American Centuries

Pocumtuck Valley
Memorial Association

American Centuries > Lessons > History Lessons By Teachers > Reading Old Letters: Another View on History

Reading Old Letters: Another View on History

Details

Author
Nathalie McCormick
Topic/Subject Area
Military, Wars, Battles
Historical Era
Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861–1877
Grade Level
Elementary (K–5)
Creation Date
2009
Last Revision Date
2024

Related items

About This Lesson

Summary and Objective

After studying Civil War era letters, students will understand that by reading letters from a particular period in history, they can begin to see another view of history. They will see that there is more to history than “who fought with whom, and where, and when,” but that history was also lived by people with everyday lives and experiences, many similar to our own, even in a different time.

Materials & Resources

Collection Items
Websites

 

 

Teaching Plan

  1. Pre-Teaching: Read “How To Read Old Documents” and “Primary and Secondary Sources”, located under “Related items.”
  2. Prepare enlarged copies of the primary source documents (letters) from the “Collection Items” included in this lesson, so that the class may see what the actual letters looked like. Transcriptions can be seen in the sidebar, accessible by clicking the “hamburger” button. Optional Materials: artist’s paper, black tea, fountain pens (often available in office supply stores).
  3. Ask the children to share when they last sent a letter or received one. Discuss whether they used the mail (U.S. Postal Service) or email. Is anyone in the class saving a letter which was special or important? Discuss and make a class list to answer some of the following questions: Why do we write letters? To whom do we write them? From whom do we receive them? What sorts of news and information do we communicate in letters?
  4. Show the enlarged copies of the Civil War letters. Give students copies of the transcriptions to read or read them aloud.
  5. Discuss questions from “Primary and Secondary Sources,” such as: Who wrote this letter? Who was this person in society? What were his or her values or views, religion, etc.? How can you tell? What might be this writer’s social status and education? Also: What was the point of this document? What might we know about the author from what is written? Looking at clues in the letter, what might we learn about this time in history? Can you figure out from the letters which side of the conflict the writer supported? Even though women did not typically fight in war or hold political office during this period, can you figure out how they might have supported the war effort? Did it seem important to the author to be able to write letters, or to receive them? What makes you think so? (You may have other questions to ask; the possibilities are many!)
  6. Have each student compose a letter in response to one of those studied in this lesson. Try to imagine and create the voice and circumstances of the writer. What clues in your letter will lead the reader to think s/he is reading one from the Civil War and not written by a student in the 21st century?
  7. Optional Activity: Students might like to dye artist’s paper with tea and hand-write the letters on the dyed paper with fountain pens.
  8. Share and display the letters.