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Little Women opens as the Civil War is drawing to a close.

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Raging from 1861 until 1865, the American Civil War is often contextualized as being about slavery, but to the states that seceded it was about maintaining the rights of the individual states independently from the Federal government.  These "peculiar" rights included participation in the slave trade, which was a key component of the Southern economy.

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Since most of the major battles of the war took place in the south, the ladies would have been protected from most of the bloodshed themselves, though they were clearly involved in the war effort, both directly and indirectly.  Their father was away serving in the Union army, and Marmee mentions knitting socks and blankets for the Soldiers Aid Society.   

Ladies Aid Societies operated under the auspices of the US Sanitary Commission in the north, which was set up in 1861 to support sick and wounded Union soldiers.

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Local communities participated in "Sanitary Fairs" where local farmers would present their crops, political and military leaders would speak to the public, and citizens were invited to assist in the war effort through donations and volunteering.  Women became heavily involved, and Louisa May Alcott herself was involved iwth the organizing of Sanitary Fairs and assisted with her sisters as depicted in the musical.

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