Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters
Focusing on Details: Compare and Contrast
All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.Introduction
Compare and contrast the following two Civil War recruitment broadsides.Name:
Class:
Class:
Worksheet
Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters
Focusing on Details: Compare and Contrast
Examine the documents included in this activity and write your response in the space provided.
- Who do you think created each of these posters. For what purpose?
- Who do you think is the intended audience?
- What does the creator of each poster hope the audience will do?
- Are the posters effective? Why or why not?
Your Response
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Activity Element
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Conclusion
Comparing Civil War Recruitment Posters
Focusing on Details: Compare and Contrast
How does the language used reflect the differences in attitude and perspective regarding African Americans?Your Response
Document
To Colored Men!
ca. 1861 - 1865
After President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, the U.S. Army began recruiting black men in earnest. The Confederate government regarded captured black soldiers as fugitive slaves, not prisoners of war. It threatened to execute or sell them into slavery. This broadside reassured potential black recruits that the U.S. Government would treat all of its troops as soldiers – and retaliate in the event of Confederate mistreatment of black U.S. soldiers.
Text adapted from "The Fight for Equal Rights: A Recruiting Poster for Black Soldiers in the Civil War" in the February 1992 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
Text adapted from "The Fight for Equal Rights: A Recruiting Poster for Black Soldiers in the Civil War" in the February 1992 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Adjutant General's Office.
National Archives Identifier: 1497351
Full Citation: To Colored Men!; ca. 1861 - 1865; Letters Received, 1863 - 1888; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, ; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/to-colored-men, April 17, 2025]To Colored Men!
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To Colored Men!
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Document
Broadside Titled, 'Wanted! 200 Negroes'
11/4/1862
This primary source comes from the War Department Collection of Confederate Records.
National Archives Identifier: 3854716
Full Citation: Broadside Titled, 'Wanted! 200 Negroes'; 11/4/1862; War Department Collection of Confederate Records, . [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/broadside-titled-wanted-200-negroes, April 17, 2025]Broadside Titled, 'Wanted! 200 Negroes'
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