Humerace, Belinda.
A Girl Called Boy
. The story of a contemporary girl who travels back into the time of slavery.
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Humerace, Belinda.
Tancy
. The story takes place at the end of the Civil War, when a young girl searches for her mother who was sold into slavery when she was a baby.
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Clapp. Patricia.
The Tamarack Tree
. A young girl originally from England gives an account of the Civil War from her experience at the forty-seven day siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Field Trip
The New Haven Colony Historical Society
The Grove Street Cemetery
227 Grove Street
New Haven, CT. 10655
The Historical society offers tours of the Grove Street Cemetery which is the first chartered burial ground in the United States. At the cemetery students will be able to trace New Haven’s historical history. Roger Sherman, Eli Whitney, Josiah Willard Gibbs, Lyman Beecher and Dr. Worthington Hooker are just a few of the famous gravesides students can view.