Includes updates and/or revisions.
Six boys clad in Union garb stand shoulder to shoulder, then march across a field here at Manassas National Battlefield Park. One holds a Union flag, another an Irish one. Suddenly, a boy falls forward, presumably shot by enemy fire, but deftly passes the Irish flag to a companion. A moment later, another boy tumbles but hands off the Union flag first.
鈥淵ou guys cannot laugh!鈥� a student capturing the scene on a video camera calls out.
Although war is no laughing matter, these are 6th graders, after all, and it鈥檚 probably their 20th take as they try to perfect a scene on this famous Civil War battlefield. The students, from Stonewall Middle School in Manassas, are making a series of short videos inspired by real events and personal stories of the war. One featuring Irish immigrant soldiers draws on actual letters they wrote.
It was 150 years ago last week that the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, igniting a conflict that tore the nation apart and left some 620,000 soldiers dead.
Today, a growing number of teachers are moving beyond the textbook in teaching about the war, and U.S. history more broadly. Teachers are digging directly into primary sources and harnessing technology, all in an attempt to help students better understand the past and bring it to life.
Doing so may be especially important with the Civil War, educators and historians say, since public debates about its meaning are alive and well, and young people may be exposed to a lot of misinformation that original sources can dispel in compelling ways.
Students from Stonewall Jackson Middle School, in Manassas, Va., reenacted and filmed civilian and military life in 1861 at the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Above: Sixth grader Sean Sorenson taking on the role of an infantryman in the Union army
Below: An unidentified young soldier in Union uniform and forage cap
Library of Congress
The project with Stonewall Middle School鈥攏amed for the Confederate general Thomas J. 鈥淪tonewall鈥� Jackson鈥攊nvolves students in all aspects of filmmaking: researching the war, writing scripts, making props and costumes, acting, directing, and editing.
Meanwhile, Carole L. Parsons, a 5th grade teacher at Millbrook Elementary School in Aiken, S.C., recently devised what she calls 鈥淐ivil War CSI,鈥� a classroom activity inspired by the television crime show that uses primary sources to engage students in historical inquiry aimed at solving a mystery.
鈥淲hen I first started teaching, it was the textbook. That鈥檚 all we had,鈥� said Ms. Parsons, who suggests that primary sources help give students a different perspective.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just this guy living in our time telling us about the war. This is a photograph, a diary entry, a map that one of General Sherman鈥檚 soldiers drew,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen you start investigating primary sources, you can go further and deeper.鈥�
One factor helping fuel this kind of learning is the roughly $1 billion supplied over the past decade through the U.S. Department of Education鈥檚 program, which focuses on professional development to improve instruction in the subject. Participants say a strong component of many workshops and other activities supported by the program is helping teachers use primary sources effectively.
Another development has been the rapid increase in primary sources about the Civil War accessible online鈥攆rom the vast collections of the Library of Congress and the National Archives to those of state historical societies鈥攁nd the creation of websites such as . That site, launched in 2008 with support from the Education Department, helps teachers access resources and materials to improve U.S. history education.
Technology Tools
The sesquicentennial of the Civil War is a prime teachable moment being seized on not just by educators, but also by local, state, and national groups and institutions. Countless activities are being planned to commemorate the war and educate the public, and more than half the states have formed commissions on the subject.
In the 150 years since the Civil War began, a broad range of primary source documents have become available to scholars 鈥� and increasingly to the public. Below is a sample of the original letters home, military reports, and diaries from people on both sides of the conflict that are now available to students to encourage critical thinking for deeper learning.
Fort Sumter
April 12-13, 1861
The war between the Union and Confederate forces began with the Southern attack on Fort Sumter in South Carolina鈥檚 Charleston Harbor and the quick surrender of the bastion. No deaths were reported, but the attack proved the South鈥檚 willingness to fight federal forces after succession.
Bull Run
July 21, 1861
The first major land battle of the war broke out at Bull Run, near Manassas, Va. The fighting left nearly 5,000 soldiers dead, captured, or wounded, and sent Union forces into retreat. The first battle of Bull Run made clear to the North that this would not be a quick war.
Antietam
Sept. 17, 1862
This was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, with 23,000 soldiers killed, wounded or missing. The Union forces stopped the Confederate invasion into the North near Sharpsburg, Md., and Abraham Lincoln was emboldened to issue the Emancipation Proclamation a few months later.
Chancellorsville
April 30-May 6, 1863
Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas 鈥淪tonewall鈥� Jackson led the South to one of its greatest victories of the war as their smaller Confederate force of about 60,000 defeated the Union鈥檚 100,000 near Chancellorsville, Va. The battle also claimed a Southern hero, though: Jackson was mistakenly shot by his own men and died eight days later.
Gettysburg
July 1-3, 1863
The Battle of Gettysburg, fought across a small stretch of hilly farmland in southern Pennsylvania, followed on the heels of the Southern victory at Chancellorsville, and it marked a turning point in the war. The 51,000 deaths over three days there set the stage for President Lincoln鈥檚 鈥淕ettysburg Address鈥� at the battlefield cemetery that fall.
Vicksburg
May 18-July 4, 1863
The Union successfully split the South and won control of the Mississippi River with the surrender of the city of Vicksburg, Miss., and the capture of Port Hudson, La. Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant had tried for months to take the city before the two-week summer siege.
Sherman鈥檚 March Through Georgia
May 1鈥揘ov. 21, 1864
Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman led his Union forces on a wide path of destruction, starting with the Atlanta campaign in May 1864鈥攖he city surrendered on Sept. 2鈥攁nd continuing in November with the army burning crops, supplies, and infrastructure on a march to the sea at Savannah, Ga. It was a strategy of total war, or scorched earth, meant to leave no supplies for the Southern military.
Appomattox Court House
April 9, 1865
With his forces surrounded, Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Va., setting the stage for the reunification of the nation. Over four years, the Civil War claimed an estimated 620,000 lives.
MORE RESOURCES
As part of Virginia鈥檚 effort, its commission helped develop a traveling Civil War exhibit, as well as a three-hour educational DVD鈥攖ackling such matters as slavery, the life of soldiers, and major battles鈥攑rovided free to the state鈥檚 public schools. It also launched a project to locate, identify, and digitize original source materials from the era.
The Civil War is one of the pivotal events, of course, in the nation鈥檚 history, even if teachers often struggle to find time to do it justice in history classes that may cover centuries of information.
The war saved the Union from a permanent split, led to the end of slavery on U.S. soil, and took far more lives than any other conflict involving American soldiers. And it offers a window into a raft of issues that still resonate, including slavery and racism, the role of the federal government, states鈥� rights, economics, and politics.
It鈥檚 also a compelling tale.
鈥淭he power of the Civil War with young people is that it鈥檚 an epic story,鈥� said James A. Percoco, a history teacher at West Springfield High School in Springfield, Va. 鈥淭hat war, I believe, is the central event in American history.鈥�
鈥淚f you can鈥檛 teach the Civil War in a way that attracts and interests students, you probably shouldn鈥檛 be a teacher,鈥� said Kevin M. Levin, who chairs the history department at the private St. Anne鈥檚-Belfield School in Charlottesville, Va., and writes a blog called . 鈥淎nd the issues themselves couldn鈥檛 be more important.鈥�
Beyond the growing availability of original sources online, some new technologies are being used to learn about the conflict, such as the unveiled last fall by the , a Washington-based battlefield-preservation group. The nonprofit is developing a series of such applications in partnership with the company Intermap Technologies that facilitate a mobile battlefield tour, providing a range of information for park visitors, including audio and visual content as well as battlefield maps.
A new Web-based role-playing simulation called that some school districts have piloted draws on the Valley of the Shadow project, a vast digital archive compiled by the University of Virginia that details life in two communities, one Northern and one Southern, in the Civil War era.
鈥淪tudents react to the Civil War鈥檚 pivotal issues and debates from the perspective of one of 25 former residents,鈥� said Christian Spiegelvogel, an associate professor of communications at Hope College, in Holland, Mich., who developed ValleySim. 鈥淭he Valley of the Shadow would be like Web 1.0, but what I created was sort of a Web 2.0 layer on top of that.鈥�
鈥楾he Real Thing鈥�
Experts say using primary sources, with the help of technology or not, can be a powerful way to bring the war to life, and to build a stronger, more nuanced understanding of the conflict.
Forum Discussion: Primary Sources in Civil War Studies
Have you incorporated primary sources into your Civil War studies? How so? Which primary sources do you consider most valuable when developing a curriculum based around the Civil War?
鈥� Join the discussion.
鈥淭here is something about the authenticity of the real thing鈥攁 letter, an ordinance, a battlefield, or photograph鈥攖hat moves people and often makes them want to come back for more,鈥� said Garry E. Adelman, the director of history and education at the Civil War Trust. 鈥淭hey all bring home the complexity of the Civil War. People understand that these people weren鈥檛 in black and white.鈥�
Reading speeches, or documents like South Carolina鈥檚 1860 secession declaration, also can dispel misconceptions, such as the notion rejected by most historians that slavery was not a crucial reason for the war.
鈥淪tudents see for themselves, that ... the causes of the war are fundamentally bound up with slavery, and there鈥檚 no real way around that,鈥� said Paul C. Anderson, an associate professor of history at Clemson University, in Clemson, S.C. 鈥淚f you read [the South Carolina declaration], first, you鈥檙e going to be struck by how directly they discuss slavery.鈥�
Troubling the Water
Of the Student, By the Student, For the Student combines movie-making with national history, engaging students in the Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area. This video, about abolitionist John Brown, was created by students at Harpers Ferry Middle School.
He was in Massachusetts recently for a teacher institute focused on two such monuments, including Boston鈥檚 Shaw Memorial. That monument commemorates the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African-American regiments to fight in the war.
Other forms of research get students outside. Frank J. Kelley, who teaches at Chester-Andover Elementary School in Chester, Vt., plans this spring to take students to nearby cemeteries. Armed with digital cameras and laptops, they鈥檒l catalog all the information they can find about Civil War soldiers buried there, such as what the headstones say and their precise location, he said. They will also glean material through further research.
The effort aims to provide digital information that will be made part of the public record and placed on a website called , Mr. Kelley said. It also will help spark a deeper dialogue with students, he believes.
鈥淔rom that will come the plethora of questions: Who were these people? Where did they go?鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey learn about a battle, they learn about a soldier, they learn about what was going on in Vermont.鈥�
Monuments and Maps
Mr. Percoco from West Springfield High advocates using monuments to teach history and has led teacher workshops on the topic.
鈥淭here are hundreds of Civil War monuments across the country,鈥� he said.
鈥淢onuments reflect our sense of public memory,鈥� said Mr. Percoco, who wrote the 2008 book Summers With Lincoln: Looking for the Man in the Monuments. 鈥淭he German word for monument is denkmal, or thought object, and they are meant to not only inspire but generate conversation and dialogue. 鈥�
Cassandra L. Newby-Alexander, a history professor at Norfolk State University, in Virginia, has worked with teachers to help them better understand the city of Norfolk鈥檚 role in the Civil War era, especially the experience of African-Americans there.
She designed a Civil War map in 2010 for the Norfolk visitors bureau, and another in 2009 on the that she鈥檚 provided to many teachers.
Other Civil War maps of the region, Ms. Newby-Alexander explained, failed to tell the story of Norfolk鈥檚 free black population, especially given that the city was in Union hands for most of the war.
鈥淚 was looking around: Where are the maps that tell me where the freedmen lived?鈥� she said. 鈥淲hy are all these maps talking about the Confederacy?鈥�
She said Norfolk blacks organized a parade the same day, Jan. 1, 1863, that President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
鈥淭hose kinds of things we included on the map,鈥� Ms. Newby-Alexander said. It also identifies the site of the first Norfolk school for African-Americans, opened in April 1863.
鈥淎s teachers are looking at this, they can teach their children about the past in a more accurate and balanced way,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t means something when you tell someone: 鈥楾his particular event happened right here in Norfolk, and it鈥檚 right around the corner from where you live.鈥� 鈥�
Experts caution that it鈥檚 not always easy for teachers to navigate what can be a maze of primary sources and to make the most of them in the classroom.
鈥淭he problem for teachers is there鈥檚 too much stuff, so how do you make sense of it?鈥� said Andrew T. Mink, the director of outreach and education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia, who has administered several Teaching American History grant initiatives.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e trying to figure out what it all means and how best to utilize it in the classroom,鈥� said Mr. Levin, the Charlottesville teacher, who also helps lead teacher workshops.
And then, there鈥檚 the issue of gauging the reliability of information on the Internet.
鈥淲ith the sesquicentennial, there鈥檚 an awful lot of stuff online that is valid and accurate,鈥� Mr. Mink said, 鈥渁nd a lot of stuff with a very particular agenda.鈥�
History in the Backyard
Students from Stonewall Jackson Middle School, in Manassas, Va., reenacted and filmed civilian and military life in 1861 at the Manassas National Battlefield Park.
Above: Sixth grader Tymahz Toumadje playing a Union commander
Below: An unidentified soldier in a Confederate shell jacket and Hardee hat
Library of Congress
The film project at Stonewall Middle School in Manassas is getting plenty of outside help, including from the staff at the battlefield, a county historian, and the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, the nonprofit organization spearheading the effort.
In fact, the Manassas project is by the Hallowed Ground partnership, financed with a mix of federal, state, local, and private funds. Film projects have already been completed with schools at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, in West Virginia, and Monticello, the Virginia home of Thomas Jefferson. Ultimately, the venture will involve middle schools at 12 sites, including Civil War parks at Gettysburg, Pa.; Antietam, in Maryland; and Balls Bluff, in Virginia.
鈥淥ne of the goals was to really help the students who have these sites in their backyards to understand the significant history that happened right there,鈥� said Angela D. Stokes, the director of educational programs for the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership, which seeks to raise awareness of the history in a 180-mile corridor that runs from Gettysburg to Monticello.
In addition, the students鈥� films will serve as educational materials for the parks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting for students to contribute to knowledge,鈥� Ms. Stokes said, noting that the series of two-minute films will be used by the Manassas battlefield as part of its sesquicentennial plans and accessible on the park website.
To help students at Stonewall Middle School prepare for the film on immigrants, they read letters by soldiers recounting their experiences, and their frustrations.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know that Irish immigrants were a part of the army, part of the Civil War,鈥� said Tymahz Toumadje, one of the 6th graders filming at the Manassas battlefield. 鈥淣ot just Irish鈥攖here were Germans, Italians. ... The Irish were given bad muskets, the leftover food, and they didn鈥檛 really have any experience. Most of them were farmers.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot about history, about the Civil War,鈥� said Tymahz, the son of Iranian immigrants. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 going back in time.鈥�
