*NOTE* This is a condensed version of my normal "U.S. Civil War: America's Struggle to Unite, 1861-1865" course that normally runs for 10 weeks into 2 weeks (4 days each week) for the summer! Please feel free to read the reviews from the regular course!

Learn all about the US Civil War from someone who has been teaching it to this age group for 2 decades! There will be eight immersive sessions that will cover the lead-up to the conflict to the end of the war, Reconstruction, and the long-term effects of the war. The sessions will cover:

Session # 1 -Intro to the Civil War
Slavery
John Brown
The Underground Railroad
Bleeding Kansas
The Election of 1860
Secession

Session # 2 - Weapons, Technology and Uniforms of the Civil War 
The rifled musket
Minie bullet
Civil War artillery and types of ammunition
Cavalry during the Civil War
Communication modes
Uniforms of the Civil War...it might not be what you think!

Session # 3 - Opening shots
Lincoln vs Davis
The North and South, in brief
Advantages of the North
Advantages of the South
The Shelling of Fort Sumter
The First Battle of Bull Run

Session # 4 -The Battle of Antietam Creek (Sharpsburg)
The bloodiest day in American history
McClellan takes Command
The qualities of Lee
The Three phases of the battle

Session # 5 - Fredericksburg and the Emancipation Proclamation
Burnside takes over
Marye's Heights
Richard Rowland Kirkland
Richmond saved due to Union bungling
Lincoln frees the slaves, and the ramifications of this decision

Session # 6 - The Homefront during the Civil War
Economy in the North
Farming in the North
Cities in the North
Economy in the South
Slavery in the South
Plantation life
Farming in the South
Cities in the South

Session # 7 -The Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg
Taking control of the Mississippi
Splitting the Confederacy in two
The tide turns (kind of) at Gettysburg
The 20th Maine at Little Round Top
Pickett's Charge (and Pettigrew's, and Trimble's)
What was Lee thinking?

Session # 8 - African Americans during the Civil War
Frederick Douglas
Bureau of Colored Troops
Service & Casualties
Prejudice in the Military
Segregated Units
54th Regiment
Black Service Pay
The Danger of Being Captured

Session # 9 - The End of the War
Final battles
The Confederate surrender at Appomattox
The death of a president
Reconstruction
Long term effects of the Civil War

Session # 10 - Civil War Obscure
Picnics at Bull Run?
Mourning
Glow in the dark wounds?
Arlington's history
Harriet Tubman's raid
Elephants in the Union Army?
The largest snowball fight in history


I teach by using slides, original photographs, video clips, discussions and more. There will be question/answer periods and both group and individual opportunities to offer answers and opinions about the subject. Some prior knowledge of the US Civil War helpful, but not a must. I've taught this subject for many years and most students have no background knowledge. As the teacher, I will be dressed in a reproduction Civil War uniform for all sessions.