War at Home: The Civilian Side

Alice Lee 5^th Grade

Summer Fellowship, 2008

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Lesson 5—Evils of warfare

1. Have students read the Evils on Warfare letter. Ask them to use the Written Document Analysis as a template to analyze the letter.

2. Guide students through a discussion with the following questions:

a. What is the author’s perspective on war?

b. What are the costs and benefits of warfare?

3. It is unclear the exact background of the author—whether or not he/she has someone they know in the army, whether or not he/ she has been a soldier, etc. What is clear is the author’s stance on war. Consider using this primary document to provide multiple perspectives on how potential civilians view war.

4. In their journal, students can choose the from the following activities:

a. Have students write corresponding letters between the author from “Evils of Warfare” and either of the soldiers’ wives.

b. Students can write a letter responding to the letter “Evils of Warfare.”