Civil War Pathfinder

The Civil War was a significant event in American History. It is studied in grade 7 and is usually the subject of a major research project. Haworth School Library owns many books on the subject (click here to see the listing), as does the Bergen County Cooperative Library System. There are many reputable web sites to visit as well.

1. Narrow or choose your topic. (If you haven't already visited the page on this site devoted to research, you should.) Read a survey article about the Civil War in a high quality encyclopedia, such as World Book or Encyclopedia Britannica, or one that your family might own. These articles are generally long, but you should read the entire article to get an overview from events leading up to the war to its aftermath. Articles such as these generally contain a listing of related articles and/ or an outline of the overview article.

As you skim the article, note the portions that you find particularly interesting. Remember, if you are interested and excited about your topic, the paper will be easier to write and more interesting to read!

2. Browse the Civil War Section. Haworth School Library owns approximately 45 circulating and reference books. The Dewey Decimal Number for Civil War is 973.7 and we own quite a few biographies. However, these books will be on a reserve shelf and will not circulate for the duration of the project , but you will be given plenty of library time to take notes in the library. You will also have access to the copy machine.

3. Browse BCCLS. If you do not know what B.C.C.L.S. stands for you need to visit the BCCLS Pathfinder page for a tutorial on ordering any available book from your home computer. If you know how to order a book, click on this BCCLS Link to connect to their web page. It is a good idea to have narrowed your topic before visiting BCCLS as they have 685 books return if you type "American Civil War" in the search box.

4. Browse the Internet? I would recommend that you check the Internet for information, however, I recommend that you make use of several directories and links from this page before you waste too much time on Google or some other search engine. Google is a great search engine, but searchable directories make subject searching slightly easier and faster. Most of the websites found in these directories have been checked for reliability by the hosts of the directories. You will also receive fewer irrelevant hits by searching a directory. If you do your own search on Google, ask yourself the four questions everyone should ask about a web site found on the World Wide Web.

Professor Robert Lackie has put together a directory of Invisible Web Resources. You would begin by choosing a directory, then a subject within the directory. Most of the directories are searchable by topic. However, I have searched his directories and found some promising ones and listed and linked to them below.

Specific Civil War sites found by using the various directories of Invisible Web Resources:

The Heritage Preservation Services has a huge site organized both by states and battle.

The Smithsonian Institution has pages dealing with the Civil War and includes a timeline as well as other valuable resources.

The U.S. Civil War Center at Louisiana State University is a searchable site and also has an index page with entries from "Abolition and Slavery" to "Writers and Literature of the Period."

Cornell University Library houses a searchable collection of primary resources on the Civil War. This site if great for serious researchers.

The University of Virginia Library owns letters and other primary documents of the Civil War. This site also houses research by students. It might be interesting to view some of the letters.

The CIA hosts a page about brave black men and women who worked as spies during the Civil War.

Kidport has pages devoted to the Civil War. The main Civil War page has links to subject within the study of the Civil War, such as Uniforms and the War at Sea. It also includes a timeline of the major events.

Shotgun's Civil War Homepage is written by a non-historian who is sympathetic to the South in the War. Shotgun is upfront with his point-of-view and the site is bookmarked in reputable directories such as the Librarians Index to the Internet. It is well organized and HUGE.

The Civil War Homepage has been on the Internet for seven years and is a directory of links to other Civil War sites on the Web. It has been recently updated. This site is enormous.

Feeling like an expert on the Civil War? Try a Civil War theme online crossword puzzle at the New York Time for Kids pages!

Other Civil War sources

A history teacher in Texas named Mrs. Oz has a huge website about everything history. Her pages on the Civil War contain easily hundreds of links to other websites with information about the Civil War.

Kidsconnect has an attractive site containing links to Civil War pages. There is some overlap with other directories.