Voices of Civil War America: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life

(Hardback)

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Description

Letting ordinary people speak for themselves, this book uses primary documents to highlight daily life among AmericansUnion and Confederate, black and white, soldier and civilianduring the Civil War and Reconstruction. Focusing on routines as basic as going to school and cooking and cleaning, Voices of Civil War America: Contemporary Accounts of Daily Life explores the lives of ordinary Americans during one of the nation's most tumultuous eras. The book emphasizes the ordinary rather than the momentous to help students achieve a true understanding of mid-19th-century American culture and society. Recognizing that there is no better way to learn history than to allow those who lived it to speak for themselves, the authors utilize primary documents to depict various aspects of daily life, including politics, the military, economics, domestic life, material culture, religion, intellectual life, and leisure. Each of the documents is augmented by an introduction and aftermath, as well as lists of topics to consider and questions to ask.

Reviews

The focus on the direct experiences of ordinary Americans and the amount of context provided set this book apart from the plethora of works on the Civil War. A great choice for American history collections. * Library Journal *
One of the greatest means for achieving an understanding of a historical period long past is to read the unfiltered, unanalyzed words of people who lived through it, and among the 48 documents provided here is an array of letters and journal entries written by people who existed at and around the time of the Civil War. . . . The documents are followed by questions, most of which are substantial, to encourage expanded deliberation; they will make excellent fodder for classroom discussion. . . . a rich volume of fascinating primary documents and worthwhile ancillary material * School Library Journal *

Author Bio

Lawrence A. Kreiser, Jr. is associate professor of history at Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, AL. Ray B. Browne, prior to his death in 2009, was professor emeritus in the Department of Popular Culture at Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH.