Civil War Magazine

The Civil War was a tumultuous time for American citizens. It was the one and only war that was fought solely on American soil between Americans. For our study of the War, we will be creating “Civil War” magazines. We will be working in groups acting as historians, editors, artists, cartographers, authors, and publishers to create our final product.

Items to be included in your magazine: (see rubric to see how each section will be graded) – EACH page should contain at least one graphic.

_____ 1. Colorful cover with illustration (“key articles”) and group members names

_____ 2. Table of contents – include simple descriptions of key articles and all pages of magazine need to be numbered

_____ 3. Map of free and slave states – colored and correctly labeled per side of war – include flags of each side

_____ 4. Choice - Letter home from someone fighting in the war – soldier, spy, nurse/doctor, religious person, etc. OR Article on life of a soldier – typical day and personal items

_____ 5. Map of 2 major battles – with key (location, outcome, casualties)

_____ 6. Article on at least 3 Civil War “Firsts”

_____ 7. Article on important figures of war: Lincoln, Davis, Lee, Grant, Sherman, Stephens, Jackson, Hood, Johnston, Meade, McClellan, and Farragut (select one) – Include quotes from an “interview”, and a photograph

_____ 8. Editorial/Opinion letter on the war – from each side (Northern and Southern)

_____ 9. Copy of a famous speech with personal reaction to it

_____ 10. Article on spies of the war OR Article on medicine of the war OR Article about music/games of the time

_____ 11. Article on punishments for soldiers – misbehavior in camp, desertion, switching sides, etc. Also discuss prisons – at least one northern prison and one southern prison

_____ 12. Political cartoon – one original and one “found” cartoon (include explanations)

_____ 13. Advertisements – at least 5 – representative of the time (created by you)

_____ 14. Article on women in the war

_____ 15. Article on war strategies – ironclads, blockades, weapons, etc.

_____ 16. Article on slavery issue

_____ 17. Article on free blacks, Latinos, and young people in the war

_____ 18. Article comparing the resources of each side (who had more and therefore was expected to win each battle)

_____ 19. Article with “The War is over, now what?” (What is going to happen to the US, in the US, now that the war is over? Mention economical effects, such as inflation, unemployment, etc.)

_____ 20. Article on uniform of different sides (with illustrations)

_____ 21. Article on Atlanta Campaign (Sherman’s Christmas gift to Lincoln, Sherman’s bow-ties, Kennesaw Mountain, etc.)

Presentation – this will be a separate group grade from the rest of the magazine. It will count ______points.

All members of the group need to be involved in the presentation. Presentation needs to include:

1. Introduce your group members

2.Show and share the cover – Describe and explain the design.

3.Letter from the editor – this is to be read to the class. This letter is something that is included in all magazines that gives a very brief synopsis of what all is included, and it also states how excited the editor is about this particular issue.

4.Share one feature in the magazine

** Your presentation is your “pitch” – why we should buy your magazine??? And, how can you create a magazine that will actually be around 100 years from now????

Key points to remember:

  • Magazines are DUE to your teacher on ______, and presentations will be on ______.
  • We will have a Civil War Magazine “Cast Off” party - as if it is really being published -on the day of presentations with food and drink.
  • Your presentation will be scored and combined with points from teacher observation and peer evaluations for a participation grade.
  • Your teacher will be checking in with groups throughout this process to take grades on parts of your magazines. While the class time provided will be sufficient to complete most of the assignments, some work will need to be done at home.
  • This is going to count as the test grade for the Civil War.
  • We will be completing mini-lessons throughout this process in order for you to get information to use in your magazine as well as to earn some class work/homework grades.
  • Finished product needs to be neat, in color and bound in some method.