American+Civil+War

**Pathfinder for research on the American Civil War (8th Grade)**
This guide is designed to help you to find high quality information on the Civil War and many specific areas of interest including those offered as choices for the spring research assignment. The guide includes databases, “portals” which are lists of linked sites categorized under subject headings, individual sites including primary source materials and multimedia (pictures, video and audio). Books from our library catalog are also listed and some of these are also Accelerated Reader titles.
 * Composed by Mrs. J. March, Librarian.**


 * NOTE** The = symbol after a citation indicates easier reading.

Databases
Databases are searchable collections of articles which have been edited and checked for accuracy. They are usually sold in print format also, and online access requires a subscription. Access from school is via [|UDLibSEARCH] – there is an internet shortcut on your desktop. Access from home is via //[|DelAWARE]// - you will need a library card number and pin to log in.

Britannica Online School Edition World Book Online = //Search these by entering general subjects such as American Civil War, or the name of a person. Do not enter a string of keywords or a phrase.// //The encyclopedias also have good collections of images//.
 * General encyclopedia articles:**

Student Resource Center – Gold //Search by broad subject or use keywords for articles on specific topics. This database will give you articles, primary sources and multimedia. Color coded for reading level.// Accessible Archives //This database allows you to search for magazine and newspaper articles that were published at the time of the war. Two I recommend are:// //The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective, and African American Newspapers: The 19th Century.// Annals of American History is a good source of other primary documents (see below). Student Edition, SIRS Discoverer, SIRS Renaissance and SIRS Researcher provide newspaper and magazine articles which may contain current opinion and facts on your subject. SIRS articles are color coded for reading level.
 * Databases for articles**:

Primary Source Web Sites
Primary sources are documents and artifacts which were produced or in use at the time. You can view these online at the following sites: The Civil War Archive Files Index http://www.civilwararchive.com/files.htm Civil War@Smithsonian Collections http://civilwar.si.edu/collections.html Library of Congress: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860 - 1877 http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/CivilWarRecon.html The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries http://www.alexanderstreet2.com/CWLDLive/index.html Causes of the Civil War (links to documents and speeches relating to secession) http://members.aol.com/jfepperson/causes.html Civil War Treasures from the New York Historical Society http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/nhihtml/cwnyhshome.html American Civil War Collections at the University of Virginia Library (letters and diaries) [|http://etext.virginia.edu/civilwar/#Argh] The Valley of the Shadow (learn about life in two communities, one North and one South, through letters, diaries, newspapers, speeches and other records) http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/ Letters from an Iowa Soldier in the Civil War (letters filled with details of the war and life in Union camps) http://www.civilwarletters.com/

Portals (lists of links)
Yahoo U.S. Civil War Directory (1861-1865) http://dir.yahoo.com/Arts/Humanities/History/U_S__History/By_Time_Period/19th_Century/Military_History/Civil_War__1861_1865_/ The American Civil War Homepage http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html Shotgun’s Home of the American Civil War (formerly maintained by Louisiana State University) http://www.civilwarhome.com/ The Civil War http://www.teacheroz.com/civilwar.htm The American Civil War (from Dakota State University) http://www.homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/civilwar/civilwar.htm The Civil War (from KidsKonnect) [|http://www.kidskonnect.com/content/view/264/27/ =] The Civil War (KidPort Reference Library) [|http://kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/CivilWar/CivilWar.htm =] Categorized links, general resources, documentary records, and state and local studies. Maintained by Dr. George H. Hoemann, University of Tennessee.
 * [|Index of Civil War Information available on the Internet]** Long list of topics related to the Civil War, with links to information sources.
 * [|The American Civil War Homepage] **

General Web Sites
These are high-quality, recommended sites.

The Time of the Lincolns (PBS) Sections include Slavery and Freedom, A Woman’s World, and Americans at War. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/ = American Memory from the Library of Congress. See the sections on War, African American History, and Women’s History. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html Black Dispatches: Black American Contributions to Union Intelligence During the Civil War https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/black-dispatches/index.html America’s Story (Library of Congress) Selection of short articles on various topics of the war and its times. http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/civil = Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Battle Summaries (battles listed by state and by campaign) http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/battles/tvii.htm Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (searchable by name) http://www.itd.nps.gov/cwss/sailors_index.html Unforgettable Sights: America’s Civil War (A series of short, well illustrated chapters) http://www.click2history.com/civil_war/civil_war_ch1.htm = A War to End Slavery (PBS) A series of illustrated “webisodes” tells the story. http://www.pbs.org/wnet/historyofus/web06/segment1.html Camp Life: Civil War Collections (from Gettysburg National Park) http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/exhibits/gettex/index.htm The Civil War (images and information from Ken Burns’ tv series) http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/ National Geographic Map Machine: Civil War Edition (interactive map of battlefields and sites with detailed descriptions) http://java.nationalgeographic.com/maps/civilwar/ The American Civil War (National Park Service) Includes section on African American soldiers. http://cwar.nps.gov/civilwar/ Civil War Life (home life during the war – includes children’s stories and games) http://www.edinborough.com/Learn/Civil_War_Life/Life.html =

Multimedia Resources
NOTE The encyclopedias and general databases recommended above are good sources for images. In addition: African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation and Museum Thirty-nine different scenes depicting the role of the "Negro" in the Civil War. This series of prints from the original wood block engravings was printed between 1861 and 1865 by Harper Brothers, Leslies and London Illustrated News. These were the leading publishers during the Civil War. http://www.afroamcivilwar.org/civilwarprints/index.html Images of the Civil War http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/cwimages/portraits/index.html Selected Civil War Photographs (Library of Congress) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html Civil War Maps (Library of Congress) http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/civil_war_maps/ MSN Encarta Civil War Multimedia http://encarta.msn.com/medias_761567354/Civil_War.html Public Domain Music (see sections on Civil War under Song Eras). These clips may be downloaded and added to a presentation. http://www.pdmusic.org/

Books related to topic:
Access the school library from home at http://167.21.9.121/webopac/main?siteid=HBMiddle or from the link on the library site home page. Log in with your student ID as barcode and your last name as password in order to reserve books.

Browse the catalog under Call Number 973.7, or R973.7 for general books; also specific topics e.g. women, children, boys in the war, spies, battles, weapons, camp life etc.

In addition: 355.1 MCA : McAfee, Michael J. Billy Yank : the uniform of the Union Army, 1861-1865. Philadelphia, Pa. : Chelsea House, 2000. 975.1 HAN : Hancock, Harold Bell Delaware during the Civil War. Wilmington: Historical Society of Delaware, 1961 P 973.7 : Children of the Civil War. Peterborough, NH : Cobblestone Publishing Company, 12/99 = B GRA : O'Brien, Steven. Ulysses S. Grant. New York : Chelsea House, c1991. B SMA : Cooper, Michael L. From slave to Civil War hero : the life and times of Robert Smalls. New York : Lodestar/Dutton, c1994. B STU : Pflueger, Lynda. Jeb Stuart : Confederate cavalry general. Springfield, NJ : Enslow Publishers, c1998. B SHE : Hoogenboom, Lynn. William Tecumseh Sherman : the fight to preserve the Union. New York : PowerPlus Books, 2004. BC FOL : Foley, Rae, 1900- Famous American spies. New York : Dodd, [c1962]

Other Biographies available – four titles on Robert E. Lee under B LEE – many titles on Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln under B LIN – two titles on Stonewall Jackson under B JAC

Test Your Knowledge!
American Civil War History Quiz http://www.triv.net/html/Users3/u8273.htm FunTrivia Civil War Quiz http://www.funtrivia.com/quizzes/history/war_history/us_civil_war.html Who Wants to be a Civil War Guru? http://americanhistory.about.com/library/quizzes/blcwwhowants.htm

For teachers only
VID 973.7 GLORY Glory. Tri-Star Pictures 1999 Edited for educational use. Running time 122 minutes Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman star in this Academy Award-winning Civil War epic.

VID 973.7 NAT A nation divided: the American Civil War. American Institute for Education, Inc. c1998 Running time 30 minutes From the first shots fired upon Fort Sumter to surrender at Appomattox Court House, the Civil War would change America from a nation divided to a truly United States forever.