Assignment Description: This assignment asks you to locate and analyze the Civil
War through popular culture. Beginning with the conclusion of the war in 1865, its
meaning has been hotly contested in American culture. To explore this in greater
detail, each student must select ONE example of Civil War culture. This could be a
film, television show, historic site, song, mascot, advertisement, video game, etc.
that is in some way related to the Civil War. Once you’ve selected a source,
critically analyze how it represents the war. You might consider:
~Who created the source and why?
~How does the source deal with race and slavery?
~How does the source explain the cause of the war?
~How does the source portray the Confederate and/or Union cause?
~How does the source impact popular understandings of the war?
~In the end, is the source helpful or harmful to history?
Assignment Guidelines:
-All blog entries should consist of:
1) A minimum of ONE picture from your source, and
2) A 2-3 paragraph analysis of the source and its significance