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Library of Congress: Civil War Photographs - The Mathew Brady Bunch
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Activity Description
In this activity, students become reporters, are assigned to sort through photographs, and find one that will bring the war alive to their readers. They write a newspaper article based on their chosen photograph and publish it on the Internet. This project is meant to be incorporated into a broad unit on the Civil War. The project will work best if it is started in the latter part of the unit. That way, students will have some background knowledge about the events of the war.
The Classroom Materials section features lesson plans, themed resources, primary source sets, presentations and activities, and collection connections. The Presentations & Activities sub-section offers media-rich historical content or interactive opportunities for exploration to both teachers and students.
Preparation
- Visit the Example Web Site (link above) and make sure that the site is not blocked at your school.
- Preview the site and review the lesson plan Preparation and Procedure sections for the lesson. (Select the Preparation or Procedure links on the page.)
- Make copies of needed handouts/worksheets.
How-To
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Teacher Tips
- Here you will find all primary sources teacher's guides
- On the Classroom Resources page, open the Themed Resources, Primary Source Sets, Presentations & Activities, and Collection Connections for different materials you can use in your classroom on other topics.
More Ways
- Review other lessons available using the Web Site link, immediately above. You can find them by topic, by era, or A-Z order.
- Check the many other possibilities under these links found on the left navigation menu: Teachers Home , Classroom Materials , Professional Development , TPS Partners , Using Primary Sources , and News and Events .
Program Areas
- ASE: High School Diploma
Lesson Plan
Objective: Activate background knowledge and prepare students for historical photo analysis.
Activity:
- Display a modern news photo without a caption. Ask: "What do you think is happening here? What can you infer from the photo?"
- Facilitate a short discussion about how photos convey meaning, emotion, and narrative—even without words.
- Introduce the day's essential question: "How can a single image tell the story of a war?"
Objective: Introduce the purpose and context of analyzing Civil War photos as historical artifacts.
Mini-Lesson:
- Briefly explain who Mathew Brady was and his role in documenting the Civil War.
- Show 1–2 historical Civil War photographs and model using the Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis Tool.
- Highlight different types of Civil War photographs (battlefield, daily life, medical, civilian).
Objective: Show students how to analyze and interpret Civil War photographs critically.
Teacher Actions:
- Model analysis using a projected historical image.
- Use guided questioning from Analyzing Photographs and Prints Teacher’s Guide to discuss perspective, bias, and historical context.
Objective: Students analyze historical photographs in groups and prepare for written reflection.
Group Activity:
- Divide students into groups of 3–4. Assign each group a different Civil War photograph (sample selections below).
- James River, Va. – Sailors on deck of U.S.S. Monitor
- Gettysburg, Pa. – Dead Confederate soldiers in "the Devil’s Den"
- Cumberland Landing, Va. – Group of contrabands at Foller’s house
- Keedysville, Md. – Confederate wounded with Dr. Anson Hurd
- Distribute one Primary Source Analysis Tool form per student.
- Each group discusses their image and fills out the form individually, then collaboratively creates a group summary.
Objective: Students write and publish a creative historical article based on their selected image.
Performance Task:
- Each student writes a short newspaper article (1–2 paragraphs) from the point of view of a Civil War-era reporter. The article should:
- Include a headline
- Describe the scene
- Explain what’s happening and why it matters
- Be grounded in historical evidence and analysis
- Optionally, students can "publish" their work:
Objective: Deepen understanding of historical interpretation through multimedia or creative work.
Options:
- Create a podcast-style recording of their article in character as a 19th-century reporter.
- Design a photojournalist’s “field notebook” with sketches, notes, and imagined interviews.
- Explore more Civil War photos through the Library of Congress collection and write a second article comparing two scenes.
Documents
- Civil War Photographs.png - Screenshot of Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch Lesson
Subjects
- Social Studies
- U.S. History
Tags
Creative Commons License
