Gettysburg at 150

Gettysburg at 150

My visit to Gettysburg in 2009

This week marks an important anniversary of a very pivotal battle in the Civil War and in American History. Although I wish I was able to be at Gettysburg, PA this summer there are lots of ways to be a part of the celebration and resources you can use with your students next fall when school resumes to help them learn more about this pivotal battle. Below are various websites I have collected; some of which I have used with my students and others I hope to be able to incorporate into my lessons in the future. Of course as we go through the three days of Gettysburg, The Gettysburg Foundation has lot of resources to follow during this anniversary.

The Battlefield

My visit to Gettysburg in 2009

Gettysburg Battlefield Cam: Earthcam has been running a live video feed from atop the Codori Barn that gives a clear view of Pickett's Charge. I hope this camera is able to stay, because I would love to be able to take my students to this camera to have them view for themselves the great distance the confederate soldier's had to travel during Pickett's Charge.

Cutting Edge Map of the Battlefield: This newly released map is able to use technology to show what the commanders saw themselves from their vantage point during the battle. This is a very cool idea and concept, and I think that this can help students to transport themselves to a different time and place and witness the battlefield in a different way.

Historyanimated.com-Battle of Gettysburg: I really love HistoryAnimated, because there are lots of battles from several different wars and I have found them very useful with students. The Battle of Gettysburg does a fantastic job of laying out the major events of the battle during these three days.

Gettysburg 360: This is a new resource that I am excited to let students explore to learn more about the battlefield.  I had students view another great resource from the folks of the Civil War Trust, which was their Antietam 360 tour and students loved using this resource to learn more about that battle. From what I've seen at Gettysburg 360, I'm excited to add this as another resource for students. It really lets students virtually explore the area and learn about some of the key aspects of the battle. For many of my students, this is the closest they probably will ever get to these historic locations and really helps create that virtual experience for them. Teachers should also check out their Lesson Center for ideas on ways brining the Civil War to life for your students.

The Soldiers

Civil War Voices: Soldier Studies  I have not used this resource with students, but it could provide you a place to look for Soldier letter's and diaries that are free to search and use with students. Using "Gettysburg" as a search phrase, I was able to find both Union and Confederate reflections of the battle.

Civil War Veterans Come Alive: Have student listen to the Rebel Yell from this Smithsonian Video that captured veterans of Gettysburg on the 75th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Battle.

Watch the Civil War Veterans at the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg

The Gettysburg Address

Gettysburg Interactive: The Smithsonian has a very neat interactive feature that allows you to closely examine this document and lean more about Lincoln's famous address.

Gettysburg Address UDL Edition by Cast: This site allows to to change how much support you want to give students as they read the document. I like some of the built in dictionary tools, the text to audio feature,  and some of thee explanations on why some of the language was used by Lincoln.

Animated Gettysburg Address. This is by far one of my favorite videos to show to students of the significance of Gettysburg.

I am looking forward to following the Gettysburg 150th Anniversary these next few days and I am also looking forward to incorporating some of these new resources with my students next school year. What resources do you use to help teach the Civil War? I would love to hear from you in the comments section below. 

***Some New Resources 2018***

Here are some other resources to check out

The North Carolinian Is Pointing at the Bryan Farm - This Blog Post from Kevin Levin has some great information on how African-Americans living around Gettysburg were impacted by the invasion of the Confederate Army. Kevin makes some great points on historical memory and monuments at the Battlefield.

Voices of the Wounded:The Battle of Gettysburg: This is a blog post from the National Museum of Civil War Medicine. Has some first person accounts of those wounded at the battle.