Between 2011 and 2014, the United States will mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. But what does that mean? What do we really know about life during the era of North and South fighting for the future of the country? Throughout the middle of the 19th century, amidst the wreckage of war, life went on, and Civil War Americasteps back from the history of the war itself to explore the daily life of the citizens of that era. Morehouse and Trodd, along with a host of content experts, provide essential information about daily life during the Civil War thorugh comprehensive essays organized around themes of social life and society. Each essay contextualizes primary documents--including letters, photographs, oral histories and diaries--that reveal people's attitudes, beliefs and practices. Taken together, the book's essays ask students to understand that a society is defined by many elements, including the way people work, express themselves, learn, and organize their family lives, worship, and treat illness. Within these pages, students will learn about what life was really like during the Civil War era.