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The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Massachusetts in the American Civil War

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Nominator(s): Historical Perspective (talk)
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I recently completely a fairly rigorous expansion of this article as part of the American Civil War Task Force "to do" list. I believe it meets the criteria for A-class and would appreciate any comments, help, suggestions, etc. Thanks! Historical Perspective (talk) 19:45, 13 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

  • Comments: Sorry to take so long getting to this request. This is not really a subject that I know much about, so I am hoping that a few editors with specific knowledge will stop by and make some comments about content. I have placed a reminder on the ACW task force talk page asking for some more editors to get involved. Hopefully a few will stop by. Anyway, I have a few non specific comments:
    • there are no disambig links; external links all work (good work, no action required);
    • the portrait images need alt text per WP:ALT, although please see my comment below first (I'm not sure that the gallery is absolutely necessary);
    • is the gallery necessary? Per Wikipedia:IG#Image galleries, it would probably be best just to have the gallery in Commons and include the link at the bottom of the article as per the ACW portal;
    • the template at the bottom is very large, is there some way it could be collapsed?
    • is there any information on casualties?
    • regarding the recruitment process, is there some more information on how men were recruited? What standards were required?
    • the final sentence in the first paragraph of the Antebellum and wartime politics section needs a citation ("The radical ideas of Garrison and his followers created a national backlash both in the North and South and escalated regional tension prior to the war.")
    • the final sentence in the first paragraph of the War material section needs a citation ("Massachusetts played a large role as a supplier of weapons and equipment for the Union army".)
    • could the notable leaders section have some prose added to it?
    • is there anything that could be added about the impact and long term effects of the war upon the state, people, military organisations, etc?— AustralianRupert (talk) 11:37, 29 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Response. Thanks so much for your comments and for posting a reminder. Much appreciated. I've addressed some of your suggestions and am working on others. Here's what I've done so far:
  • Galleries don't support alt text. However, this is no longer an issue as I've removed the gallery per your suggestion. I think you're quite right in that this use of a gallery wasn't consistent with Wikipedia:IG#Image galleries. So, I've added a link to a Wikimedia Commons Category:Massachusetts in the American Civil War. It's under External links. I think that works.
  • I collapsed the template by hiding it within a template list box. I'm not sure if this is the best way to do this. It does the trick. But if anyone knows a better way, let me know.
  • Notable leaders section is now gone. The only reason for that was to hold the gallery. Nearly every notable leader who appeared in the gallery is discussed at some point in the article, so, even without their pictures, they're just about all covered.
  • I've added citations in the two places you requested.
  • As for casualties, recruitment and long term effects, that's going to require a bit of research. I'll get to work on it. Your point about long term effects is especially well taken. That would be important information to help wrap-up the article. I hope to add information on these subjects ASAP.
Thanks again! Historical Perspective (talk) 02:20, 30 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Further Response. I've added some prose which, I think, addresses the remainder of your suggestions:
  • I've written an "Aftermath" section which enumerates the casualties during the war and touches on some of the social, political and cultural repercussions that the war had in Massachusetts.
  • Something on recruiting was a bit more tricky. I added a brief section "Recruiting the three-year regiments" which describes a few of the overall trends in recruiting in the state. When it comes to recruitment standards, I confess I have been able to find little information in that regard. To the best of my knowledge, recruits from Massachusetts needed only to be 18, but I can't find that spelled out anywhere.
I hope I've hit the key topics in your comments. If you think I need to include further information to improve the article, do let me know. Thanks! Best, Historical Perspective (talk) 20:59, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Looks like a great addition to me. Just one last point: the final part of the first paragraph in the Aftermath section needs a citation. Other than that I'd say it is well on its way. I'd like to get the opinion of someone with Civil War knowledge, though. Cheers. — AustralianRupert (talk) 22:31, 31 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]
Ah, thanks. I added the source to the reference list but forgot to add the citation. It's there now. Historical Perspective (talk) 00:11, 1 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Comments
    • Your images need alt text.
    • Could more be said about Massachusetts after the war? I would go to the end of reconstruction and explain the states position on that matter as well as the matter of civil rights. TomStar81 (Talk) 14:50, 6 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • Response. Regarding alt text, I think they all have it. Am I missing something?
  • On adding info on Reconstruction, I'd be happy to do this to some extent. But I'm not sure I want to get into that in great detail. I think it would be going a little beyond the purview of the article "Massachusetts in the American Civil War." Massachusetts's involvement in Reconstruction and post-War civil rights could be an article unto itself. But there's no reason why I can't touch on the subject. I'll work something in. Thanks. Historical Perspective (talk) 17:18, 6 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
  • I've just added two paragraphs regarding Reconstruction and civil rights (as pushed through by Sumner and other Radical Republicans). Reconstruction is a fascinating topic and it was difficult to pick and choose which points I wanted to include. But I think what I've added addresses your suggestion. Let me know if you think it needs more. Thanks! Historical Perspective (talk) 23:31, 6 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]
The above discussion is preserved as an archive. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page, such as the current discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.
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