History is Fun!
Book III: Civil War
Unit 1: Leading to the Civil War
Lesson 3: Advantages of the North and South
Topic Overview:
Both the North and South had advantages and disadvantages throughout the Civil War. For example, the North had more miles of railroads and a larger population, but had to travel great distances to fight. Southerners fought on their home terrain, but often had to worry about the possibility of slave rebellions back home and lack of supplies. The North’s navy was far superior, but the Generals leading the Southern armies often outclassed them. Overall, each side tried to utilize their strengths and expose the weakness of the enemy.
Activity Overview:
In this analogous simulation two teams will discover how the North was able to win the Civil War by competing to see who can create the most peanut butter crackers. Each side will have its own advantages and disadvantages. The North will have twice as many students. At the end of the activity students will make analogies between the game and the advantages enjoyed by the North and South during the War.
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to identify the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South during the Civil War.
2. Students will be able to explain why the North was able to win the Civil War.
3. Students will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each side and how each contributed to success or failure on the battlefield.
Setup:
1. Arrange chairs in traditional rows.
2. Place one desk at the front of the room. Place 2 packages of saltine crackers on it.
3. Once the activity begins the North will need one desk with plastic knives and jar of peanut butter. The South will need a jar of peanut butter and plastic spoons.
4. Make an overhead transparency of the Advantages of the North and the South/ Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet Key.
Materials:
1. 2 jars of peanut butter (per class)
2. 2 packages of saltine crackers (per class)
3. 20 plastic knives
4. 10 plastic forks
5. Paper towels
6. Pitcher of water and cups
7. Advantages of the North and the South / Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet (p.7,8)
Activity in Detail:
1. Explain to students: “During the Civil War, both the North and South had advantages and disadvantages when it came to fighting. To understand those advantages and disadvantages we will play a game that involves peanut butter. The goal of the game is to spread peanut butter onto all of your crackers before the other team does.”
2. Project the Advantages of the North and South/Peanut Butter War Analogy overhead transparency. Point to box 1 for the North and say: “Before the Civil War, the North was much larger in both population and the amount of states. There were 22 million people living in the North and only 9 million living in the South. Of those 9 million that lived in the South, 3 million were slaves. Twenty-three states fought on the side of the Union, including WV when it broke away from VA to become its own state in 1863. There were only 11 states which fought for the South. In the game, the North will have twice as many people.”
3. Divide the class so that 2/3 of the class plays for the North and 1/3 plays for the South, but do not move them yet.
4. Say to students, “The South also had some advantages.” Point to box 1 for the South and say: “Most of the battles for the Civil War were fought in the South, in their own back yard. They knew the terrain better. Also, civilians would often help the South with logistical support and intelligence. In the game, the table which holds the crackers will be in the South. One package is for the North and one is for the South.”
5. Point to box 2 for the North and say: ”Another advantage of the North was that they had many more miles of railroad transportation and better connections. The North had nearly 22,000 miles of railroads, while the South had only 9,000. Therefore the North could move men and materials much more quickly to the front. In the game, the North can run to get one cracker at a time while the South has to walk.”
6. Point to box 3 for the North and say: “The North also had an advantage over the South when it came to the Navy. Three-fourths of the navy’s officers came from the north, as well as many of the sailors. All but one of the US Naval yards was located in the North. The North used its superior navy to blockade the South for most of the war. In the game the North can use two people to blockade the South from getting supplies. They must keep their hands behind their back at all times as they block the South from getting to the crackers.”
7. Point to box 4 for the North and say: “The North had most of the industrial capacity and the financial resources to win the war. Eighty percent of the country’s factories were in the North, including most of the gun and gun powder manufacturers. Besides, President Lincoln could use the National Treasury to finance the wars. Most of the major financial institutions were located in the North, and the federal government could borrow money from them to finance the war. The South had a hard time financing the war and it faced major inflation by the end of the war. In the game the North will be able to use knives to spread peanut butter while the South will have to use forks.”
8. Point to box 2 for the South and say: “Perhaps the greatest advantage of the South was its generals and its soldiers. Most of the US military schools were in the South. Generals such as Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson resigned from the federal government and joined the Confederacy. Most of the soldiers from the South grew up out in the country, so they were used to firing guns. Consequently, they were better “shots” than soldiers in the North. In the game, the South will be able to use both hands to spread the peanut butter, while the North must keep one hand per person behind their backs.”
9. Point to the Disadvantages for the South and say: “The South had one major disadvantage. Since there was such a large slave population and so many of the men were off fighting in the war, Southerners had to worry about slave rebellions. In the game, one Southerner must turn his/her back to the group and look away for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, that person will turn around and tap the person next to them on the shoulder. The new person will have to turn around for 30 seconds, and so on. No one can make or eat crackers while his/her back is turned.”
10. At this point make final checks to launch the war.
· Place the paper towels on one side for the North with the peanut butter jar.
· Give the plastic knives to the North and the plastic forks to the South.
· Make sure the crackers are on the South’s side.
· Have two volunteers from the North be the Navy. They must keep their hands behind their backs. Once both teams have made all their crackers, the Navy can go back to the North.
11. Remind everyone that they can only get one cracker at a time. The North can run, but they can only use one hand. The South has to walk, but they can use both hands. Choose a Southerner to be the first to “watch the slaves” and him/her face away from the group.
12. Students must get the Teacher’s approval before they can begin eating.
13. Once everyone understands, begin the activity. The best place to stand is by the table with crackers to remind the students to only take one at a time. Make sure that:
· the North is running and the South is walking.
· the team’s are only taking one cracker at a time
· the North is only using one hand
· the South has one person with his/her back turned
14. Call out how each team is doing (i.e. “The South has half of their crackers covered!”). Also announce when each side has finished spreading and can start eating.
15. Normally the South will be winning at first and will begin to eat first, but the North will catch up and win in the end.
16. Have students clean the room. Students will need to drink water after the activity.
17. Once the room is clean, begin debriefing the students by asking the following questions:
a. Which side was winning in the beginning? Why?
“The South, because they could use both hands (if answers are different, point out what should have happened). In the beginning the South won most of the battles. They were fighting on the South’s terrain and the South’s Generals were able to beat the North’s generals. President Lincoln had to fire many Northern generals because they kept losing to the South.”
b. Who was able to win in the end? Why?
“The North won in the end because they had more people. General Grant at the end of the war knew he had more men than General Lee. He changed his strategy as a result: rather than wait a few weeks or months between battles, he would attack continuously because he knew he enough troops to lose and could replace them quicker than Lee could. However, because of the growing number of casualties, Lincoln’s advisors recommended that Grant be fired. Lincoln did not want to do that because he believed that Grant was a great fighter. Grant also believed that if he battled Lee continuously the war would end sooner,thus saving more lives. In the end, Grant’s strategy worked and the North was able to win.”
c. Did the naval blockade stop the South?
“No, in the Civil war the South was also able to use ‘blockade runners’ to break the blockade.”
18. Assign the Advantages of the North and the South/ Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet for students to complete. They should fill in the analogy column by comparing the first column to their experience. After they have finished the analogy column they should fold over the first column to see if they can verbally match the history to the analogy.
19. Use the Analogy overhead for students to check their answers.
Debriefing:
See the Advantages of the North and the South/ Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet
Assessment:
1. Advantages of the North and the South/ Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet
2. Essay Question: What were the advantages and disadvantages of the North and South during the Civil War and how did the North use their advantages to help them win the war?
Advantages of the North and the South/
Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet Key
Advantages of the North / Peanut Butter War1. The North was larger in both population and the number of states: 22 million people lived in the 23 states of the North; compared to 9 million people who lived in the 11 states of the South. / The North had twice as
many people.
2. The North had more miles of railroads than the South and could more quickly transport men and supplies. / The North could run to
get supplies.
3. The North had a much superior navy and was able to blockade the South. / The North had two people who blocked the Southerners.
4. The North had most of America’s industrial capacity and the financial resources to support the war effort. / The North could use knives while the South had to use forks.
Advantages of the South / Peanut Butter War
1. The South fought mainly on home terrain and on the defensive. / To get the crackers the North had to come to the South.
2. The South had better Generals, such as Robert E. Lee and Stone wall Jackson. Also Southerners were more familiar with using guns. / The South could use both hands, while the North could only use one hand.
Disadvantages of the South / Peanut Butter War
Many fighting men were had to worry about potential slave rebellions back home. / One person on the South’s side had to turn his/her back to the group.
Advantages of the North and the South/
Peanut Butter War Analogy Worksheet
Advantages of the North / Peanut Butter War / Advantages of the North1. The North was larger in both population and the number of states: 22 million people lived in the 23 states of the North; compared to 9 million people who lived in the 11 states of the South.
2. The North had more miles of railroads than the South and could more quickly transport men and supplies.
3. The North had a much superior navy and was able to blockade the South.
4. The North had most of America’s industrial capacity and the financial resources to support the war effort.
Advantages of the South / Peanut Butter War / Advantages of the South
1. The South fought mainly on home terrain and on the defensive.
2. The South had better Generals, such as Robert E. Lee and Stone wall Jackson. Also Southerners were more familiar with using guns.
Disadvantages of the South / Peanut Butter War / Disadvantages of the South
Many fighting men were had to worry about potential slave rebellions back home.
Advantages of the North and South, Page # 1
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