This week we'll be focusing on the question: Who transformed the purpose of the Civil War? As we've discussed, although the war was clearly a war to defend slavery and its extension for the South, in the North, the war was not initially about slavery — but a war for union. This week we'll delve into how this changes over the course of the war, and ask who is responsible for that change. Following up on our close examination of the Emancipation Proclamation, we'll jigsaw several secondary sources to understand different historian's perspectives on who transformed the purpose of the war from union to liberation. We'll look at familiar actors — the enslaved, the Abolitionists, and Lincoln — as well as the crucial role Black soldiers played to get a better sense of how slavery came to an end. We'll end the week by finishing up our graphic organizer and writing a thesis statement to prepare for our essay after winter break.
