In the Classroom

Civil War Roll Call

Interested in the Civil War? Browse highlights from our collection of Civil War-related objects, images and documents, or explore our interactive features.

The Home Front

civil war era woman

Artifact: The Vicksburg Daily Citizen
Artifact: Thank you letter from Mrs. Hooper
Lesson: Are You Feeling a Draft?
Explore how men have been selected to join the military in times of need and whether or not it is a fair method.
Artifact: Confederate Bond
Lesson: Patriotic Symbols during the Civil War
Students will identify and interpret patriotic symbols used during the Civil War.
Artifact: Draft Cylinder
Artifact: Cape
Civil War Dress Up: Civilian Man
Civil War Dress Up: Civilian Woman
Civil War Dress Up: Civilian Girl
Civil War Newspaper Index

Army Life

A Soldier's Dream

Civil War Dress Up: A Union Soldier
Artifact: James Childs Hitchcock's Military Journal
Artifact: Letter to Ella Melendy
Lesson: A Soldier's Personal View of the Civil War
Students will study a painting and personal letters to gain an understanding of some aspects of military life.
Lesson: Civil War Regimental and Brigade Bands
Students will learn what it may have been like to be a musician in a Civil War Military Band with a focus on the expectations and types of music performed.
Artifact: A Soldier's Dream
Artifact: Civil War Musket with Bayonet
Artifact: Sketch of Attack on Charlestown Harbor
Lesson: Letters home from a Civil War soldier
One individual's way of communicating during the Civil War is very different from how we might share our thoughts today.
Artifact: Union Playing Cards
Artifact: Plate and Cup
Artifact: Officers of 44th Mass. Regiment Volunteers
Video Demonstration: Firing a Springfield Percussion Musket

Slavery & Emancipation

sketch of african american boy

Magic Lens: Emancipation Proclamation
Artifact: Letter to Agnes Higginson
Artifact: Our Page, Harry
Lesson: Massachusetts Fights in the Civil War
Using the film Glory to teach about the Civil War and the role of African Americans in the war effort.
Lesson: African American Experiences During the Pre-Civil War Era
Students will read, discuss, and respond to several primary documents to better understand various African American perspectives on the pre-Civil War Era.
Artifact: Photograph of Samuel Willard Saxton
Artifact: Letter from Thomas Wentworth Higginson to his brother

See More...

... items about slavery in our Online Collection
... items about the Civil War in our Online Collection
... lessons about the Civil War in History Lessons by Teachers

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