Chapter 5: The Civil War and Reconstruction

Chapter 5 deals with content related to the Civil War and Reconstruction (1850–1877). Among the major elements that students will encounter as they study this era are the Compromise of 1850, the election of Abraham Lincoln, and the major events of the Civil War and Reconstruction. According to the National Center for History in Schools, students should master content pertaining to the following: “the causes of the Civil War”; “the course and character of the Civil War and its effects on the American people”; and “how various reconstruction plans succeeded or failed” (UCLA, 2017, para. 1). Teachers can use several films to help students learn more about the Civil War and Reconstruction through the Hollywood or History? approach. Our suggestions include films such as Andersonville (Ethel & Frenkenheimer, 1996), Gettysburg (Esparza, Katz, & Maxwell, 1993), Glory (Fields & Zwick, 1989), and Gone With the Wind (Selznick, Fleming, Cukor, & Wood, 1939).