You are living in the 1860's and are to witness the Civil war that will be fought on American ground...the war that will divide the Union. As a newspaper reporter you will present the facts as you see them.
You will work with a partner, choosing to represent the news either from Atlanta (the South's point of view) or Boston (the North's point of view).
You will create a newspaper in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation that has seven (7) pages. It's very imporant to click here or at the top to read and understand the Expectations/Design of Newspaper.
A great source for your research will be this web site: The Civil War
Your newspaper will contain the following features:
1. A Title, or Banner Page
2. Headline story
You will write about the secession of the southern states and the bombing of Ft. Sumter. Especially focus on the causes of the war.
How would the South present the "facts"? How would the North present the "facts"?
Click here or the tab at the top for writing the Headline story.
3. Special Feature Article:
Possible topics are:
-a famous battle: e.g. Gettysburg
-a famous general or any other famous person
-medicine
-weapons of war: e.g. the Monitor and Merrimack
-women in the war
-the role of the black soldier
-medicine
-camp life, etc.
Click here or the tab at the top for details on the Special Feature article.
4. Editorial
The issue is about slavery. State reasons why the South believed in slavery; or why the North believed slavery was wrong.
Give examples to justify your reasons and be sure to express your feelings. Remember whose side you are writing for.
Click here or the tab at the top for creating the editorial.
5. Political Cartoon
Make fun of the other side by drawing your own political cartoon
Here are some possible topics:
slavery, greed of the North, the Emancipation Proclamation,
John Brown, Dred Scott case, advantages of North over the South, the horrors of war, etc.
Click here or the tab at the top for creating the political cartoon.
6. Interview of a soldier:
Using a question and answer format, ask about the soldier's background, his reason for fighting, his experiences of war, what camp life is like, his feelings, etc.
Click here or the tab at the top for soldier interview details.
EXTRA CREDIT: Movie Review
After watching a Civil War movie, e.g."Glory", "Gettysburg", "Killer Angels", you will advise movie goers about going to see the movie. Give it a thumbs up or thumbs down.
