Guides and Tutorials: History 3724: Slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction: Background Reading and Web Resources

Background Reading Web Resources

What We Talk About When We Talk About Confederate Monuments
Thought-provoking article about the contemporary significance of Civil War history through the lens of Confederate Monuments
How the Confederate battle flag became an enduring symbol of racism
'Explainer' on the history of the Confederate Flag and contemporary relevance.
Civil War History in Current Affairs
A Google News search for Civil War themes and their contemporary relevance.
Google News Search on Segregation
Google News Search on Confederate History
Charleston Syllabus
Here is a list of readings that educators can use to broach conversations in the classroom about the horrendous events that unfolded in Charleston, South Carolina on the evening of June 17, 2015.
Library of Congress Chronicling America - Historic Newspapers

Why the Civil War Still Matters by James M. McPherson
See Chapter One for ideas on Why the Civil War Still matters.

Chronology Exercise

Browse scholarly timelines to understand the Chronology of Important Events by using this sort of search formula in Google:

civil war chronology OR timeline site:.edu / civil war chronology OR timeline site:.gov

Note that you can use different search terms like: reconstruction chronology OR timeline site:.edu

Ask:

1. What events/persons/movements do the various scholarly timelines identity as a significant event?

2. Do they agree or differ on when the period itself begins and ends?

3. Try and identify an event/person/movement/idea that interests you and which you would like to read more about.

Credo on the American Civil War
Use the mind map on the right hand side to explore possible topics. Try other search terms appropriate to possible topics
Gale Virtual Reference in American Civil War
Use to browse possible topics and find background information.

Web Resource - museum sites, digital exhibits, scholarly essays, blogs, podcasts, videos, news articles, etc.

Kanopy for Documentary
Use Kanopy to find documentaries on Civil War, Reconstruction, Slavery, or your topic.
C-SPAN Civil War Content
Video of events, lectures, etc. Search also for reconstruction, slavery, etc.
H-Net Civil War
H-CivWar is H-Net's network on scholarship, teaching, and outreach on the history of the American Civil War. See Discussions, Reviews. Resources, and Blogs
Best of Civil War History Sites
Curated by historian Kevin Levin. Selection of the best web resources related to the Civil War.
National Park Service Site on Civil War Resources
NPS resources related to the Civil War.
Center for Civil War Research at University of Mississippi
Websites devoted to the Civil War, from academic databases to individual blogs, have multiplied prodigiously in the past decade. Scholars and students can easily access an array of resources through the Internet.
19th c. Primary Sources in Books
A selection of primary sources in books at DUC Library.
Civil War Primary Sources
"Reconstruction" Primary Sources
Print and e-books in DUC library containing primary sources.
"Slavery" images in Artstor
"Confederacy" images in Artstor