Saturday, April 30, 2011

The children during the civil war-Hermela-Deborahs class

The children of the civil war
The children of the north
"The children of the North went into the war excited to beat the “traitors” of the South, and to reunite the Union. They avidly participated in the war, and were eager to beat Jefferson Davis, whom they all hated. The children of the North suffered some economic hardships, such as smaller food portions, less clothes, and higher prices for goods, but they were much better off than the people of the South. Due to the greater population, not as many fathers and brothers were drafted or enlisted, so not as many children suffered loss in their families. Those children whose fathers did get drafted had tearful departures and assumed more responsibilities, such as taking care of their siblings. Aside from those children, most of the North watched and learned about the war from afar. They read books, stories, and magazines, and saw plays and paintings about the war. In school, the children continued to read about the war, and sang songs that demonstrated their patriotism. Most of the children of the North did not suffer the hardships of war that the children of the South experienced."

The children of the south"The children of the South suffered many more hardships than the children of the North. Though they too watched plays and saw paintings of the war, they were more directly affected. Because of the blockade on ships by the Union soldiers, there was a lack in resources. People starved and many were homeless on the streets. Starving children often conducted bread riots, in which they would rob bakeries of loaves of bread to satisfy their hungers. The Southern children had to adjust to numerous changes due to the war. Kids had to quit school over financial issues and teacher shortages. Children also lost any prior relationships with their slaves. In addition, they had to adjust to having the presence of Union soldiers in their villages. Those Union soldiers often burned villages, killed farm animals, and stole food and resources, leaving families with no food or clothing. In these invasions, some children were injured or even killed, and most ended up as refugees. Witnessing these events stole childhoods away from these children, who had to assume the roles of adults. The years of pleasure and fun slipped passed them, and all they had was stern reality."

No comments:

Post a Comment