Skills used
- Latitude & Longitude
- Using scale to measure distance
- Critical thinking
Vocabulary
Confederacy
Materials Needed
Globe in Horizon Ring Mounting
Lesson
During the Civil War one of the strategies of the Union military leaders was the anaconda plan. Under this plan the Union Navy would blockade all of the seaports of the Confederacy. This plan, if successful, would prevent the Confederacy from getting supplies and material that it needed from Europe.
On your globe, starting at the state of Delaware, abbreviated as "DEL" and located at 39N/76W, trace the coastline southward along the east coast of the United States to the southern tip of Florida. From the tip of Florida, continue your line along the Gulf of Mexico until you reach the border between Texas and Mexico. Use the mileage scale on the globe's mounting ring, or the scale that is printed on the globe ball itself, to determine a rough estimate of the distance that this naval blockade would have to cover. (1.) __________________________________
Assume that you are a Union naval commander and have been assigned the Gulf Coast part of the blockade. You do not have enough ships to patrol the entire coast from the southern tip of Florida to Mexico. Where would be the best locations to station your limited resources?
(2.) ______________________________________________________________
Why? (3.) __________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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