In fall 2012 politics of the last 1800 ’s in the new movie “Lincoln”, The movie was made by Steven Spielberg and dramatized the fight that Lincoln led not only on the battleground but in Congress as he tried to push for the abolishing slavery. As we see from the film, things have always been complicated when it comes to politics. Although America has been one nation under God, it has also been a nation of many diverse people that come to that table with many different ideologies. The movie is rated PG-13, so it may not be suitable for young children.
If you would like to give your child a history lesson that covers this same period of time, then the Addy American Girl books will cover many different topics dealing with slavery and then the abolition of slavery. Addy is a young slave girl that runs away with her mother to the north. There are several different books in her series that stretch for the end years of slavery in the United States to when the slavery is finally abolished.
There are also some other free history lessons around the web that will complement your child’s learning about Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and slavery. As of the writing of this Article, Brainpop.com has a free video that uses animation to teaches about the Civil War to kids. Brainpop is a subscription-based website, but they do have a few free videos like the one explaining the Civil War.
As we watch historical based fiction and read historical fiction we will see similarities between the lives we live today to those of the people in the past. Of course, there will be many differences that will be noticeable. History is interesting for children and for adults and there are fun ways to learn about the past, whether through a movie or book.
