Last updated: July 9, 2021
Lesson Plan
Women in the Civil War
- Grade Level:
- High School: Ninth Grade through Twelfth Grade
- Subject:
- Literacy and Language Arts,Social Studies
- Lesson Duration:
- 60 Minutes
- Common Core Standards:
- 9-10.L.1, 9-10.L.2, 9-10.L.6, 11-12.L.1, 11-12.L.2, 11-12.L.4, 11-12.L.5, 9-10.RH.1, 9-10.RH.2, 9-10.RH.3, 9-10.RH.4, 9-10.RH.5, 9-10.RH.6, 9-10.RH.8, 9-10.RH.9, 9-10.RH.10, 11-12.RH.1, 11-12.RH.2, 11-12.RH.3, 11-12.RH.4, 11-12.RH.5, 11-12.RH.6, 11-12.RH.7, 11-12.RH.8, 11-12.RH.9, 11-12.RH.10, 9-10.RI.1, 9-10.RI.2, 9-10.RI.3, 9-10.RI.4, 9-10.RI.6, 9-10.RI.7, 9-10.RI.8, 9-10.RI.10, 11-12.RI.1, 11-12.RI.2, 11-12.RI.3, 11-12.RI.4, 11-12.RI.6, 11-12.RI.10, 9-10.W.2, 9-10.W.3, 9-10.W.4, 9-10.W.5, 9-10.W.7, 9-10.W.8, 9-10.W.9, 9-10.W.10, 11-12.W.1, 11-12.W.2, 11-12.W.3, 11-12.W.4, 11-12.W.5, 11-12.W.7, 11-12.W.8, 11-12.W.9
- Additional Standards:
- National Center for History in Schools UCLA Standards. Era 5 Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877) Standard 2: The course and character of the War and its effects on the American people.
Essential Question
How did women contribute to the war effort, both on the battlefield and at home?
Objective
1. Name four roles that women had during the Civil War.
2. Describe four contributions women made to the war effort.
3. Explain three difficulties women faced during the Civil War.
Background
During the Civil War women played an important role both on the battlefield and on the home front. They helped after battles as nurses, ran businesses and farms and worked in munitions factories while their fathers and brothers were off at war. They supported the war effort by contributing to organizations like the United States Sanitary Commission, and in rare cases even disguised themselves as soldiers and participated in battles.
Preparation
Students will need a printed copy of the readings or internet access to download them.
Materials
This lesson plan can be used to help your students explore some of the important roles that women had during the Civil War.
Download Women in the Civil War
Lesson Hook/Preview
“As night drew near, whispers of a great battle to be fought the next day grew louder, and we shuddered at the prospect, for battles had come to mean to us, as they never had before, blood, wounds, and death.” Mary Bedinger Mitchell
Procedure
Students will read the following three pages “Women on the Battlefield and on the Home Front,” “Clara Barton at Antietam,” and a “Woman’s Recollection of Antietam.” The readings can be found by clicking on the brown rectangle that says "Download Women in the Civil War" or by going here. They will also pick at least two readings from the Resource List below. Afterwards students will complete two writing assignments: 1) They will assume the role of a Civil War nurse and write a one page letter for a soldier to his family at home. 2) They will then write a diary entry from the viewpoint of a woman on the battlefield at Antietam or affected by the battle.
Resource List
Digital Public Library of America. Primary Source Sets. Women in the Civil War.
American Battlefield Trust. Deadly Duty in the Arsenals.
American Battlefield Trust. Female Soldiers in the Civil War.
National Archives. Dr. Mary Walker.
National Park Service. Fort Scott National Historic Site. Laundress-Historic Background.
University of Maryland Libraries. Free Black Women.
University of Maryland Libraries. Roles at Home.
University of Maryland Libraries. Roles on the Front.
Additional Resources
National Park Service. Women Amidst the War.
National Park Service. Women at Antietam.
Related Lessons or Education Materials
American Battlefield Trust. Women in War The Role of Women in America's Wars.
Digital Public Library. Teaching Guide. Women in the Civil War.
Duke University Libraries. The Civil War: Women and the Homefront: Primary Sources Online.
Library of Congress. Women in the Civil War: Ladies, Contraband and Spies
National Archives. Educator Resources.