The Role of African Americans in the Civil War

Have you ever heard the expression, "the pen is mightier than the sword"? The sentence was coined by an English writer in 1839 and appears on an interior wall of the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress. The expression means you can influence more people through the written word than by using force. It also highlights the power of the written word and the importance of being able to communicate effectively through writing. Great writers are not born great writers; they work very hard to learn their craft. This is true for every student in school. First, you must learn the skills of writing and then it is up to you to improve upon these skills. Good writing skills are essential in today's world. In this module, you will write informative/explanatory text describing the role of African Americans during the American Civil War.

Module Objectives

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Write an informative text using a formal style, incorporating the development of the topic with well-chosen information using an introductory paragraph, an organized body that makes use of transitions, and a concluding paragraph.
• Organize information effectively within an established structure.
• Use academic words and phrases, with an emphasis on the discipline of social studies, to combine ideas and create cohesion and clarity in order to explain an idea or topic.