8.5.3: Civil War News Stories and Recruitment Advertisements; Representations of Gender and Race on Currency

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Civil War News Stories and Recruitment Advertisements

In an interview with Ken Burns, the historian Stephen B. Oates called the Civil War the "great central experience" of United States history (1989, para 14). The Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution promised liberty and justice for all, but Black slavery in southern states contradicted and undermined those values and questioned the survival of democracy as a form government.

In many ways, the Civil War is still with us as a nation today. Black Americans still seek equality under the law. Racism toward Black people still permeates through all aspects of society. Conservative white politicians in red states seek to limit the political participation and voting of people of color. In 1968, the Kerner Commission declared "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white - separate and unequal" (para. 2). That reality remains true in the third decade of the 21st century.

Figure $\PageIndex{1}$: A sheet of US 32-cent postage stamps commemorating the American Civil War/War Between the States | Public domain

To understand the present, it is important to understand the past, and the activities in this section explore different dimensions of the Civil War and its impacts on civil rights through the lens of newspapers and advertisements.

Activity 1: Read Stories Across State Lines

The 2018 Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework lists the following critical policies and events leading to the Civil War:
- The Missouri Compromise (1831-1832)
- South Carolina Nullification Crisis (1832-1833)
- Wilmot Proviso (1846)
- The Mexican-American War (1846-1848)
- Compromise of 1850
- Publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-1852)
- Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
- The Supreme Court decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
- Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858)
- John Brown's raid on Harper’s Ferry (1859)
- Election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)
Select one of these events/policies and find two original news articles - one published in Northern territory and one published in Southern territory.
Use the Teacher and Student Guide to Analyzing News & Newspapers to critically evaluate each publication.
Create a screen recording or interactive image to present your findings.
- Interactive image:
  - Start a new Google Drawings canvas.
  - Upload a screenshot of the newspaper article to the middle of the canvas.
  - Insert text boxes and shapes to call attention to your findings.
  - Add links to additional information (e.g., the original image source).
- Screen recording:
  - If you have a Mac computer, use this shortcut.
  - If you have access to Quicktime, here's how to screenrecord using Quicktime.
  - Otherwise, use a web-based screenrecording tool such as Screencastify, Screencast-o-Matic, or Loom.

Activity 2: Examine Recruitment Advertisements

Review the following advertisements intended to recruit soldiers for the Civil War:
What are commonly used terms or words to recruit soldiers? Why do you think those words were used?
How did the advertisers attempt to persuade men to enlist?
How is the language different in advertisements for Black soldiers versus white soldiers? What about for the advertisements from the North versus the South? Why do you think that is?
Design a modern-day advertisement, using TikTok or Snapchat, to persuade individuals to enlist in the Civil War.

Additional Resources

Policies and Events Leading to the Civil War, resourcesforhistoryteachers wiki
The Civil War: The Nation Moves Towards War, 1850-61, Library of Congress

Connecting to the eBook

Building Democracy for All: 5.3 Constitutional Issues Related to the Civil War, Federal Power, and Individual Civil Rights

Connecting to the Standards

Massachusetts Civics & Government Standards
- Analyze the Constitutional issues that caused the Civil War and led to the eventual expansion of the power of the federal government and individual civil rights. (Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Studies) [8.T5.3]
ISTE Standards
- Digital Citizen
  - 2c: Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
- Knowledge Constructor
  - 3a: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
  - 3b: Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data, or other resources.
- Creative Communicator
  - 6a: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
  - 6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
  - 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.
DLCS Standards
- Ethics and Laws (CAS.b)
- Interpersonal and Societal Impact (CAS.c)
- Digital Tools (DTC.a)
- Collaboration and Communication (DTC.b)
- Research (DTC.c)
English Language Arts > History/Social Studies Common Core Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.5
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.8
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.1
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.2
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.5
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.9
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.1
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.2
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.3
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.6
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.8

Representations of Gender and Race on Currency

The proposal to include Harriet Tubman on the $20 bill and Maya Angelou and Sally Ride on quarters opens an important topic for critical media analysis.

Given their constant use, the images on banknotes and coins become part of everyone's accepted stock of knowledge. We take for granted that George Washington looked like just he appears on the $1 bill, Alexander Hamilton like he does on the $10 bill, and so on. At the same time, the vast majority of images on U.S. money have been of White men, conveying a message that women and people of color are less deserving of the honor of currency recognition.

Video $\PageIndex{1}$: Harriet Tubman $20 Bill | Meet the Girl Who May Be Behind the Change. Uploaded by ABC News.

The history of women and people of color on currency are largely untold stories. Since World War I, women have appeared only on coins, namely Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea, and Helen Keller. Martha Washington appeared on $1 silver certificates in 1886 and Pocahontas on the $20 bill in the 1860s. Booker T. Washington was the first African American on a coin in 1946; Jackie Robinson, Duke Ellington, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and the Tuskegee Airmen, among others, have appeared since then. A Native American figure appeared on the Indian Head penny, but the model was a liberty lady wearing an Native American headdress; only a few million Buffalo nickels were minted in the early 20th century.

In these activities, you will analyze how women and people of color have been displayed on currency before proposing new images that suggest their importance and impact on American society and culture.

Activity 1: Examine the Images of Women and People of Color on Currency

Explore the following resources about women, African Americans, and Native Americans on money:
- Women on Money, National Museum of American History
- Native American Images on Money, South Dakota Public Broadcasting
- For the Love of Money: Black Icons on U.S. Currency, Google Arts & Culture
Select one currency image featuring a woman, African American, or Native American and critically evaluate it using the Teacher and Student Guide to Analyzing Images.
Create a video, screen recording, or interactive image to present your findings.
- Interactive image:
  - Start a new Google Drawings canvas.
  - Upload a screenshot of the currency image to the middle of the canvas.
  - Insert text boxes and shapes to call attention to your findings.
  - Add links to additional information (e.g., the original image source).
- Screen recording:
  - If you have a Mac computer, use this shortcut.
  - If you have access to Quicktime, here's how to screenrecord using Quicktime.
  - Otherwise, use a web-based screenrecording tool such as Screencastify, Screencast-o-Matic, or Loom.

Activity 2: Campaign for Changes in the Images on Currency

Select a woman, Native American, Black American, or other traditionally marginalized individual who you believe deserves to be on U.S. currency.
Then, design a social media campaign to encourage people to write to political leaders to add that individual to U.S. currency.
- The social media campaign should include at least 2 videos (e.g., YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok), 5 example posts, and 3 images (e.g., memes, graphics, infographics) designed by you.
  - Here is a social media campaign example created by Justin Lo, Daniel Mulno, and David Warde and here is a Twitter campaign example by Sara Shea.
- Make sure to describe why the person you selected should be on U.S. currency.
- Bonus: Create a prototype drawing (digital or pencil/paper) of what the currency might look like with the individual you selected on it.

Activity 3: Design Images for Digital Currency

Digital currency is emerging as a means of exchange around the world. For example, early in 2021, China began testing in cities its own homegrown digital currency, the Electronic Chinese Yuan (New York Times, March 1, 2021).

Design a digital currency for use by the United States and other countries featuring influential individuals from history.
You can use the Create Your Own Currency app from the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago to assist with your design process.

Additional Resources

The Faces on Every US Bill
An Extremely Brief History of Women on U.S. Paper Currency, The Atlantic
Who, What, Why: How do you get your face on the dollar?, BBC News
How and why people are chosen to appear on US currency

Connecting to the eBook

Building Democracy for All: 5.3 Constitutional Issues Related to the Civil War, Federal Power, and Individual Civil Rights

Connecting to the Standards

Massachusetts Civics & Government Standards
- Analyze the Constitutional issues that caused the Civil War and led to the eventual expansion of the power of the federal government and individual civil rights. (Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for History and Social Studies) [8.T5.3]
ISTE Standards
- Digital Citizen
  - 2c: Students demonstrate an understanding of and respect for the rights and obligations of using and sharing intellectual property.
- Knowledge Constructor
  - 3a: Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.
  - 3b: Students evaluate the accuracy, perspective, credibility and relevance of information, media, data, or other resources.
  - 3d: Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions.
- Creative Communicator
  - 6a: Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.
  - 6b: Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations.
  - 6d: Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for the intended audiences.
DLCS Standards
- Ethics and Laws (CAS.b)
- Interpersonal and Societal Impact (CAS.c)
- Digital Tools (DTC.a)
- Collaboration and Communication (DTC.b)
- Research (DTC.c)
English Language Arts > History/Social Studies Common Core Standards
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.7
- CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.7

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