The objective in Part 4 is to engage some of the deepest struggles of the civilian population during the Civil War. Combatants fought because their families at home supported them. Without a strong homefront, there could have been no successful battle fronts. Yet each side struggled mightily with challenges to civilian morale. This section focuses on how teachers might use the stories of southern women and Lincoln’s mastery of northern political conflicts to help explain the ultimate outcome of the war.
Featured Image: Richmond Bread Riot
Featured Document: Blind Memorandum
Handouts: 37th Congress // Blind Memorandum // Macaria
Further Reading: Catherine Clinton on Women and Homefront
Guest GLI Lecture: Ronald White on Abraham Lincoln’s Words (37 mins.)
Featured Student Video: A Texas Farmer’s Civil War (9 mins.)
Civil War Through American Art:
Winslow Homer, “Veteran in a New Field,” (1865)