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Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
When I was conducting research for the Library of Congress primary source set "Civil War Photographs: New Technologies and New Uses," I learned way more about photographic technologies that were used before the Civil War than I could fit into the brief teacher's guide.
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Science Technology and Math
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Sometimes listeners are surprised to find a familiar tune lurking behind the lyrics of a new song. Songwriters may revisit and reuse existing compositions, hoping to catch a listener’s attention through something familiar. The Civil War era song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home" not only resembles an earlier song, but also inspired a number of parodies.
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Fine and Performing Arts
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
As any debate team knows, the ability to communicate arguments and craft rebuttals extemporaneously can be essential. We began wondering how historically well-regarded orators fared with extemporaneous speaking. What might President Abraham Lincoln, for example, have said on the subject?
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Lesson Ideas
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
One of the Library's primary source sets for educators, Civil War Music, has recently been re-tuned to reflect the central role that music played in the Civil War, with the addition of more than a dozen items from the Library's collections.
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Fine and Performing Arts
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
A photograph of the abolitionist and suffrage activist Sojourner Truth that appears in the Library's newest Primary Source Set for educators, "Civil War Images: Depictions of African Americans in the War Effort," provides an opportunity to discover the questions that the objects in a portrait can raise about the message that image might have been meant to convey.
Posted in: African American History, Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Women's History
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Primary sources such as the letters and diaries of Civil War Nurse Mary Ann Bickerdyke offer rich insights into the lives of real people. The fragmented, personal nature of these sources requires careful reading in context and comparison across multiple accounts to glean information and construct understanding.
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Veterans and Military History, Women's History
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
“Civil War Images: Depictions of African Americans in the War Effort,” explores the myriad ways in which African Americans who participated in the Civil War were portrayed visually.
Posted in: African American History, Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877)
Posted by: Cheryl Lederle
Two articles about Patrick Gilmore's June 1869 peace jubilee in Boston, an event many students and teachers may not be familiar with, might pique students' interest in learning about the event and lend themselves to structured evaluation and analysis of each source of information
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Fine and Performing Arts, Lesson Ideas
Posted by: Danna Bell
A number of years ago I published a blog post on wartime clothing drives. I touched briefly on clothing drives and the work to make handmade items for those serving in the military. As I considered what to write about for a post on Veterans Day, I was drawn back to this post.
Posted in: Civil War and Reconstruction (1861-1877), Science Technology and Math, Veterans and Military History