White Children In The Civil War Essay

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1. Describe the Civil War experiences of white children from the North and South. How did they differ from each other? How did experiences of black children differ from both?
A. White children in the north were involved in the war, but from far away enough where they were safe. Many of the children would spy on and sometimes participate in the battles that were close to their towns. These battles were fascinating to them and many of them would remember their stories in a very nostalgic way. Because most of the battles of the Civil War were fought in the south, southern white children were forced to endure the battles that happened near their homes. Not only did they have to worry about getting shot or blown away by heavy artillery, hunger …show more content…

Some parents were protective of their children and forbade them from getting involved. Other parents believed that their children becoming involved with the war was a brave and honorable thing to do. This shows that violence is deep in the roots of America. In fact, it is praised, given the right cause. If you are doing something for your country, you are justified in killing. The violence of the Civil War experienced by children had a profound impact on them. Those who experienced it up close (mostly southern children) saw the horror of the war. This gave them a perspective of, what killing really is. In modern times, however, children don’t understand that when they shoot a bullet at a person and they fall down, that person is dead. The person doesn’t suddenly appear again after a few minutes, unharmed. If a character is killed in a television show, it doesn’t mean you wont see him in the next Marvel movie. Of course, some children are educated enough to tell the difference from the morals of a video game and reality, but other children are not. This can lead to a skewed view on violence. Children do not understand the atrocity of someone getting shot. Although I don’t believe that violent video games, movies, and television make a child gravitate towards violent actions, I do believe that most children have become desensitized to the subject of