Note to Teachers: Here are some ideas to inspire your students to time travel and immerse themselves in the political, emotional, and cultural aspects leading up to and including the Civil War.
A Letter to a Loved One or Diary Entry
Congratulations! You have just been selected to be an honorary member of the 1857 Dickinson College Belles Lettres Society! Using the 1857 timeline from this website, pick any memorable day and write a letter to your special someone in the North or the South about the news or create a diary entry recording your feelings, actions, and plans based on the major event you have just heard of or found out about.
Congratulations! You have just been selected to be an honorary member of the 1857 Dickinson College Belles Lettres Society! Using the 1857 timeline from this website, pick any memorable day and write a letter to your special someone in the North or the South about the news or create a diary entry recording your feelings, actions, and plans based on the major event you have just heard of or found out about.
The Belles Lettres Society of Dickinson College;
Courtesy of the Dickinson Archives |
A letter from Joseph Culver to his wife during the Civil War;
Courtesy of the University of Iowa |
The Role of Music in the Civil War
Joseph F. Culver and Thomas N. Conrad, both appreciated the power of music. Culver, in his many letters to his wife, discusses how his regimental band would play inspirational and uplifting music to boost the morale of the troops. As a cornet player, Culver was responsible for securing the funding for the instruments of the 129th Company A Illinois Infantry Volunteers. Several musical selections he references in his letters are the "Quickstep," "Ever of Thee," and "Mother Pray for Me."
Conrad, had the band play "Old Dixie" at the graduation of the Class of 1861 at Georgetown College where he was headmaster, which led to his subsequent arrest.
For this activity, using the Internet, find a Civil War song from either the North or the South, review the lyrics and explain its historical significance. For extra credit, be creative and perform the selection. This can be either sung, rapped, read in the form of slam poem, or played on an instrument.
Joseph F. Culver and Thomas N. Conrad, both appreciated the power of music. Culver, in his many letters to his wife, discusses how his regimental band would play inspirational and uplifting music to boost the morale of the troops. As a cornet player, Culver was responsible for securing the funding for the instruments of the 129th Company A Illinois Infantry Volunteers. Several musical selections he references in his letters are the "Quickstep," "Ever of Thee," and "Mother Pray for Me."
Conrad, had the band play "Old Dixie" at the graduation of the Class of 1861 at Georgetown College where he was headmaster, which led to his subsequent arrest.
For this activity, using the Internet, find a Civil War song from either the North or the South, review the lyrics and explain its historical significance. For extra credit, be creative and perform the selection. This can be either sung, rapped, read in the form of slam poem, or played on an instrument.
Union Civil War Regimental Band;
Courtesy of civilwarband.us |
Dixie's Land Sheet Music;
Courtesy of Daniel Decatur Emmett, Virginia Historical Society |