Students read Zora Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and explore her life history as well as novel analysis activities. In this novel analysis instructional activity, students identify elements in the novel and its overall literary...

Students relate musical styles with US historical context through research and presentation.

Newberry Library presents primary source materials from which students learn about the arguments made for abolition before the Civil War, how the appeals against slavery were framed, and what freedom would mean for the South and the...

Explore band music from the Civil War Period at The Library of Congress website.

This website outlines the popular forms of music during the Civil War, which included the songs of the minstrel shows like "Dixie," "Blue Tailed Fly," and "Old Dan Tucker."

A compilation of music from the Civil War era, including patriotic songs, songs of the homefront, as well as battlefield songs. Hear the songs and read the lyrics from "The Civil War Songbook."

Have you ever really read the words of Maryland's official state song? Although Maryland did not join the Confederacy, the words of James Ryder Randall, adopted as the state song, show that at least some in Maryland didn't have a high...

Features the complete lyrics to the popular Civil War song "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", written by Julia Ward Howe in 1861.

This is a short history of the major influences that have combined to create mountain music, one of which is minstrel music. Provides a good decription of minstrel music in general. Includes names and descriptions of specific songs,...

This unit features authors of Antebellum America and how they portray the American identity through their literature. Click on the tabs to explore the various resources available to enhance this unit.

This site provides you with the lyrics to the song, Dixie. Also provides a link that explains the origins of the popular Civil War song.

Song sheets, which containedonly lyrics, were a popular form of printed music. The Library of Congress holds over 4,000 of these from the 1800s that can be viewed online.

PBS presents several activities and lesson plans that cover the concepts of identifying different forms of music, learning about musical imagery, writing in response to music, and creating lyrics. The Sound Lounge has many interactive...

Provides primary sources for the study of southern history, culture and literature. DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.

The lyrics as well as some background information on the origins of the Civil War song "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen" can be found here. The MIDI file is also available for download.

Use this site to learn about Christine de Pisan, a writer of the Middle Ages well known for her poems, songs, and ballads.

This site provides a wealth of information about the American songwriter, Stephen Foster. This link leads you to the biographical information which is divided into five sections: beginnings, his life's work, the legend, the problems, and...

This website is an excellent source for information on James Bland and his music. Includes images of his sheet music, complete with notes and links to related information on African-American music and popular music from the post-Civil...

World War I was not fought by Americans just in Europe. Read about the many ways people at home helped the war effort. See how badly German-Americans were treated as anti-German passions were fueled.

Wrote many poems during the Civil War. Some of her published works include Wild Roses of Cape Ann and Childhood Songs.