Children and Youth during the Civil War Era

by James Marten (Editor)

Overview

The Civil War is a much plumbed area of scholarship, so much so that at times it seems there is no further work to be done in the field. However, the experience of children and youth during that tumultuous time remains a relatively unexplored facet of the conflict. Children and Youth during the Civil War Era seeks a deeper investigation into the historical record by and giving voice and context to their struggles and victories during this critical period in American history.

Prominent historians and rising scholars explore issues important to both the Civil War era and to the history of children and youth, including the experience of orphans, drummer boys, and young soldiers on the front lines, and even the impact of the war on the games children played in this collection. Each essay places the history of children and youth in the context of the sectional conflict, while in turn shedding new light on the sectional conflict by viewing it through the lens of children and youth. A much needed, multi-faceted historical account, Children and Youth during the Civil War Era touches on some of the most important historiographical issues with which historians of children and youth and of the Civil War home front have grappled over the last few years.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814763407
Publisher:	New York University Press
Publication date:	01/01/2012
Series:	Children and Youth in America , #4
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	282
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

James Marten is Professor and Chair of the History Department at Marquette University. He is author or editor of more than a dozen books including The Children’s Civil War and four NYU Press books: Children and War: A Historical Anthology; Children in Colonial America; Children and Youth in a New Nation; and Children and Youth during the Civil War Era.

Table of Contents

AcknowledgmentsForewordPaul S. BoyerIntroductionJames MartenPart I No Greater Distinction 1. Boy Soldiers of the American RevolutionCaroline Cox 2. Martha Jefferson and the American Revolution in VirginiaCynthia A. Kierner 3. In Franklin’s FootstepsVincent DiGirolamoPart II Finding a Place to Belong 4. French and American ChildhoodsMartha Saxton 5. Growing up on the Middle GroundAndrew K. Frank 6. A Child Shall Lead ThemTodd M. Brennemanvi Part III Taking a Flying Leap 7. “A Few Thoughts in Vindication of Female Eloquence”A. Kristen Foster 8. “Pictures of the Vicious ultimately overcome by misery and shame”Gretchen A. AdamsPart IV A Hard World 9. Children of the PublicNancy Zey 10. Schooling and Child Health in Antebellum New EnglandRebecca R. NoelPart V Documents 11. A Teenager Goes VisitingHolly V. Izard and Caroline Fuller Sloat 12. “Though the Means Were Scanty”Vincent DiGirolamo 13. A Stolen LifeJames MartenQuestions for ConsiderationSuggested ReadingsContributorsIndex

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Children and Youth during the Civil War Era brings together thirteen excellent essays by both established and emerging scholars of children and the Civil War. Offering both breadth and depth and considering both images of childhood and children¹s own experiences, the essays address slavery, sectionalism, war, emancipation, reconstruction, and memory from multiple vantage points. A selection of documents further enrich this anthology, which represents the burgeoning field of childhood and youth in the Civil War era.”-Anya Jabour,author of Topsy-Turvy: How the Civil War Turned the World Upside Down for Southern Children

"The anthology covers a wide range of subjects under the general rubric of children in the Civil War era. In so doing, it does much to address previous voids."-Wilma King,The North Carolina Historical Review

"Many of the authors move beyond traditional historical sources to incorporate evidence from literature, visual art, and popular culture...highly recommended."-S. Ferentinos,CHOICE

"This is a suggestive and moving volume...each essay seems rich with meaning."-Lyde Cullen Sizer

Editorial Reviews

"Children and Youth during the Civil War Era brings together thirteen excellent essays by both established and emerging scholars of children and the Civil War.Offering both breadth and depth and considering both images of childhood and children¹s own experiences, the essays address slavery, sectionalism, war, emancipation, reconstruction, and memory from multiple vantage points. A selection of documents further enrich this anthology, which represents the burgeoning field of childhood and youth in the Civil War era."

Anya Jabour

"The essays in this volume provide an engaging look at the history of youth during a pivotal era in our nation's history and should spark fruitful class discussions as well as further historical inquiry and research."

The Journal of American History

"Many of the authors move beyond traditional historical sources to incorporate evidence from literature, visual art, and popular culture...highly recommended."

CHOICE - S. Ferentinos

"A solid collection of essays, organized coherently around a set of important questions, that will be of interest to both students and scholars."

History of Education

"This is a suggestive and moving volume...each essay seems rich with meaning."

Lyde Cullen Sizer

"The anthology covers a wide range of subjects under the general rubric of children in the Civil War era. In so doing, it does much to address previous voids."

The North Carolina Historical Review - Wilma King

"Marten's book is a must for anybody interested in Civil War history."

The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society - Edmund L. Drago

Children and Youth during the Civil War Era brings together thirteen excellent essays by both established and emerging scholars of children and the Civil War. Offering both breadth and depth and considering both images of childhood and children's own experiences, the essays address slavery, sectionalism, war, emancipation,
reconstruction, and memory from multiple vantage points. A selection of documents further enrich this anthology, which represents the burgeoning field of childhood and youth in the Civil War era.”-Anya Jabour,author of Topsy-Turvy: How the Civil War Turned the World Upside Down for Southern Children

"The anthology covers a wide range of subjects under the general rubric of children in the Civil War era. In so doing, it does much to address previous voids."-Wilma King, The North Carolina Historical Review

"A solid collection of essays, organized coherently around a set of important questions, that will be of interest to both students and scholars."- History of Education

From the Publisher