The 150th anniversary of the American Civil War has brought renewed interest in the war itself and in how social studies educators teach the Civil War in their U.S. history courses. The authors encourage teachers to use social history as a vehicle to engage their students in a more complete examination of the war and to foster a deeper understanding of how wars are fought by societies as well as armies. The article discusses ways in which teachers can focus on the experiences of women, African Americans, and civilians to help students see the war through new lenses. By working with visual images and letters as well as government documents and firsthand accounts from sources such as the Southern Claims Commission surveys, students see the active role played by groups of ordinary people as they sought to advance their political and economic interests. In addition to providing a rationale for using social history in the teaching of the Civil War, the authors include two lesson plans that teachers can easily adapt for use in their own classrooms.

For more information on the published version, visit Taylor and Francis's Website.

Bair, Sarah D., and Kay Ackerman. Not Your Father's Civil War: Engaging Students through Social History. 105, no. 5 (2014): 222-229. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00377996.2014.917066

Citation