Week 3
This week we focus on the pivotal event on which so much hinged: the Civil War. This is the intro to a nine-part documentary by Ken Burns, The Civil War. Age restricted due to images of dead soldiers on the battlefield:
See the use of executive power when uncertainty is the flavor of the day:
The Civil War claimed 750,000 lives (est). Some were well documented — even memorialized in bronze statues — others in simple, beautiful paragraphs written by husbands to their wives:
Grant sticks to his guns and makes a name for himself:
One of the most feared and respected generals in American history, taken far too soon — at least, as far as history and the South were concerned:
Lee’s greatest victory — his masterpiece — was also the site of his greatest loss:
A battle that saw more American deaths than Pearl Harbor, D-Day, or 9/11 ushered in the emancipation, and ushered out General McClellan:
1862 saw the most dramatic innovation in naval warfare — the ironclad:
Writing students only:
Answer one of the following questions in around 300 words:
Please answer one of the following questions in about 300 words. Be sure to include your name, which question you are answering, and reference the information covered in these videos:
Describe the major generals and their exploits in the early years of the Civil War.
Describe the civil war from the southern perspective.
Summarize the Civil War from a tactical standpoint from Ft. Sumter up to Antietam.
Email your response to contact@vinceguerra.com . Once completed you will receive an email confirmation.
Week 4
Irish immigrants were some of the most loyal Americans in the land and – like so many Americans – were often divided in what that meant.
The siege at Vicksburg and the making of a national hero, and only the second most important thing that occurred that fourth of July:
The motivations of the individual soldiers were as varied as their last names. Here is a glimpse into the motivations of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain:
The greatest battle ever fought on the North American continent began over shoes:
Many of the most prominent figures of the Civil War fought on the same side in the Mexican War several years earlier. Two such men who loved each other as brothers, Lewis Armistead, and Winfield Scott Hancock, found themselves opposing one another on day three of Gettysburg:
“People who say slavery had nothing to do with the war are just as wrong as people who say slavery had everything to do with the war.” Thoughts on the legacy of the war, racism, and the Confederacy by historian Shelby Foote:
Grant and Lee battle it out with devastating consequences:
The last major battle destroys the city of Atlanta, and much of Georgia along the way in a tactic that will later become know as “total war” – a tactic that will be employed in years to come, where a nation not only seeks to destroy an enemy on the battlefield, but the infrastructure that supports it. Total war will devastate places like London, Tokyo, Berlin, and Hiroshima, and it was birthed by William Tecumseh Sherman on the road to Atlanta:
We conclude the final lesson on the Civil War with a look at the three men who most personified the war: One would go on to become a two-term president, immortalized in national currency. One would fade into relative obscurity. The third would become the last great tragedy of the era:
Note: if the video shows unavailable, click here:
A brief summary of the Civil War and how it shaped the country:
Writing students only:
Answer one of the following questions in around 300 words:
Please answer one of the following questions in about 300 words. Be sure to include your name, which question you are answering, and reference the information covered in these videos:
The Civil War is often described as “brother versus brother.” Explain what this means using examples.
Give at least three reasons (but you may give more) why the Civil War was fought.
Describe how the Civil War changed America.
Email your response to contact@vinceguerra.com. Once completed you will receive an email confirmation, and the password for the next lessons.