This classroom activity will address competency goals 5.2 Analyze long-term and immediate causes of the war and assess the extent to which slavery was a cause of the conflict and 5.3 Trace important military and political events of the Civil War period, and judge their significance to the outcome of the conflict. Throughout this activity students will get a better understanding of the Civil War. We decided to create this activity because we feel it is a way for students to place themselves in the shoes of people in the time of American instability. We also wanted students to enjoy becoming history and being creative with the past as they write in their journals and letters.