The Price of Freedom: Causes and Consequences of the Civil War
Tuesday – Friday; Grades K-12 The History Center is pleased to premiere a series of all-new, interactive field trip experiences. Created to stimulate students beyond the text book and exhibition displays, immersive encounters combine with museum theatre and investigative activities to engage students in a completely new way. The first field trip experience to debut in this series is Price of Freedom: Causes and Consequences. In this tour, students contemplate whether the Civil War was worth the cost to our nation through a variety of activities. Students formulate their own answer to this essential question as they role play as a civil war soldier in the Atlanta History Center’s Turning Point exhibition and make realistic, vital decisions that could affect their character’s life. Moving on to explore the Civil War through the eyes of Atlanta civilians, students experience the sights and sounds of a simulated bomb shelter during General Sherman’s epic bombardment in 1864 and learn what it would be like to live on the homefront in a target city. Later, in an inquiry-based classroom activity, students use critical thinking skills as they examine primary sources to discover why the South seceded from the Union. Lastly, students view a lively dramatic performance that illuminates the Emancipation Proclamation as both a political tool and an instrument of liberation. By the end of this tour, students will have done more than studied the history, they will have participated in it. |
