introduction
This year, I will teach 5th grade at Trinity Episcopal School as a first year teacher. The school has decided to move instruction of the Civil War to 5th grade social studies. The importance of the Civil War on American life and its impact on our national identity cannot be understated. In a nation that was vigorously debating the moral evil of slavery and the sovereignty of states, the citizens of half the country ultimately chose to go to war to remain a united country. But it came with a high price: 600,000 people lost their lives during the war. Half of the country saw its way of life fundamentally altered. Life in the U.S. would never be the same after the war (Masur, 2011). I want to take on a rigorous study of the Civil War: its origins, its aftermath, and the impact it had on the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. The 5th grade curriculum focuses on mostly national perspectives. My students will already have learned a bit about Charlotte’s history in prior years. My research for this project will help me not only to teach my students about the war on a national level, but also from the local perspective. This is of interest to me as well because I am a native Charlottean, and I am interested to learn more about the history of my natal city.
This website’s research will highlight both the national, macro-level origins and impact of the Civil War through the themes of the social studies: geography, culture, economics, and politics. After the national, macro-level perspective is examined and explained, the focus will shift to the more local, micro-level perspective. My hope is that this investigation will improve my knowledge and confidence when I teach 5th grade this year.
This website’s research will highlight both the national, macro-level origins and impact of the Civil War through the themes of the social studies: geography, culture, economics, and politics. After the national, macro-level perspective is examined and explained, the focus will shift to the more local, micro-level perspective. My hope is that this investigation will improve my knowledge and confidence when I teach 5th grade this year.
Click the Pictures Below to Explore My Research
conclusion and reflection
I have not seen a lot of this information since I took U.S. history in high school. Reviewing all of this has made me much more confident in my ability to teach the Civil War in the coming year. I learned lots of new information about my hometown’s involvement in the Civil War. I noticed whenever I studied the Civil War that Charlotte was almost never mentioned, perhaps because it was not destroyed by Union forces, perhaps because the town was a transient one the war effort. But I’ve learned that I can fill in that gap for my students when they ask me what role the city played in the war effort. I also did not know that The Grove was still standing in Charlotte, and that visitors can tour the home and experience what life was like in antebellum Charlotte. I leave this project with a better idea of the political situation and the political parties prior to the war. I did not know that Republican Party (though it has undergone changes in modern times) had its roots in opposition to slavery. Finally, so much of Charlotte’s history is economic. I complete this project with a much clearer understanding of the role that the Civil War played in pushing the city to become industrialized. I also realize that the forces of industrialization brought with them many of the evils of the Old South: white supremacy, extreme social stratification between rich and poor, and Jim Crow laws to keep blacks and poor whites separated.
This project has helped me to better understand the following objectives that are part of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study:
5.H.1 Analyze the chronology of key events in the United States.
Clarifying Objective: Analyze the impact of major conflicts, battles and wars on the development of our nation through Reconstruction.
5.H.2 Understand the role of prominent figures in shaping the United States.
Clarifying Objective: 5.H.2.2 Explain how key historical figures have exemplified values and principles of American democracy.
5.H.2.3 Compare the changing roles of women and minorities on American society from the Pre-Colonial era through Reconstruction.
National Standards require that Social Studies instruction involve the many different themes of Social Studies. This project covers all of the major themes.
This will make me a better social studies teacher because I will have a stronger knowledge base in the themes of social studies and how each had a role in the Civil War. I will teach with a better sense of the value of teaching using primary sources. I will also teach about perspective and historical interpretation. I saw Gone With the Wind as a young child, and it very much colored how I viewed the Civil War. I think that 5th graders are old enough to watch it and to learn about the Lost Cause interpretation of the war. If this occurs after more accurate instruction in the war, it could be a powerful lesson in the role that film can play in educating, or mis-educating, us about history. I’m really glad I did this project. I learned more about arguably the most important event in U.S. history, I learned about my natal city, and I learned about how to connect what I know about social studies teaching with the Civil War.
This project has helped me to better understand the following objectives that are part of the North Carolina Standard Course of Study:
5.H.1 Analyze the chronology of key events in the United States.
Clarifying Objective: Analyze the impact of major conflicts, battles and wars on the development of our nation through Reconstruction.
5.H.2 Understand the role of prominent figures in shaping the United States.
Clarifying Objective: 5.H.2.2 Explain how key historical figures have exemplified values and principles of American democracy.
5.H.2.3 Compare the changing roles of women and minorities on American society from the Pre-Colonial era through Reconstruction.
National Standards require that Social Studies instruction involve the many different themes of Social Studies. This project covers all of the major themes.
This will make me a better social studies teacher because I will have a stronger knowledge base in the themes of social studies and how each had a role in the Civil War. I will teach with a better sense of the value of teaching using primary sources. I will also teach about perspective and historical interpretation. I saw Gone With the Wind as a young child, and it very much colored how I viewed the Civil War. I think that 5th graders are old enough to watch it and to learn about the Lost Cause interpretation of the war. If this occurs after more accurate instruction in the war, it could be a powerful lesson in the role that film can play in educating, or mis-educating, us about history. I’m really glad I did this project. I learned more about arguably the most important event in U.S. history, I learned about my natal city, and I learned about how to connect what I know about social studies teaching with the Civil War.