How Are Contemporary Songs and Photographs of Value to the Historian Trying to Recover People’s Experiences of the American Civil War? What Problems May Be Encountered in Interpreting These Sources?

How are contemporary songs and photographs of value to the historian trying to recover people’s experiences of the American Civil War? What problems may be encountered in interpreting these sources?

During the American Civil War (1861-1865), photography was revolutionised and historians today find these photographs of great value because they are primary evidence of the rapid change in technology during the 19th century, provide accurate images of uniforms, artillery and personalities, show changed attitudes and depict things that newspapers, letters and other sources from the war may not. However, historians may encounter problems interpreting these photographs as they cannot be used in isolation- there is not enough additional information attached to them and all photos taken during the war were staged. Songs from the 1860s are also valuable to historian’s trying to recover people’s experiences of the American civil war as they were first-hand insights into the values of the general public and were free from censorship. Again, though, there are problems to be encountered when interpreting these songs because not only were many of them blatantly biased, but also because they may not accurately represent people’s true experiences or feelings.

      Photographs from the American civil war are a very valuable resource to historians studying the civil war. They are primary evidence of the revolutionary changes in technology during the civil war, as a cheaper and more practical system of photographing was developed. They also provide a more accurate image of weaponry, uniforms and personalities than any other source can. During the civil war, photos of dead bodies lying on   battlefields post-battle became common and changed people’s attitudes towards war- these photographs showed the harsh reality of war as opposed to glorious paintings which had been used to depict previous wars which glorified battle scenes. Photos from the civil war however showed outrageous... [continues]

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