The American Civil War

The American Civil War will be a half-year elective course that uses primary sources, scholarly works and films to examine why this important event occurred, and how it continues to impact us to this day. There is a chance that this course will include trips to the battlefields at Antietam and Gettysburg, and a visit to Harper’s Ferry. The course will conclude with a research project carried out by each student on a topic of his or her own interest. Students will read speeches by Abraham Lincoln, famous abolitionists and scholarly works by Professor Jim McPherson and Stephen Sears.