analyzing civil war

Overview

1. Critically analyze primary and secondary sources from early U.S. history (from pre-Columbian period through the Civil War and Reconstruction) and construct thesis-based, analytical essays and written assignments.
2. And, will focus on ONE of the student learning objectives below, also from our syllabus:
   1. Describe how the North and South differed, and analyze how economic issues, politics and ideologies led to the Civil War.
   2. Compare and contrast the resources and social and economic experiences of the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War, illustrating the effects these differences had on the outcome.
   3. Re-read U.S. History chapters 14 and 15 and find a short video or video segment (4-to-7-minutes) that addresses student learning objective #13 or #14 above.
   4. Copy and paste the following questions into a new document and answer each question.
      1. Which student learning objective (or section of the objective) does the video highlight? (copy and paste student learning objective) and bold the section(s) discussed in the video.
         
      2. What are the main points of the video selection and how does it address the student learning objective? Be specific and include a summary or specific details and information from the video. If the video is longer than 7 minutes, indicate a time-stamp segment to watch.
         
      3. What did our U.S. History text state about this specific topic? Please make sure to paraphrase and utilize your own words and cite chapter and section, insert in-text citation, (14.3).
      4. Answer each CRAAP section in a couple of sentences. Apply the CRAAP test to your video selection:
         1. Currency: The timeliness of the information.
            • When was the information published or posted?
            • Has the information been revised or updated?
            • Does the video integrate credible sources?
         2. Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.
            • Does the information relate to student learning objectives #13 and #14? How?
            • Who is the intended audience?
            • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for our class)?
            • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
            • Would you be comfortable citing this source in a class discussion or a college essay?
         3. Authority: The source of the information.
            • Who is the author/publisher/creator/sponsor?
            • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
            • Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
            • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address? Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net
         4. Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.
            • Where does the information come from?
            • Is the information supported by evidence? What is the evidence?
            • Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
            • Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
         5. Purpose: The reason the information exists.
            • What is the purpose of the video? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
            • Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
            • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
            • Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?
         6. How did you find the video? Just tell me the process you went through to find the video.Answer the following questions in a paragraph (at least 3 sentences):
            1. What did you find Surprising?
         7. You reviewed numerous videos, why did you select this particular video?
         8. URL/Link/Hyperlink for easy access.
         9. Example:
            1. Which student learning objective (or section of the objective) does the video highlight? (copy and paste student learning objective) and bold the section(s) discussed in the video.
            2. Compare and contrast the resources and social and economic experiences of the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War, illustrating the effects these differences had on the outcome.
            The focus of the video is on African Americans in the Civil War and a couple of stories of agency, where Robert Smalls, a slave in the Confederacy stole a ship and sailed to freedom. His story is placed within the start and unfolding events of the Civil War.
            1. What are the main points of the video selection and how does it address the student learning objective? Be specific and include a summary or specific details and information from the video.
            The video segment is clipped from a longer documentary titled “For Love of Liberty, the Story of America’s Black Patriots” and shifts the focus of U.S. history to the actions and contributions of African Americans. The segment starts with the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and continues with the Emancipation Proclamation. With the Emancipation Proclamation, Blacks could enlist in the Union Army and provide much-needed manpower. The clip highlights African American actions to fight and contribute to the war effort and Union resistance to Blacks bearing arms.
            1. What did our U.S. History text state about this specific topic? Please make sure to paraphrase and utilize your own words and cite chapter and section, insert in-text citation, (14.3).
            Chapter 15 covers the Civil War, battles leading up to the Emancipation Proclamation, and the enlistment of African Americans into the Union Army. Blacks comprised “over 190,000” (15.4) soldiers for the Union. Black soldiers saw combat duty, the most famous was the Fifty-Fourth Regiment of Massachusetts Volunteers, which was featured in the movie Glory. However, many Black regiments were relegated to manual labor like digging trenches and hauling supplies. Black soldiers were also initially paid less than white soldiers, after protests and congressional intervention, they were eventually paid the same as white soldiers (444).
            1. Answer each CRAAP section in a couple of sentences. Apply the CRAAP test to your video selection:
            A. Currency: The timeliness of the information.
            • When was the information published or posted?
            • Has the information been revised or updated?
            • Does the video integrate credible sources?The documentary, “For Love of Liberty,” was first published in 2010 (copyright date) and has not been revised. I reviewed the credits and editors conducted research at the Air Force Historical Research Agency, Brown University, and several Presidential Libraries. It looks like the editors/creators consulted numerous military historians. There are numerous quotes from primary sources-letters, speeches, and government documents-which add depth and personal voices.B. Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.
            • Does the information relate to student learning objectives #13 and #14? How?
            • Who is the intended audience?
            • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for our class)?
            • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
            • Would you be comfortable citing this source in a class discussion or a college essay?The segment analyzes the actions of free Blacks in the North who wanted to fight and also how slaves, specifically Robert Smalls, took actions to secure their freedom. These actions point to how the Union gained resources, soldiers and manpower, to achieve victory. The full documentary has a “University Edition” so I think the target audience is middle, school, high school, and colleges students. I would be comfortable citing the video in college assignments since the editors created a professional and well-researched documentary. The editors could have included more historians and less celebrity voices like Halle Berry, but the inclusion of famous black actors (I recognize some of the other voices) bring historical figures to life.C. Authority: The source of the information.
            Who is the author/publisher/creator/sponsor?
            • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
            • Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
            • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address? Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .netThe producer is Eleventh Day Entertainment and according to https://www.unsungheroeseducation.com/eleventh.htmlLinks to an external site., which is a website affiliated with the U.S. Army, Eleventh Day “is an award winning and critically acclaimed” organization. The website is not a .gov website but does have the U.S. Army logo prominently featured on the webpage. Furthermore, the City College educational video databases thought the documentary was relevant and significant enough to include as an educational documentary.D. Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.
            • Where does the information come from?
            • Is the information supported by evidence? What is the evidence?
            • Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
            • Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?I watched this video a long time ago for another Civil War assignment, but I heard on the news about a U.S. Navy ship named the USS Robert Smalls in 2023 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Robert_SmallsLinks to an external site.). The ship was originally named the USS Chancellorsville after the Civil War battle, but was renamed in 2023. I also researched other news stories on Smalls, https://www.npr.org/2023/04/12/1165998167/a-navy-ship-named-for-a-confederate-victory-now-honors-a-black-union-heroLinks to an external site., and found that Smalls was active in the Reconstruction period and served in the South Carolina legislator and was elected to Congress. While courageous and daring during the Civil War, his post-war public service was also impressive. Doing additional online research, I fact-checked the information presented in the video.E. Purpose: The reason the information exists.
            What is the purpose of the video? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
            • Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
            • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
            • Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?I believe the purpose of the video is to both inform and teach students and the general public about the lesser-known stories of African Americans in the Civil War. The presentation is factual but does focus on highlighting the contributions of African Americans in U.S. history.
            1. How did you find the video?
            I found the documentary by searching “Civil War” in City’s LRC Films on Demand database, watched the entire documentary then created a little under seven-minute clip.
            1. Answer One of the following questions in a paragraph (at least 3 sentences):
               1. What did you find Surprising?
               2. What did you find Puzzling?
               3. What did you find Useful?
               4. Did you find something New?
               5. What did you find Interesting?
            I found Abraham Lincoln’s quote resisting arming Blacks initially to be quite surprising. According to the quote, the introduction of Black soldiers would alienate border states, which Lincoln needed to keep in the Union. However, when examining the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln frees the slaves in Southern states in rebellion, but does not free slaves in border states that stayed in the Union. Strategically, the Emancipation Proclamation enabled the North to gain new soldiers by Blacks serving in the Union army and keeping the border slave states satisfied by not declaring their slaves free.
            1. You reviewed numerous videos, why did you select this particular video?
            I wanted to focus on Robert Smalls’ amazing life and the fact that he now has a U.S. Navy ship named after him. I liked the contemporary connection to Civil War history and how he was honored for his service to the nation. I just wanted more people to know about the story of Robert Smalls.
            1. https://sdcity.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=97701&xtid=54914&loid=655136&isShared=trueLinks to an external site.