The Use of War Propaganda
Getting Various Groups to Enlist
Assignment
- Go to the Collection Civil War Treasures of the New York Historical Society <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpcoop/nhihtml/cwnyhshome.html>
- Type "German Irish Italian French" into the Search by Keyword section.
- Use the
button to see the broadsides when searching.
- Analyze each broadside. What words or symbols are used in each to encourage the targeted group to enlist? Are there any similarities between the four? Explain. Are there any differences between the four? Explain. What conclusions can you draw about each group, and their motivation to enlist, based on the broadsides?
- Now look carefully at the following broadsides. By typing in "12th New York State Artillery" and "The spirit of 1861" into the Search by Keyword (Match all of these words) you will find two of the documents below. To find the To Colored Men! broadside, go to NARA (National Archives and Records Administration): http://www.archives.gov/index.html , click on the SEARCH section and type in The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War. Click on the recruitment broadside, entitled: To Colored Men!
- Analyze each broadside. What words or symbols are used in each to encourage the targeted group to enlist? Are there any similarities between the three? Explain. Are there any differences between the three? Explain. What conclusions can you draw about each group, and their motivation to enlist, based on the broadsides?
Extensions
Conduct research on the French, Italian, Irish, African-American, German, and Confederate (rich, poor, black, white) soldiers in the Civil War. What were their motivations to fight? How were they treated by other soldiers in the field? What was their impact on the war? What benefit did each derive from their participation in the war? Compare the motivations of each group and theorize the possible reasons for differences and similarities.
-Eliza Hamrick, Overland High School, Aurora CO
