by Jake Betz

Created on: August 01, 2011   Last Updated: May 31, 2012

There is no better time for students to connect with the nation-changing events that took place during the Civil War. Special commemorative activities are being held in many states to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the war (1861 to 1865).

There is more interest in the Civil War now than ever before, and homeschool students are in an excellent position to take advantage of the rich resources that are available.

Here are some suggestions on how to make the Civil War come alive for homeschool students:

The website, “The Civil War Day by Day,” sponsored by the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library at the University of North Carolina, presents a sample of an actual Civil War document that is exactly 150 years old, to the day. The Aug. 1, 2011, entry, for example, was an Aug. 1, 1861 letter from Edward Porter Alexander to his wife following the first Battle of Bull Run. The website brings home the fact that the Civil War was more than historical dates and battles; it was an event of monumental proportions that affected Americans on both sides in profound ways.

Another website, “This Day in the Civil War,” provides a thorough timeline of war, including information on a significant thing that happened on the date the site is viewed. On Aug. 1, the site highlighted a Union cavalry advance on Aug. 1, 1863, from Witteburg to Little Rock, Ark. Students can research the lives of a prominent Civil War general, either from the North or South.

If the student networks with a fellow homeschool student of the same age, the two can select generals from opposing sides in a particular battle and conduct an online debate on which leader performed best in battle. Students can investigate whether any soldiers from their hometown fought in the Civil War and if so, in what campaigns.

Local or county historical societies would not only be willing, but eager, to offer information and suggest supporting reading materials. If family records are available, students can write an essay on whether they had ancestors who lived in America in the 1860s, and if so, what they were doing during the Civil War years. Just about every community has someone who participates in Civil War re-enactments. Re-enactors are always happy to share their knowledge of the Civil War. Most would be receptive to a one-on-one interview with a history student.

As a geography lesson, students can reinforce their knowledge of where states are located while they differentiate which states remained in the Union and which ones joined the Confederacy. For students in high school, the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “The Killer Angels” by Michael Shaara, which is centered on the Battle of Gettysburg, is both a literary and an historical masterpiece.

Who said history has to be dull? Academic activities like these can make the Civil War fun for both homeschool students and their teachers.

Learn more about this author, Jake Betz.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.