United States History Student Edition

07 Life During the War

The War for Civilians and Women GUIDING QUESTION How did daily life change during the Civil War? When the Civil War began, many young people left their homes to serve in the military. This meant leaving family and friends and jobs or school. Almost everyone who stayed home was also touched in some way by the war. Only about half of the school-age children attended school because many had to stay home to help their families. Schools closed during the war in some areas, especially those near battles and skirmishes. Because women were not allowed to serve in the military, it was left to them to keep the farms and factories going. They also supplied food, clothes, and other necessities for the war effort. Besides taking on new jobs such as running offices, teaching school, and keeping government records, women suffered the stress of having husbands away at war and the pain of losing family members. They struggled to keep their families together. Without a husband’s income there was little money available, so they cut back on expenses and went without

READING STRATEGY Analyzing Key Ideas and Details As you read, use a diagram like this one to note challenges presented by the war and to identify the people who faced each challenge.

Challenge

Who It Affected

many things they were used to. Hardships in the South

Although the war affected everyone, life in the South changed most dramatically. Because most of the fighting took place on Southern soil, the South suffered the most destruction. Southerners who lived in the paths of marching armies lost their crops and sometimes their homes.

The Civil War is believed to have created some 200,000 widows in the North and the South.

FLORIDA BENCHMARKS

• SS.8.A.1.3 • SS.8.A.4.3 • SS.8.A.4.8 • SS.8.A.5.3 • SS.8.A.5.5 • SS.8.A.5.7 • SS.8.CG.1.3 • SS.8.CG.2.4 • SS.8.E.1.1 • SS.8.E.3.1 • ELA.K12.EE.4.1 • ELA.K12.EE.5.1

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division [LC-USZC4-1841]

445

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