Civil War Affect On Families

When looked at the impact of the Civil War many look at it based on politics, on the emancipation, and the elimination of slavery. Few seldom looked at it based on the families. For them the most common impact was the loss of a loved one. The civil war separated families, leaving lives shattered.
*“I still live in hope of getting word from you. I am disappointed everyday in getting a letter if you lack of paper buy it if you lack of envelopes and cannot get them send your letter any way. If you can’t get stamps send it anyhow. If you will write often I will be glad.”(Joseph Jones, Letters from the war) The Civil War tore families apart from each other. Fathers and sons were forced to leave their homes and families to defend their country. Mothers, Fathers, Daughters, and Sons were forced to cope with the death of their families and friends. Families, who lost someone special to them, during the war, were forced to rebuild their lives over from scratch. The Civil War like so many other wars was filled with bloodshed, dead soldiers, and disheartened families. The Civil War had a huge effect on the family and friends of soldiers.
“They are about 13 or 15 years old, wear army uniforms and carry war weapons. By all other measures they are still children, but it is not war games they play.” A few children and men have gone to war willingly, out of patriotism, a sense of adventure, or religious reasons. Some were under the impression they would be drummer boys for the American Civil War but nine times out of ten they would be carrying guns instead of drums. Seeing there were not enough soldiers, those that did not volunteer were forced to join. Young boys leaving home to serve their country were something many American families grew accustomed to. Mothers were obligated to say goodbye to both her son and her husband. Young boys under the age of 13 were taken away from their safe haven, placed into a war zone, untrained, barely able to read or write. Father and Son Samuel Wilkeson Jr. and his young son Bayard Wilkeson were both fighting in Gettysburg. While on the battlefield fighting for his own life, there Samuel Wilkeson Jr. discovered his young son bloody, badly injured body. Bayard Wilkeson was dead. This was the reality of many soldiers at that time. Many had to face this during the Civil War. Being forced into a war you did not want to fight is something the Civil War enforced on many families in the late 1860’s.
Receiving a letter in the mail that a loved one was killed or badly injured is a scenario that played out many of times during the civil war. Being there with a love one on their last days was a very important part of the family obligation during those days. So when willows received the news in mail form they must have been hurt broken. “Letters from a soldier telling of a comrade's death were meant to compensate. The letter described the person's last minutes, his religious state at the time of his death, his willingness to die, his belief in God. And it would often describe where he had been buried, in the expectation that the family might want to come and either reclaim or visit the body." (Drew Faust, Library Journal) Not seeing your son or husband in months and your only connection with them was through letters then to hear they are dead was tragic. The Civil War forced this life on many families. Young kids were forced to grow up without their parents. Mothers were forced to raise the children on their own. Sons didn’t have a father figure in their lives anymore. This one war caused million families heartache.
By the spring of 1863 the Confederacy’s War for independence was having a devastating effect on the economy. With the shortage of food and basic supplies, the price of living was increasing. With the soldiers at war, mothers were left to fend for themselves and their children. Food- producing areas of the surrounding countryside was devastated by battles and plundering soldiers, north and southern armies stripped farms to feed their soldiers leaving families hungry. The war not only left families hungry but also homeless. Families were losing everything. Cities, farms, and homes, were all burned and ravaged by cannon fire. Bridges, railroads, businesses, and industries were either destroyed or nearly wiped out. Everything from food to fuel was of short supply. Families dug in burned shell-studded fields for root crops or any other kind of edible vegetation. The ruined houses were used as shelter for many. “Rebuilding was a much lower priority than survival” said Toni Lee Robinson, author of “A Shattered Fairy Tale: The South after the Civil War”. Families at that time didn’t care very much about where they slept, finding something to eat and drink was their most concern. When the Civil War was over many had to start their lives over from scratch.
The Civil War was defined as the greatest war in America history. Millions fought, thousands died, everyone was affect. The war
Affected the soldiers that fought the war, the government that supported the war and the families that were forced to deal with it. When people look at the impact of the Civil War many look at it based on politics, the emancipation, and the elimination of slavery. People rarely look at it from the families’ point of view. Individuals who were there would say the most impact of the Civil War was the loss of a loved one. "The Civil War is a moment that generated an extraordinary amount of historical material because individuals were separated from one another."(Drew Gilpin Faust). Many lives were taken. The price of freedom was high and many had to pay. Fathers and sons were forced to leave their homes and families to defend their country. Mothers, Fathers, Daughters, and Sons were forced to cope with the death of their families and loved ones. Families, who lost someone special to them, during the war, were forced to rebuild their lives over from scratch. The Civil War like so many other wars was filled with bloodshed, dead soldiers, and disheartened families. The Civil War had a huge effect on the family and friends of soldiers. So when asked what and who was affected by the Civil War don’t forget about the family.

INtheMIDDLE

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” I wonder what season am I? Am I a summer, mature, responsible, and established? Or maybe I am more of a spring, playful, oblivious, and careless. I think I’m more in the middle. Not yet done playing around, but I also have responsibilities, and worried about my future. I like to make jokes at the dinner table, but at the same time I can clean the dishes, and when that’s done I can sit down and study.
Play fighting with my little brother, cracking jokes at the dinner table, and playing pranks on the neighborhood homeless man are ways I have fun. “ Dyneisha you are to old to be doing that!” I remember my mom yelling one afternoon as my little brother and I ran up and down the block playing Frisbee with the neighborhood homeless man’s hat. He yelled for help but we continued to laugh and taunt him. Later on that night I remember feeling the same way Lizabeth felt in the story “Marigold” after ruining Ms. Lottie’s garden, ashamed and embarrassed about my actions. Being so playful keeps me in my spring season. No matter how old I get I guess I’ll always be a child at heart.
With spring ending and summer starting more responsibilities are coming along. When I was younger I was carefree. I was so oblivious to problems around me. My mom being a single parent trying to raise two kids, there were many things we had to go without. Seeing my mom try so hard to take care my little brother and I, I felt obligated to help. Getting a job, I began to help out with the bills. Cleaning the house, cooking dinner and helping my brother with his homework were ways I’d help my mom. Noticing the change in my behavior I realize I was really growing up and entering the summer of my life.
During my elementary and middle school years of my life, I rarely took school serious. “Dyneisha did you finish your homework?” My mom would ask me when she came in from work. “Yes.” I’d lie just so she’d let me go outside or play my game. When I got in my last years of middle school my mom stop asking. She felt I was mature enough to do my homework with out her asking me. I took this and ran with it. I stop doing my homework and studying altogether. When I received my report card I saw the decrease in my grades. I remember thinking “I can bring my grades up next report card period” but I continued to fail. One day a lady had visited our school. She talked about college and life as an adult. The way she described college life made me realize I wanted to get there, but, I wouldn’t be able to do so if I continued to not do my homework and study. Going straight home from school I would study for an hour and read for half an hour. My preparation for the future shows I am in the summer of my life.
“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” I wonder what season am I? Am I a summer, mature, responsible, and established? Or maybe I am more of a spring, playful, oblivious, and careless. Maybe I’m both. I like to play around, but I have responsibilities, and am worried about my future. I’m not really sure what I can call myself at this point in my life. This is the hardest question I’ve had to answer yet. What do you think?

What is a GOOD poem?

When asked to define poetry, Robert Hayden said it is “the art of saying the impossible”. When asked to define a good poem, I say a good poem must have images, must be engaging, and, must make a personal connection. These are all the qualities of “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden. Images in the poem were vivid; I could see almost every action. Having read the poem I found it to be engaging, making me think, and making a personal connection as well.
Reading “The Whipping” I found it to have lots of images and visuals. As Robert Hayden described the violent scenes happening in the poem I could see it. “Wildly he crashes through elephant ears pleads in dusty zinnias, while she in spite of crippling fat pursues and corners him”. This is a quote from “The Whipping”, it gave me goose bumps as I imaged a young boy falling to the ground, his mother standing over him with sweat rolling down her forehead, breathing heavily trying to gather much needed energy so she can continue her brutal acts. Descriptions, in the “The Whipping” are one reason why it is a good poem.
Good poems should also be engaging. Starting the poem I thought the poem was about a mother beating her son for his wrongs. Reading on my opinion was changed. Ending the poem Robert Hayden said “ the women leans muttering against a tree exhausted, purged, avenged in part for lifelong hidings she has had to bear”. Based on this I was now lead to believe that the poem was focused on a mom beating her son out of frustration and anger not because he did something wrong. Poems should make you think and make you ask questions, “The Whipping” did this for me and this is another reason why it is a good poem.
“She strikes and strikes the shrilly circling boy till the stick breaks in her hand”. Can you imagine a beating so harsh, I can. Reading this quote made me shiver causing a chill to run up my back. I witnessed one of my family members receiving, from his mother, the same harsh whippings as the character in the poem. The pain Robert Hayden expressed was like a flashback of my own experience. “Head gripped in bony vice of knees, the writhing struggle to wrench free, the blows, the fear”, I could see my family member in this same positions begging for her to stop. A good poem should make a personal connection and “The Whipping” did this for me.
In conclusion, the poem “The Whipping” by Robert Hayden is a great example of a good poem. “The Whipping” has vivid images, it’s engaging, and made a personal connection. What do you think a good poem should be? Funny, sad, makes you smile, have a catchy title, or do you agree, that a good poem should have imagery, be engaging, and makes a connection. The answer is up to you!

Third and Fourth Annotation

Gherman, Beverly. Sandra Day O'Connor:Justice For All. Penguin Group , 1991.

This a short biography by Beverly Gherman that follows the life of Sandra Day O’Connor from her child years living in her Arizona ranch to her day of being crowned the first female to be named the Supreme Court. This book is a short one but summarize the struggles Sandra had to overcome before she got to where she is.
This book contains a few primary sources but mostly secondary sources. The book contains specific dates when Mrs. Sandra graduated, when she got degrees and when she was officially crowned. The book was a good source to learn fast facts about her life and her parents but I still will have to learn more.

Branigin, Barbash, and Deane, William, Fred, and Daniela. "Supreme Court Justice O'Connor Resigns". Washington Post July 1,2005: 1-4.

This is a news article by Washington’s Post. This article states the events that occurred on the day Sandra Day O’Connor resigned. The article contains quotes from both George Bush and Sandra Day O’Connor. Sandra Day O’Connor wrote a letter to Bush expressing her fillings towards her 24 terms spent in court. In her letter she states, “It has been a great privilege indeed to have served as a member ….” I would consider this to be a primary source. In contains quotes, letters, and dates when the resignation of Sandra Day O’Connor occurs. This information helped get a view on Sandra Day O’Connor personality. Her intelligent words and the way she held conversations help me get a visual on her character.

Thesis Statement and Introduction

They considered her a wasted nomination.Her position as first women justice to sit on Supreme Court was quick to draw criticism. They were quick to doubt her abilities as a women. But through it all Sanda Day O'Connor overcame all the doubts and rose to the top. Despite her struggles as a young child and her rise to the top Sandra became an inspiration and leader to women all over the world. Without the determination, self-will, and courage of Mrs.Connor women such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Juanita Kidd Stout,Judith Sheindlin, Judge Karin, and many more would of never had that chance. Sandra Day O'Connr opened doors for many women including myself.

First and Second Annotation

Biskupic,Joan.Sandra Day O'Connor:How The First Women on Supreme Court Became its most Influential Justice. Oct 25,2005
This biography was one of many biographies on the life of Sandar Day O'Connor life. This biography gave me info on the life of Sandra, her struggles, and quotes she used to encourage young girls to follow in her postion.
O'Connor Day, Sandra, Day, H Alan. Lazy B.2002
This is a book written by Sandra herself. She tells about her young life growing up. This book helped me get a vision on what made Sandra want to become interested into the life of law.The book was also written by her husband. This gave me an outlook on their love life and how they work together to survive her husband Akleizmer disease.

NHD Topic Selection

The person I Choose to do for NHD is Sandra Day O' Connor. I choose Sandra Day O' Connor because I am Interested in the women's fight for equal rights.Mrs.Sandra is important to history because without her fight to be the first women in the supreme court young women like me would not be able to persue that same dream. Sandra Day O' Connor opened a new door for women all over.
For This week researched, I found a book by Joan Biskupic entitled "Sandra Day O' Connor How the first women on the Supreme Court became its most influenial justice". I will read and summarize it for next week.