Smithsonian's History Explorer Resources Related To "Women’s Role in the Civil War"

Material and Symbol: The Lincoln-Keckley Dress

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:25:35 GMT

This teacher's resource challenges students to think about the Lincoln-Keckley as an object that has multiple symbolic meanings. It includes a preliminary activity intended to introduce students to doing history with objects and 3 lesson plans focused on the multiple meanings of the dress, the evolving role of the first lady and the advent of mass media. Also included are annotated links to other online resources that are related to slavery, abolition, gender and consumption in the mid-nineteenth century.

This activity is included in The Object of History, a cooperative project between the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History and George Mason University's Center for History and New Media.

The Scott Family: Life on the WWII Homefront

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:42:25 GMT

Through the use of a description of the apartment, an excerpt from Mary Scott's diary, and artifact from the period, students will learn about life on the home front during World War II. The Scotts rented apartment on the first floor of an Ipswich, Massachusetts house became a home front battlefield during World War II. The Scotts are one of the families that lived in the Ipswich, Massachusetts house which is the focus of Within These Walls, an online exhibition.

Interactive Gettysburg Address

Fri, 30 Nov 2012 13:38:25 GMT

Use this interactive document to bring one of the five known handwritten copies of the Gettysburg Address to life! Students can zoom in on the document, click on highlighted passages that help put the famous speech into context and listen to actor Liam Neeson read the entire address. Transcripts of the manuscript are also available in English and Spanish to help students understand one the most famous speeches in American History. This resource is included in the online exhibition entitled The Gettysburg Address.

The Civil War

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:22:31 GMT

From 1861-1865, Americans battled over preserving their Union and ending slavery. The Civil War is the focus of this section of The Price of Freedom: Americans at War, an online exhibition. This pivotal and complicated period of American history is divided into sections that allow students to focus either on a specific aspect of the war, or the conflict as a whole. The sections included are: John Brown, Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bull Run, major turning points, the war at sea, Wilderness to Appomattox, political leaders, military leaders, soldiers in blue and gray; battles and casualties and Reconstruction and the legacies of the war. A non-flash version of this site is available: The Civil War.

History Explorer Podcast: Women's Military History

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:13:46 GMT

In this episode of History Explorer, curators Bart Hacker and Margaret Vining discuss the roles that women have played in the military throughout history, their research, and the 2013 announcement of a policy to allow women in combat. The resource set includes a teacher guide, student worksheet, and related images.