Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Civil War, Week of February 14th


Today we are going to be learning about the Civil War and President Lincoln, important elements of our upcoming play, The Whipping Man.



Please do the following activities. Post your answers as a comment to this blog post, but please type them in Microsoft Word first.

  1. View this video, The Civil War in Four Minutes. Take notes and write down what you learn.
  2. Read The Emancipation Proclamation.
  3. Listen to The Emancipation Proclamation. Write your reaction to it.
  4. Imagine you were a former slave living in 1865. You have just been freed by President Lincoln and then you learn that Lincoln has been assassinated (April 15, 1865). Please write a diary entry after you get this news about how you feel, what you fear, and why.
  5. When you are finished, read another students' post and respond to it.

22 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Oh my God I can’t believe Lincoln is dead, I can’t believe someone killed him, this is not fair to us, I’m afraid we will be slaves again, and all for what we fought would be useless. What if they try to take our freedom again? What should we do? There must be a way to defend our rights, a way to speak up and maintain our freedom. I don’t want to go back to that life I used to live, where I had no rights at all. I just want my family and all the people to be happy and free.
    By: Crystel Cabrera and Alisher Guseynov

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  3. The civil war helped to keep and maintain the United States. Civil War was meant to unite the country. This proclamation seems like bitterness inside sweetness, since the president Abraham Lincoln was assassinated after this proclamation, I will not, ever help or do anything for the southern part of the United States. Northern part of the United States helped me to gain my freedom and if their leader got killed, I will never forgive the people who killed him; I will only vote for the Northerners. I feel scared of the white people; they might make us back to slave again, since the protector of this document is gone. I will be more careful with white people, watch my mouth, and watching them. I don't know what will happen next, but I hope it won't happen again in the future. In case, if it happen again in the future, I will fight for the people’s rights.

    Christian Sugiarto & Jie Yu

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  4. 1-2. I learn that is a hard war between North and South, whom still three years in the civil war (1863-1865). The people fight about freedom of slaves. In the end, the North was winner, then the slaves got free and respect from others. President Lincoln was real good leader in this war.
    4. I feel that is an amazing for me! Why somebody killed President Lincoln? I feel fear because I don’t want to be a slave again and people maltreat me again. Could you tell me I will free and safe forever? I really hope everything will be okay! Everybody is equally and free in future.

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  5. Dear Diary,

    It’s April 15, 1865. Today is one of the most tragic days I’ve ever seen in my life. It feels like it was just yesterday where I was freed from slavery and it was such a happy day, celebrating with my brothers and sisters as a free man. Now, the great president has been assassinated and it gives me great disappointment that we have to lose one of the greatest presidents killed in my lifetime. I believe that it’s unfair for a man to be killed because of what he stood up for his beliefs. I pray for his family and I hope this will mark that freedom is possible and may it continue until the end of time.


    Syrone and Erblina

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  6. @Crystel & Alisher

    I found out that we have the same ideas, and i think that we can group together and make an association to fight for people's rights. Great ideas :)

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  7. If I were a salve living during 1865 and thanks to President Lincoln I had been freed but then I hear that he has been assassinated I would feel very fearful. By just knowing that my hero is death, my freed is in danger. He was the bravest person who had the courage to fight for mine and my fellow rights. I really admire him because he brought us the Emancipation of Proclamation. Even though we have that important document at our favor, I feel afraid because most of those white bad people don’t care about our rights. People who now are in charge of the nation might not understand my feelings and might make me a slave again. If that happen, I would live in the dark world again. I really hope those people think twice before taking any bad decisions against slaves.


    by Jeannette Neto and Yanyan Xia

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  8. I am a slave in the South, Abraham Lincoln freed me, but then I heard that he was assassinated. I feel angry and afraid. I feel like someone killed my father, I feel like someone killed the one who gave me a new life. I am afraid if I will be slave or if I will stay free. I don't know what I should do...

    Maciej Deptula & Martinez Angel0 ;]

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  9. 1. The civil war fought between north and south. .The civil war in four minutes shows us the civil war start from south and raised to north. After Lincoln get elected in 1863 north win the civil war
    3. The emancipation proclamation made all slaves free. It’s important because it bring justice for all slaves.

    4. I was scared when I heard Lincoln get killed. He was the person who fights for us and gives us freedom. I felt sorry for him. I was feared of being slave again.

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  10. I was a slave during 1865 when Lincoln was the president of U.S.A. He fought for us and let us became free. He was the only one who gave a little hope of life, and who changed our lives. Now I can be free like others. Thanks to The President Lincoln now I can have my own life and freedom. When I heard The President Lincoln was killed I feel so sad and the fear came to my life, because he gave me the liberty, and now I felt I was not free anymore. I was very scary thinking that others came for me and made me a slave again.



    By Silvia and jiajun

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  11. I feel extremely impotent because of Lincoln’s murder, and knowing that I can’t do anything to help him as much as he did for me. He changed my life from being freed of slavery and my family and now we feel as if we have no one to protect us, we don’t know if no one will come after us. My fear has gone higher than ever, I am afraid to be alone because I don’t know if I’m going back to that nightmares of mine. Lincoln was the one who was always there for me, in my thoughts now I feel as if I was this same person, being hit, treated as an animal, as their property. I hope a new hero will come to rescue me, but I know my dreams will come true one day.

    lovely and angie

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  12. There is one thing that surprised me, which is someone killed the Lincoln. Also I’m so sad about, because he is hero.

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  13. Dear diary:

    These days I have been very happy. But today, I heard that the angel who helped us to become free from our owners was assassinated. Yes, Mr. Abraham Lincoln died. I don’t know how to put in words the feeling that I am passing through right now but I just can hope that the divine justice came down and help us.

    I’m very afraid that I’m going to became a slave again because he won’t be there for us anymore, but Since it was a law signed by the president of United States time I’ll make sure that I’m still holding on my freedom and it will stay the same if someone wants to take my freedom away from me it will be against the law.

    I hope life won’t be the same to our children’s children, may God help us all because things are going to be pretty bad as I’m thinking and seeing it. Please God help us to not go back where we just came from.

    By: Guy Kalenga and Daniel Maldonado

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  14. @ alisher and Crystel:
    We really liked your diary. It's short but it really showed a slave's feelings.

    Yanyan Xia

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  16. 1. I learned that civil was a hard fought battle where they result went back and forth several times. Even though south was winning in the start but at the end north was victories.
    2. Well, I think it was one of the most thought through document in the history of the world, by its President Lincoln just didn’t influence the slave to be free but at the same time it gave them courage and the strength to rebel and help north.
    3. Oh my god, just turned the T.V. n heard that Lincoln is dead. Well no I want to stop but can’t stop shivering of fear. Because now south might start slavery again and I really don’t want to that place which burns like hell!!! But on the good side republican still have the power is still giving me courage also I don’t want that southern to become the president.

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  17. After watching the video, I learned that was a war which not only fight for united the country, but also fight freedom for slaves. I think President Lincoln did a very good job for U.S. His is the one who set the high way of freedom for every American. If I am the one was a slave in 1865, I am sure I will be so sad to hear the news of President had been assassinated. I may “re-fear” again as a slave and live like an animal because no one knows what will happen, the people who have power are all American. Slaves just like a tool.

    By: Weifeng Wu

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  18. Dear,Jeannette and Yanyan

    I really like what you said about the “fear”. Also, I got the same idea as you. As a slave, fear just likes the ocean. Water is surrounding you, which can drown you at any time.

    By Weifeng Wu

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  19. The civil war was between the north and the south. The north wanted to make a slavery free country where as the south wanted slavery. At that time Abraham Lincoln became president of the United States and preserved the union. After the war there was a huge destruction in the south. So he opened reconstruction policy. He freed open and wanted to give them freedom.

    Personal Diary: it is 1865. The slavery is still active in this country. However, President Lincoln helped us to become free. We found a little hope to survive with our rights. But the next day president Lincoln got killed. This was not just a bad news for me, but was a cause of huge hopelessness and fear to go back to our previous life. It’s not just that but also our whole nation was under possibility of being involve in conflict. I lost the hope of my life and thought I will have to pass my entire life being a slave and being treated like an animal. I thought I will be continuously be used as a tool for others.

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  20. Something that surprised me is that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated even if he is a human being and people don’t respect that. I don’t know why?

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  21. Hi, I am a slave and I suffered many bad treatments by my owners but now with the help of our president Abraham Lincoln I feel very happy because finally we can get our freedom and I can starated a new life in which I can have a big and beautiful familly and live very happy for the rest of my life.
    .....Oh my god, after all my happiness, somebody told me that Lincoln is dead because somebody killed him, I can't belive it, so this means that I am going to be a slave for the rest of my life because only him was the person who understand that we "humans" we all are the same doesn't matter our skin color because we live under the same sky and we have the same rights that have to be resoected and only like that we can live in good and safe place in which everybody is treated with respect and peace.

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  22. There i was out sitting down a tree by the river enjoying myself as a new free man. The sky was clear and i could finally feel the wind blow in my face. Shortly, i heard my friend's voice screaming why!!..Then i went where he was and i heard the radio announcing president Lincoln's assassination. I felt like someone stabbed me in my heart. I couldn't believe what i was hearing, i couldn't imagine people having such a heavy heart to do such a thing to my hero of all. He showed all of us slaves that he cared and that he saw us as important people than how we were being treated. I was finally a free man because of his actions. A free man who could ultimately pursuit happiness and make dreams real. But now i'm afraid because since president Lincoln is dead, who knows what might happen to us, and who will protect us.

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