Civil War Newspaper Project
Congratulations! You have just been hired to start a newspaper. Your job will be to create a Newspaper for the
Union or Confederacy and inform the people of the events, people, and issues during the Civil War. What you choose
to report is up to you, but there are categories you will need to pick from.
Battles (Pick 1)
Give a detailed account of the
battle. Remember good news
articles include who, what, when,
where, and why.
Be sure to include how you believe
this battle will affect the outcome
of the war.
Fort Sumter
1st Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Shiloh
Battle of New Orleans
Antietam
Gettysburg
Monitor vs. Merrimac
Siege of Vicksburg
Other (must be approved)
Event (Pick 1)
Give a detailed account of the
event. Remember good news
articles include who, what, when,
where, and why. The “why” is
especially important – why was
this event important in the war?
Person Bio (1)
In this section, you will try to give
more insight into an important
person of the war. Get more
background info, and recount
important wartime events that
they were involved in.
Anaconda Plan
Emancipation Proclamation
Gettysburg Address
Pickett’s Charge
Sherman’s March to the Sea
Lee’s Surrender to Grant
Lincoln’s Assassination
Other (must be approved)
Abraham Lincoln
Jefferson Davis
Robert E. Lee
George McClellan
Ulysses S. Grant
“Stonewall” Jackson
William Sherman
John Wilkes Booth
Other (must be approved)
Other (1)
Explain how one of the following
influenced the war.
Women in War
Economy in South
54th Massachussetts Volunteers
New Weapons
Wartime Medicine
Other (must be approved)
Editorial (1)
An editorial is an opinion piece
written by the editor of a
newspaper (you). Pick any topic
and write what you think about
it – it is your chance to be biased
in a newspaper!
You may choose to draw a
political cartoon instead of write
an article for this section.
Steps:
1. Do your research! Remember to include the sources you use, it will be included in your
paper.
2. Go to Microsoft Publisher, choose Newsletter, and select your style. Read the writing
because it gives you hints as to what you need. If you do not use a section, you can
include a picture or just delete it.
3. The last section on Page 3 will be a list of your sources instead of another article.
4. Do not use or print the back page (page 4).
5. In total, you will write 5 articles; 4 that require research and 1 that does not – plan your
time!
Name:
Period:
Newspaper Rubric
Section Graded
Student
Checklist
Points
Possible
1. Battle Article – detailed and factual
5
2. Event Article – detailed and factual
5
3. Person Bio – researched more than wartime
life
4. Free Choice (Other) – detailed and factual
5
5. Editorial – shows opinion
5
6. Title, headlines, etc. has been changed,
writing is in newspaper style (current, not
looking back)
7. Conventions – spelling, capitalization,
grammar
Total
10
A = 45 - 41
B = 40 - 36
C = 35 - 32
D = 31 - 27
F = 26 and below
5
10
45
Points
Earned