Understanding Primary Sources: Key Events

By Gale, Alan and Cengage Learning; Hedblad

Drawn from Gale’s acclaimed Reference Library products, this concise study guide helps you explore central ideas of primary sources in their historical context. Profiles of the authors and surrounding events; timelines and images; engaging research, discussion and activity ideas; “Did you know?” facts; and additional features make this guide valuable for students and lifelong learners. Primary sources covered: The Emancipation Proclamation and The Gettysburg Address (Abraham Lincoln); Correspondence with the City Leaders of Atlanta, Georgia (William T. Sherman); excerpt from “The Surrender at Appomattox Court House” (General Horace Porter); and excerpt from Diary of Gideon Welles, recalling the day President Lincoln died.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cengage Learning - Gale
• Release date: Aug 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9781535841955

Book preview

Understanding Primary Sources: American Civil War

Key Events

Understanding Primary Sources: American Civil War

Key Events

Staff

Alan Hedblad, Project Editor

Elizabeth Sweeney, Associate Editor

Lisa Kincade, Digital Content Specialist

Ashley Maynard, Intellectual Property Analyst

Kristine Julien, Graphic Design Specialist

John Watkins, Imaging

© 2016 by Gale, Cengage Learning.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored, or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Gale Customer Support, 1-800-877-4253.

For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions.

Further permissions questions can be emailed to [e-mail].

While every effort has been made to ensure the reliability of the information presented in this publication, Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, does not guarantee the accuracy of the data contained herein. Gale accepts no payment for listing; and inclusion in the publication of any organization, agency, institution, publication, service, or individual does not imply endorsement of the editors or publisher. Errors brought to the attention of the publisher and verified to the satisfaction of the publisher will be corrected in future editions.

ISBN 978-1-4103-6240-7 (this volume)

ISBN 978-1-4103-6239-1 (set)

Contents

Reader's Guide

American Civil War Timeline

Abraham Lincoln: The Emancipation Proclamation

Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address

William T. Sherman: Correspondence with the City Leaders of Atlanta, Georgia

General Horace Porter: Excerpt from The Surrender at Appomattox Court House

Gideon Welles: Excerpt from Diary of Gideon Welles, recalling the day President Lincoln died

Reader's Guide

Understanding Primary Sources: American Civil War presents full or excerpted documents written by people who participated in the events of the Civil War. Included among its three volumes (Key Events; Recollections of Combat; Freedom, Slavery, and Abolition) are documents ranging from notable speeches that mark important points in the conflict to personal diaries and letters that reflect the hopes, dreams, fears, and experiences of ordinary soldiers and civilians of the era. Some of the selections discuss highly personal issues, such as the terror of being in combat. Others chronicle events that fundamentally altered the course of the Civil War, like President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation and the letters between Union general William T. Sherman and Atlanta, Georgia, city leaders, relating to the 1864 fall of Atlanta. Further, the works included in this set present a wide range of perspectives on the conflict. Some entries provide insights into the feelings of men and women who were devoted to the Confederacy, for example, while others provide a glimpse into the motivations of equally dedicated Union loyalists.

Each excerpt presented in Understanding Primary Sources: American Civil War includes the following additional material:

An introduction places the document and its author in a historical context.

Things to remember while reading … offers readers important background information and directs them to central ideas in the text.

What happened next … provides an account of subsequent events, both in the war and in the life of the author.

Did you know … provides significant and interesting facts about the document, the author, or the events discussed.

For further reading … lists sources for more information on the author, the topic, or the document.

Other features of Understanding Primary Sources: American Civil War include short biographies of featured authors, photographs and illustrations depicting the personalities and events discussed in the documents, and sidebars presenting additional information on unusual or significant aspects of the issue or event under discussion. In addition, the set provides an American Civil War Timeline that lists significant dates and events of the Civil War era.

American Civil War Timeline