Civil War & Reconstruction
Timeline
Trigger Words
Primary Sources
Title: U.S Colored Troops
Link: http://education.harpweek.com/KKKHearings/LettertotheTeacherTop.htm Summary: In this cartoon, the 1850 setting shows an African American driving a Southern plantation owner around town. It shows a time when the African Americans were still enslaved. In the 1870 setting, a group of African American soldiers is driving a group of Southerners out of a battlefield. After the Emancipation Proclamation, colored men were allowed to become troops for the Union. Analysis/Details: In the first cartoon, the Southern farmer is portrayed as lazy, old, and angry. The way he sits parallels a man who is a slob and has no sense of pride. The African American man carries himself in a dignified way and is dressed much more nicely than the Southern man. This shows the North's view on the South's way of life. That a Southern man is nothing without his slaves and that they are too dependent on this immoral issue. The KKK symbol on the Southerner's backside in the second cartoon represents the white supremacy group that arose alongside the Black Codes in response to reconstruction. Because they are running away from the African American troops, whom they had previously looked as slaves, portrays them as cowards. Stefania C Title: The Battle of Gettysburg, 1863 Link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gtburgcont.htm Summary: This primary source is from Tillie Pierce, a then 15 year old girl who witnessed the battle of Gettysburg. She recalls the dirty looking rebel troops when they first arrived, searching homes and shops for food. She remembers the first Union troops arriving and the first shots fired. Many soldiers had limbs and body parts blown off and young Pierce witnessed it all. Eventually, the Union troops stopped the rebel advance and were victorious. Significance: The rebel soldiers raiding houses in search of food and water exemplifies how poorly supported many rebel platoons were. Coutless soldiers starved to death and this too was a huge help to the Union. The fields and sreets that were littered with dead bodies shows just how brutal the American Civil War was. Some bodies could not even be identified after many battles due to cannons and expolsives. Despite the brutality, the North won the battle and the Southern supply line was cut off. Also the South's advance into the North was halted. Garry T. |
Title: Lee's Retreat From Gettysburg
Link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/gtburg2.htm
Summary: In this primary source it concludes with solid interaction and evidence of the Union's Victory over the all mighty fearful Robert E Lee. although Lee had known very well that trying and going for a win at Gettysburg was a very far leap he had still gone with gut. His overall plan was to break the unions defense very strongly. Robert E Lee's strategic output for the confederacy had utterly failed as the Union's Lines of defense were far more superior. His original plan had not obviously worked and his back up, still had nothing as the retreating soldiers were being protected by a so called "defense", they had nothing left to do but run as well. SIGNIFICANCE: this primary source shows tad bit of civil warfare between North and South. as stated earlier, the confederacy's plan did not work in any way. as the initial plan had been "break through the unions lines one at a time" Robert E Lee was a good asset for the south but had come up short of what the Union had to offer them. and as for the back up plan, that had been a very clear demonstration of what side (between the Union and Confederacy) who had the ultimate hand in this fight all along. Kinon C. Title: The First Battle of Bull Run, 1861
Link: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/bullrun.htm Summary: This document chronicles the events that occurred leading up to, during, and after the 1st Battle of Bull Run. The battle initially seemed to be in favor of the North but the inadequately-trained Union troops proved to be no match for the Confederate troops, especially once their reinforcements arrived. The Union army was defeated and forced to retreat to Washington, never realizing their goal of winning and opening the way to the Confederate capitol: Richmond, Virginia. Significance: The North could not have come from the Battle of Bull Run with better circumstances. Had they emerged from the battle victorious, the Union troops most likely would have been slaughtered later on by Confederate troops who were much better trained than them. A victory for the Confederates at their capitol surely would have been sufficient reason for France and Britain to intervene, and this surely would have spelled defeat for the North in the Civil War. The shocking loss suffered by the Union troops made them realize that a victory would not be as easy as they thought and so they started to truly buckle down for the task at hand. In a way, this battle was a contributing factor to the North's victory in the Civil War. Andrew S. |