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Paired Texts > Black Soldiers in the Civil War

by The National Archives 2016

We've identified these texts as great options for text pairings based on similar themes, literary devices, topic, or writing style. Supplement your lesson with one or more of these options and challenge students to compare and contrast the texts. To assign a paired text, click on the text to go to its page and click the "Assign Text" button there.

A Nation Divided: North vs. South
A Nation Divided: North vs. South
USHistory.org

"A Nation Divided: North vs. South" discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the Union and the Confederacy during the American Civil War.

Pair “A Nation Divided: North vs. South” with “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” to provide students with additional historical context about the Civil War. Ask students to compare the information revealed about slavery in each text– do students believe that abolishing slavery was the main goal of the Union Army? What other factors contributed to the Union Army’s desire to defeat the Confederate Army?

8th Grade Informational Text 890L
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln

President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation during the height of the Civil War. It was directed at the eleven states still in rebellion and decreed that all slaves in these rebelling states were freed.

Pair “The Emancipation Proclamation” with “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” and ask students to discuss President Lincoln’s decision to abolish slavery. Why did Lincoln wait until 1863 to abolish slavery?

10th Grade Historical Document 1970L
Tuskegee Airmen
Tuskegee Airmen
Jessica McBirney

In "Tuskegee Airmen," Jessica McBirney focuses on the group of African-American pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, who were were critical to the success of the U.S. Army during World War II and whose accomplishments led to the desegregation of the military.

Pair “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” with “Tuskegee Airmen” and lead students in a conversation about African-American military service. Ask students what experiences were shared between black soldiers in the Civil War and those in World War II. What motivated African Americans to fight for the country that didn’t support their individual freedoms? What does that say about human nature, as well as our ideas about America?

9th Grade Informational Text 1210L
How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans
How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans
Erin Blakemore

Despite the benefits it promised to United States veterans, the GI Bill failed to assist Black military members after WWII.

Pair “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” with “How the GI Bill's Promise Was Denied to a Million Black WWII Veterans” to allow students to compare the two texts. What similar difficulties did Black soldiers face during the Civil War and WWII? What do you think changed between the two wars? What stayed the same? What does this say about racism and discrimination in the United States?

10th Grade Informational Text 1270L
Forgetting Why We Remember
Forgetting Why We Remember
David W. Blight

In "Forgetting Why We Remember," David W. Blight describes the forgotten events of the first Memorial Day celebration in May 1865.

Pair “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” with “Forgetting Why We Remember” to provide students with additional historical context. Ask students to use both texts in order to learn more about how slavery impacted the Civil War, as well as the important role enslaved people played in the fight for freedom. What role did slavery play in the Civil War? Why did Black soldiers fight in the war? Why were they reluctant to fight in the Civil War? Why are the actions of the freedpeople in Charleston, SC on May 1 so profound and remarkable?

10th Grade Informational Text 1270L
Ode for Memorial Day
Ode for Memorial Day
Paul Laurence Dunbar

In "Ode for Memorial Day," a speaker celebrates the hard-won peace following the Civil War and considers the eternal gratitude and respect expressed toward the soldiers on Memorial Day.

Pair “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” with “Ode for Memorial Day” and ask students to compare and contrast the experiences of Black and white soldiers during the Civil War. According to “Black Soldiers in the Civil War,” why did some Black leaders like Frederick Douglass encourage Black men to volunteer to fight? What were some of the additional risks that Black soldiers faced? Why do you think that Dunbar never directly references slavery or the experiences of Black soldiers in “Ode for Memorial Day”?

11th Grade Poem
Father and son fight for a country which doesn't allow them to vote
Father and son fight for a country which doesn't allow them to vote
Ivan Watson, Pamela Boykoff, Paul Devitt and Joshua Berlinger, CNN

In "Father and son fight for a country which doesn't allow them to vote," the Floreses father-son duo explain that they want to continue serving their country in the US military, but they also want to be able to vote. Pair “Black Soldiers in the Civil War” with “Father and son fight for a country which doesn’t allow them to vote” and ask students to discuss participation in the US military without the full rights of citizenship. In “Black Soldiers in the Civil War,” what factors led to the military recruitment of Black Americans? Why did leaders like Frederick Douglass encourage Black men to enlist? How were Black soldiers discriminated against within and outside of the war effort? Centuries later, how does this compare to the experience of Guam residents who enlist in the US military? How are Guamanians in the military treated differently from their American-born counterparts? Across both texts, why are those who are denied rights still motivated to serve their country?

9th Grade Informational Text 1120L