1. Letter Writing

• Make a list of possible hardships and problems that Margaret might have faced running the farm on her own.
  • As Margaret, write a letter to Philander describing these hardships.
  • Write a letter of advice from Philander to Margaret suggesting how she deal with these hardships and problems.
• Refer to Side by Side
  Let your understanding of the different roles expected of men and of women guide the tone of your letters.

2. Oral Interview

Interview someone you know who has fought in a war or who has had a family member fight in a war. What kind of economic impact did that person's leaving for the war have on the family? What kind of economic impact did the war have on the family?

3. Civil War Letters

1. Read a few of Newton Scott's letters and make a list of themes or subjects he writes about.
2. Imagine that you are Philander and have joined the army. Write a letter home to Margaret describing your life as a soldier. In your letter include some of the themes you have identified in Newton Scott's letters.
3. Compare Margaret's letter to Philander with one of Newton Scott's letters. Can you tell that one is written by a woman and one by a man? Do they have different writing styles? Compare the hardships the men lived through with the hardships Margaret experienced trying to run the farm on her own.

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© Illinois State Museum 31-Dec-96