Civil War Essay

During the 1800’s the Civil War was one of the most crucial wars of all time between the North and the South. The first battle of Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Appomattox were important turning points in the Civil War. The Battle at Bull Run stopped Northern hopes of ending the war in one battle and crush the rebellion. It also made the country realize the seriousness and how bloody the war to come would be. Antietam carried with it 23,000 casualties, making it the bloodiest single day of the war. Gettysburg has been called the war's "greatest battle." The battle caused Southern troops to lose thousands of men. The South was never again able to take the offensive. The Union had been trying for months to capture Vicksburg, Mississippi. When the city surrendered to Union troops on July 4, 1863, Mississippi was completely in Union hands. The Confederacy had been divided and Arkansas, Texas, and part of Louisiana had been isolated from the rest of the South. Lee, leading Southern troops, surrendered to Union forces on April 9, 1865. With Lee's army gone, remaining resistance throughout the Confederacy collapsed within a matter of weeks.. This war lasted about four years and cost 620,000 lives to be lost. Blood was shed and many tears were cried. Every human was affected in every way from slaves, soldiers, to the many leaders during that time. I believe the Civil War affected many people, but most importantly women in the North and South. Women service was greatly affected because women had to tend to children and jobs. Women had to provide medical care, and they also served as soldiers and spies. Women had to deal with loneliness, and worry about their husbands dieing.

Women in the north and south my have differed in places, but they resemble in responsibilities during the war. Women In the North and South, black and white had to take over family farms and businesses. The Civil War provided new job oppurnities for women. The new job opportunities offered good wages, a sense of economic independence, and a pride for contributing to the war effort. Northern women made great impact in the textile industry. Great demand for military uniforms caused for more work in textile mills and garment factories. Southern women also made clothes but they worked privately. Women also had important government positions. They copied documents, and handled money. Along with new oppurnities came many dangerous situations, including death. A very dangerous job woman had been in munitions factories. This job consisted of women making bullets, and artillery shells for the union and confederate armies. An example of the dangers is an explosion in Richmond, Virginia. This explosion killed 40 women, with two more occurrences in Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. As a result men had to worry about their lives but also their wife, mother, and daughters, dieing as a result of hard work. Women played new political roles, and worked in factories. However, women in both the North and South were paid only one half to two thirds of what men earned. This is one way the war affected United States, people, and most importantly women.


Women had to provide medical care in both the North and the South. Providing medical care was a hard job for women because many men believed it to be unladylike. Men believed that getting help from women would be a distraction, and women were to precious to be near a battlefield. During these hard times there were many strong women who served a major role in helping men and providing them with care. Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman served as union soldiers and helped scout union soldiers. Dorothea Dix provided medical care to wounded and sick soliders. Clara Barton attended to wounded Union soldiers after the losses at Bull Run, and her courage in the face of war became legendary. Tending to the soldiers need for medical supplies, she orchestrated donations and distributing necessary medicines and materials. Years later, she went on to found the American Red Cross. Sally Tompkins made a hospital in her home so she could attend to hurt confederate soldiers. She cared for an estimated 1,300 men and only had 73 deaths. Jefferson Davis awarded her as the captain of the army and she was also the first officer in the Confederate army. Kate Cumming explains how women were used to the conditions and the amounts of work “Nothing that I ever heard or read had given me the faintest idea of the horrors witnessed here…I sat up all night, bathing the men’s wounds, and giving them water…The men are lying all over the house, on their blankets, just as they were bought in from the battlefield…The foul air from the mass of human beings at first made me giddy an sick, but I soon got over it. We have to walk, and when we give the men anything kneel, in blood and water, but we think nothing of it”-Kate Cumming, Kate: The Journal of a Confederate Nurse, 1959. Another women who played an important role was Surgeon Mary Walker. She volunteered as an assistant surgeon at a hospital in Washington. She also received the Congressional Medal of Honor for her help.


Women were soldiers and they were spies. Women weren’t allowed to join armed forces but that didn’t stop some. 400 women such as Franklin Thomas disguised themselves as men and joined the union and confederate army. Another example is Mary Owens. She was discovered to be a woman after she was wounded in the arm. She then later returned to her Pennsylvania home to a warm reception and press coverage. She had served for eighteen months under the alias John Evans, and no one ever knew. Writing in 1888, Mary Livermore of the U.S. Sanitary Commission said, “Some one has stated the number of women soldiers known to the service as little less than four hundred. I cannot vouch for the correctness of this estimate, but I am convinced that a larger number of women disguised themselves and enlisted in the service, for one cause or other, than was dreamed of. Entrenched in secrecy, and regarded as men, they were sometimes revealed as women, by accident or casualty. Some startling histories of these military women were current in the gossip of army life.” Other women served as spies. Being a spy was a dangerous job only if caught you could face brutal punishment. One woman who was caught was Rosa Greenhow, a confederate spy. Her and her daughter was caught and sent to prison for punishment. Rosa Greenhow was a smart women and she helped the confederate win the First Battle of Bull Run in 1861. A very successful spy for the union was Elizabeth Van Lew. She and her assistant gained information about confederate war plans. She was a very smart women and avoided incarceration by pretending to be mentally unbalanced. But with her brave and couraging act she was honored as a hero.




During the war there were very hard times for both women and men. Women had to worry about their husbands, brother, or sons dieing in the war. Men had to deal with the fact that their lives were in extreme danger and they may never see their family again. To stay in touch with there loved ones on their conditions, and cope with the loneliness, misery, and terror they often wrote letters back in fourth from home. In the letters they would write everything that was occurring at that time like: battles, politics, slavery, food, death, camp, and everything they missed at home. They didn’t have paper and barely had writing utensils. They wrote on knapsacks and had a hard time even finding time to write. I think every letter is important but there were three letters that stuck out to me the most.
A letter from Maxine Jones to her husband, December 31,1862. She begins the letter saying “Excitement =, Suspense, Anxiety are stamped on every countenance…And we know that many brave soldiers now lie in cold death…” I think that this woman is scared. She worries about her husband’s condition and she herself could hear the battle outside her house.
The second letter that impacted me the most was from Georgiana. In June 1862, George Tillotson received a letter from his daughters about their illnesses. The letter written by Georgiana states: “I did intend you yesterday as I was sick and did not go to school but ma had company and I did not get a chance, I was sick with sick headache and as you have it as considerable you know how to pity me, but I am quite well now.” I believe this letter greatly impacted me because it’s from a sickly child anxious for her father to come home from the war. The Civil War affects families, soldiers, the world, and most of all women because they couldn’t care right for the kids because they were always working and providing for the soldiers. The last letter is from a Union officer John P. Jones to his wife in Illinois celebrating the announcement that the Emancipation Proclamation would go into effect on January 1, 1863 “The Gilder Lehman collection).
By 1865, the American Civil War was coming to an end. The soldiers of the Confederacy were tired and had almost no way of winning the war. It had started with the secession of many Southern states over the issues of slavery, states' rights and the election of Abraham Lincoln, and it had to end with bringing together all the states, and unfortunately the end of the presidency of Lincoln.

Extra! Extra! Be All About It!!!!

Extra- Curricula’s are activities held during or after school. What makes something extra- curricular is if you choose to do the activity, and it’s not forced upon you. Almost anything can be a extra- curricular activity, some are: basketball, football, cheer, chess, etc. Almost every high school has them but Constitution’s diversity only offers some. We’ll see which ones are the most popular and which are not, and how extra- curricular impact students and their futures.

Constitution High School offers very little e.c's, but unique activities. This school offers activities: historical society, sprit club, mock trail, shake sphere club, debate, junior varsity basketball, students run Philly style, and last but not least newspaper club. Joining these clubs are very easy but many students don’t. Students in Constitution High School is a very diverse school, coming from different background and schools. Nikki Branhunt sophomore at Constitution High School, and two yeah debater says “ I love debate. It enriches my speech and confidence.” When I asked sophomore Dominique Gibson how important extra- curricular are to him he states “ It’s for college it makes you stand out from others who don’t.” E.c not only make the person look good, it also makes the school look good. Principle of Constitution High School Thomas Davidson says “ Studies have shown that e.c's enhance school sprit and develops leaderships potential, good citizenship, and attendance, and gets grades in students.” As you see kids who participate in these activates enjoy them, but there is always some who don’t.

School ending at 3:24 can be stressful to any child, and this can become a reason many kids don’t join. When asked majority students said “I don’t have the time” or my favorite “ I’m just not interested” It’s ok if kids don’t want to join their not forced, but children like sophomore Silmarie says “ I’m a very lazy person…E.c's is just too much along with school and homework.” Students who don’t join e.c, have a chance of losing many oppurnities, but once again, it’s a choice not mandatory.

In any school their will always be a separation of most popular to least popular. Constitution High School is just the same way. Aisha Madhi, debate team coach, and Junior history teacher says “ I think that despite students interest In school activities are widely varied…I would say mock trail, debate, sprit club, drama club, and basketball are among the more popular clubs.” To be such a small school popularity is varied, every club gets the same support in many different ways.

Constitution High School has various teachers who teach one or more ec activities. Mr. Romero is lucky enough to teach three. He teaches shakes hers, newspaper, and he used to teach debate. When I asked his view on extra curricular he stated “ My favorite has been shake sphere club, every practice we grow more and more. Newspaper basically runs themselves” Some teachers only do it for the money but many do it for the enjoyment.

College can play a major part for e.c kids. Colleges can give you full or partial scholarships in different areas of extra curricular. Aisha Madhi said “ E.c activities are very important because they give students a chance to developed skills that may or not be academic. Students have varied strengths and talents, and e.c activities allow students to feel good about themselves, even if they are not as successful with certain subjects on class, also many skills developed in clubs helps students in college and/or their choose careers. Most importantly, it’s a way for young people to have fun while pushing themselves to achieve success.” E.c can put you ahead of kids who don’t participate in them and you can have fun while your doing them.

E.c's are not supposed to be stressful, there supposed to be fun only if you join. There's also various activities to choose form that fits your interest. But there’s only one thing to remember…it’s a choice not a force.