November 11, 2003
Our Civil War Study
Yesterday was a busy day! We did a lot of reading and attempted to get back on track. It was difficult, as I suspected, but went well, considering.
 We're still in the thick of our Civil War study. The things we're learning are fascinating! I knew this would be a great topic. The kids started on their Civil War notebooks (i.e. research reports). They have until December 12th to complete them. To round out my own study of the period I am reading Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
One of the things we discussed was "the power of the pen" in relation to shaping or turning public opinion--as in the case of Uncle Tom's Cabin. Because of this book more people (especially in the north) were informed about the treatment of slaves and it increased their sympathy for them--as well as their hatred of slavery. For both our children it was an example of what one person can accomplish. For our daughter, the impact was heightened because the author of this particular book was a woman--long before women were recognized as having great minds!
In an effort to teach our son to think for himself, and not be swayed by the "power of the pen", we have given him the task of analyzing current events from a national newspaper. Our encouragement to him is to not merely believe everything he reads, but to be on the lookout for bias and to search for the facts. This has turned out to be quite a challenge for him--and for my husband and me as we attempt to guide him in this process.
 Also, to supplement our study, we watched Gone With The Wind, one of our all-time favorite movies! As we have studied the Civil War, Zach and Jenna have overwhelmingly favored the Union over the Confederacy. Our hope was that in seeing the war from the perspective of the south in this movie they would gain a little clearer view from the Confederate standpoint--even though much of the movie is far from factual.
As our web site declares: teaching at home is a learning experience.... We are all learning as we tackle these topics. But I can't think about that today.... I'll think about that tomorrow... ;-)
Posted by at November 11, 2003 07:14 AM
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Comments
I am homeschooling our 17 yr. old son for the 1st time. Matthew is a bright and intelligent child and History (all history) is hard for him. Yes, he has some LD's. I am using the Abeka American History and modifiying it somewhat. We will be starting the Civil War after Christmas break. I want it to be interesting for him even if we stray from the book. I was also wondering if you had seen Gods and Generals and what you thought about it for accuracy, etc. I know I'm asking so many questions but as I stated earlier I want to make this very interesting for Matthew. Thank you for any help you can give. Cathy Dickson
Posted by: Cathy Dickson | December 18, 2003 12:29 PM
I recommend "The Cause Lost", by William C. Davis is an excellent study of the Southern mythos. As a Virginian I was raised steeped in the lore of the Lost Cause. An excellent read about a truly incredible American is "Lee: The Last Years" by Charles Bracen Flood. Also, if you can visit a good Civil War battlefield and see how the war was fought, the kids really learn a lot. Pamplin Park in Virginia is the best Civil War park in the country.
Posted by: Terry Constable | November 24, 2006 07:01 PM