Students learn how war transformed civilian life in the South through shortages, inflation, and government policies, how these pressures fueled unrest and food riots, and why declining morale weakened support for the Confederate war effort.
Students learn how war transformed civilian life in the South through shortages, inflation, and government policies, how these pressures fueled unrest and food riots, and why declining morale weakened support for the Confederate war effort.
Students view an image of a Confederate soldier and his wife and examine a graph showing wealth loss in the South between 1860 and 1870. They contribute observations, inferences, and questions about the graph to a class See–Think–Wonder chart, then read a brief overview of how the Civil War reshaped everyday life in the South and review the lesson objectives.
Teacher MovesPreview the experience by explaining that students will investigate how the Civil War transformed daily life on the Southern home front, including growing hardship and unrest. Review key vocabulary, especially “inflation,” to ensure shared understanding. Facilitate discussion of the wealth-loss graph by highlighting surprising data, drawing attention to questions in the Wonder column that point to broader impacts on the South, and prompting students to consider how economic losses might have affected daily life and people’s choices. Conclude by connecting students’ ideas to the objectives and preparing them to explore social and political consequences of wartime hardship.
Students view an image of women producing clothing for the army and read The Southern Home Front During the Civil War to learn how shortages, inflation, and government policies affected Southern civilians and their support for the Confederacy. They answer a series of inline-choice and multiple-choice questions, including evidence-based items, to show understanding of economic challenges, government actions, and their effects on families and morale.
Teacher MovesFrame the scene by explaining that students will focus on how economic strain, government policies, and shortages reshaped life on the Southern home front. Monitor students as they read and respond to questions, then review answers to clarify why conditions became increasingly difficult and how policies like impressment and conscription affected families’ ability to survive. Lead a discussion connecting material hardship to changing attitudes toward the war, asking how repeated shortages and losses might erode confidence in the government. Finally, prompt students to compare the Southern and Northern home fronts, emphasizing why shortages and inflation were more severe in the Confederacy and how these differences influenced morale and unrest.
Students read Hunger and Protests on the Southern Home Front and watch The Salisbury Bread Riot to investigate causes of hardship and civilian responses, especially women’s actions. They complete a graphic organizer by identifying major causes of hardship on the Southern home front, explaining the effects of each hardship, and summarizing the overall impact of these pressures on people and communities.
Teacher MovesReview student organizers to help them see how multiple pressures—shortages, rising prices, and government demands—combined to shape civilian life. Ask questions that push students to consider what was becoming harder for civilians, what choices families faced, and how these conditions influenced daily decisions. Guide discussion about civilian responses, focusing on why women often led protests and food riots and how emotions like anger and fear, along with responsibility for family survival, drove their actions. Extend the conversation by examining why home-front conditions mattered to the war itself, highlighting how loss of civilian support and soldier desertion to aid families weakened the Confederacy’s ability to continue fighting.
Students read Excerpt from A Rebel War Clerk’s Diary at the Confederate States Capital to analyze a firsthand account of a bread riot and the buildup of civilian unrest. They create and share a timeline using the drawing tool to show how events unfolded over time, then post to a discussion wall explaining why the causes of the bread riots were significant for understanding civilian life on the Southern home front.
Teacher MovesExplain that this scene is an optional extension for deepening understanding. As students share timelines, prompt them to distinguish causes from outcomes by asking what conditions preceded the riot and how shortages, rising prices, and government actions increased tensions over time. Use the diary details to discuss what the account reveals about daily life, frustration, and conflict between civilians and authorities, and to compare these conditions with those on the Northern home front. When reviewing discussion wall responses, highlight explanations that connect severe hardship and government policies to civilians’ decision to protest, especially women’s leadership, and emphasize that the bread riots were responses to long-term pressures rather than random violence. Conclude by asking how civilian morale on the home front affects a country’s ability to fight and win a war.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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