An Educational Activity for Home or Classroom
Dilemma 2: A Site in Your Back Yard
Dilemma 1: Metal Detecting and Civil War Sites
Read the paragraph below and then answer the questions.
You and a friend are playing in a field near the historic Manassas battlefield, a site where Civil War battles took place. Looking down, you notice a belt buckle. Using your fingers to pull it free of the dirt, you find a mini-ball nearby. Your friend starts running towards home, yelling back that he will get his father's metal detector so that the two of you can uncover more artifacts. You know that probably isn't right, but it sure would be fun to use his dad's metal detector, and besides, you might find something valuable.
- Should you and your friend metal detect on the battlefield?
- Would you take the artifacts home with you? What might happen if you did?
- Why would it be important to let a museum or the Park authorities know what you had found?
- Are the artifacts worth a lot of money?
