the union in peril. the divisive politics of slavery
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Different climates and religions lead to different values and economies
In order to maintain the Union, a balance of power must be reached and maintained.
Every time this balance of power is threatened we sit on the brink of war
Slavery ends up dividing the nationSouth is angry that the North wants to rid
them of the way they make their money, it would be like the South demanding the North shut down all their factories
Difference Between North and South
Because of the population boom caused by the Gold Rush, California can apply for statehood in 1850
California’s new constitution prohibited slavery which made Southerners mad since they assumed California would be a slave state due to the fact the most of it existed below the slave line (But remember that was ONLY for the Louisiana Territory)
Statehood for California
Henry Clay’s ideaNorth gets California admitted as a free stateSouth gets Fugitive Slave Act (slaves who
escaped to the North now have to be returned to the South and anyone who helps runaways will be fined or imprisoned)
Both get “Popular Sovereignty” for Utah and New Mexico (meaning people in those states will vote whether they want to be free or not)
Compromise of 1850
Underground RailroadA system of routes used
by abolitionists to help free slaves from the South
Conductors provided runaways with food, clothing, shelter during the day and directions to the next station
Harriet Tubman- most famous conductor, escaped from slavery herself and then returned to the South to help 300 others escape
Uncle Tom’s CabinBook written by
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Stressed slavery was a moral issue
Encouraged whites to increase protests, Southerners hated and banned it
People wanted to use Popular Sovereignty in these territories to decide issue of slavery, but it is legally closed to slavery because it is above the Mason-Dixon line
Bill proposed to split the territories in two and establish Popular Sovereignty in both
Kansas/Nebraska
Both supporters and opponents of slavery sent people to populate Kansas in order to win the vote
“Border Ruffians” from Missouri crossed the border, voted illegally and “won” the election
They set up a proslavery government in Lecompton
The other side got mad and set up an antislavery government in Topeka
Struggle turns violent
Bleeding Kansas
Violence in the SenateSenator Charles Sumner
spoke against slavery for two days and criticized Senator Andrew Butler in particular
Butler’s nephew Preston S. Brooks showed up in the chamber and beat Sumner until his cane broke
Sumner suffered brain damage and didn’t return to work for three years
Whigs in both the North and the SouthCan’t agree on a national platformThose in the South want proslavery and pro-
UnionThose in the North look for other alternatives
like the Know-Nothing, Democratic, Republican, Liberty, Free-Soil…
Slavery Divides Whigs
Alternative to abolitionism, not all Northerners favor blacks
Want anti-black laws but dislike slavery’s competition with free white workers
Free-Soilers
Opponents of slavery in territoriesFree-Soilers, antislavery Whigs and
Democrats, nativists from the North all joined to strengthen the party
In the election of 1856, John C. Fremont vs. James Buchanan, Fremont loses which postpones the secession of the South
New Republican Party
Slave who lived in Missouri with his master, master took him to live in the free territories of Illinois and Wisconsin, then back to the South
Dred Scott sued, claiming that he should have been freed when he went to the free territories
After years the Supreme Court finally said Scott was not a citizen and therefore could not sue, and on top of that the 5th amendment protects property and therefore living in a free territory does not make a slave free
Guarantees the expansion of slavery because slave owners can take their property into an new territory
Dred Scott Decision
In the 1858 Senate race Lincoln challenged Douglas to a debate about slavery in the territories
Neither wanted slavery in the territories, but disagreed how to keep it out. Douglas believed in popular sovereignty, Lincoln believed in abolition
Lincoln asks if territories can vote to keep slavery out before they become a state, Dred Scoot says no , which means popular sovereignty is meaningless
Douglas says people can get around Dred Scott by electing Free-Soilers that won’t enforce the law
Important because it split Democrats and made Republicans consider Lincoln for president
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Harper’s FerryJohn Brown studied
slave uprising and decided it was time to have one here
Night of October 16, 1859 he led a band of 21 men to an arsenal at Harper’s Ferry
Troops met them and put down the rebellion
Brown was tried and executed
Lincoln ElectedElection of 1860,
Lincoln vs. Douglas vs. Breckenridge vs. Bell
Too many options means Lincoln wins although he had less than half the popular vote and no electoral votes from the South (where he mostly wasn’t even on the ballot)
Lincoln’s victory ticks off the SouthDecember 20, 1860 South Carolina secedes
from the Union, followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas
Make their own country called the Confederacy, they write their own constitution, and elect Jefferson Davis as president
North has the option to let them go peacefully or fight to keep the Union together
Southern Secession
Attack on Fort SumterConfederacy started seizing
Union forts.By Lincoln’s inauguration in
March only 4 forts remained in Union hands
On April 12, 1861 the South attacked Fort Sumter and it fell.
Lincoln then called for army volunteers and Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee seceded. West Virginia then seceded from Virginia and joined the Union (Total=11).
Border states of Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky and Missouri stayed.
Strengths and StrategiesNorthMore people, more
factories, more food production, more railroads
Blockade Southern ports, Split Confederacy on Mississippi
Capture capital of Richmond, Virginia.
South“King Cotton”First-rate generalsHighly motivated
soldiersDefensive strategy
25 miles from Washington D.C.Union gains upper hand to start, but
Stonewall Jackson earns his nickname by refusing to give in
At the end of the day the Confederates win the victory, but are too exhausted to follow their victory up with and attack on Washington D.C.
Many Confederate soldiers go home convinced their victory was so great that the war was over in a single battle
Battle of Bull Run
Lincoln ramps up enlistments and appointments General McClellan
Troops in the West fight for control of the Mississippi under General Grant’s command
He wins several victories but is surprised by an attack at Shiloh where ¼ of the 100,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or captured
General Farragut seizes New Orleans and heads North
The two Generals only have three forts left in their way of the Confederacy-splitting goal.
Union Armies in the West
Spring 1862 McClellan was gaining on RichmondRobert E. Lee took over and drove McClellan awayBy September Lee is nearing D.C.McClellan’s men find some cigars with Lee’s
orders wrapped around them and discover the Southern army is currently split
McClellan goes after Lee’s half, they fight the bloodiest single-day battle in American history at Antietam with 26,000 dead
Lee retreats, McClellan does not follow and end the war, so Lincoln fires him
War for the Capitals
South assumed Great Britain would side with them since they often bought a lot of cotton from the South.
Great Britain foresaw the war and stocked up on cotton.
They now need the North’s wheat and corn, but remain officially neutral
Great Britain’s Roll
Emancipation ProclamationLincoln believed he could
not abolish slavery where it already existed
His way around this was by saying the South was using slaves as weapons of war and therefore his troops could free them
Only frees slaves where he cannot (no slaves are immediately set free)
Gives war a moral cause and ensures no compromise
Not everyone agreed with the war so there was dissent on both sides.
Both sides then held people without charging them
Both sides turned to conscription (drafting) to keep people in the army
Political Dissent
Fought for BOTH the North and the SouthIn the North they made up 1/10 of the army,
but were still treated poorly, segregated and paid less.
African American Soldiers
Killing technologies advanced faster than healing technologies so it was a particularly bloody war
Lack of supplies, medical care and clean surroundings led to body lice and dysentery
POW’s were held in even worse conditions, 15% of Union prisoners died in the South, 12% of Confederate prisoners died in the North
Soldiers Suffer on Both Sides
Although they did not fight, they helped the war through medical care
Like Clara Barton who eventually founded the Red Cross or Sally Tompkins who was commissioned as a captain
Women Work to Improve Conditions
War expanded North’s economy, destroyed South’s economy
South faced food shortage and inflation of 7000%
War boosts Northern factories and industries, but wages do not keep up with growth and prices so people end up with a lower cost of living
Congress needs to pay for the war so they start the first income tax
War Affect Regional Economies
South was winning the warOnly consolation for North was that General
Stonewall Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men. After his arm was amputated he caught pneumonia and died.
The Tide Turns
Union troops take positions in the hills surrounding the town
90,000 Union vs. 75, 000 Confederate by end of Day 1
Day 2, Confederates took control of the town and Union only held Cemetery Ridge
Confederates come from Seminary Ridge, for two hours they exchange fire until the North stops. South thinks they are out of ammo and rush the field only to get slaughtered
End 23,000 Union dead, 28,000 Confederates dead
Battle of Gettysburg
Gettysburg AddressNovember 1863 at a
ceremony to dedicate a cemetery there
About two minutes long, but it was significant because people went from saying “The United States are…” to “The United States is…”
One of two remaining strongholds on Mississippi, allowed holder to control all traffic
Many unsuccessful attempts to take it overFinally Union troops destroy rail supply lines
leading into fortGrant sieges and when occupants are so
hungry they are eating dogs and mules South finally surrenders the fort
The Confederacy was successfully cut in two five days later with the fall of Port Hudson
Battle of Vicksburg
Confederacy Wears DownConfederacy runs so
low on supplies that they can no longer attack and the best they can hope for is an armistice
When even that goal starts slipping away more and more Southerners call for peace
Grant and Sherman are appointed to wear down the South by using “total war” tactics
When you break the will of the people, the war endsGrant wants to decimate Lee’s army in Virginia while
Sherman raids Georgia (even at the cost of casualties twice as high as their opponents)
During Sherman’s march to the see houses, livestock, and railroads were destroyed to make the South so sick of war that they wouldn’t try it again in a hurry
Torched most of Atlanta, reached the sea and returned North with 25,000 newly freed slaves to wipe out Lee
Total War
Lincoln’s chances of winning the re-election were not high as his opponents and many within his own party were so sick of the war
Lincoln knew he was going to be beaten and “unless some great change takes place, badly beaten.”
That great change took place as news of Sherman’s victories reached the North right before the election, causing Lincoln to win
Election of 1864
Surrender at AppomattoxApril 3, 1865 Union troops
conquered Richmond which had been torched and abandoned by the Southerners
April 9, 1865 in Appomattox Court House, Virginia Lee and Grant meet to discuss surrender.
Lincoln requested that the terms be generous, within a month all resistance was dead and the war was over
Increased power of the Federal Government (income tax, draft…)
No state ever threatened secession againNorthern economy boomed, Southern
economy devastated with the elimination of the labor force and the physical destruction of industry and farmland
Political and Economic Changes
Revolution in WarfareLast old fashioned war
or the first modern warRifle and minie ball
were two new deadly developments
Hand grenades and land mines became deadlier
Ironclad ships could withstand cannon fire, resist burning and ram wooden ones
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party has been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States.”
13th Amendment
Lincoln is AssassinatedApril 14, 1865 Lincoln
was shot in the back of the head by Booth and died the next day
Booth was finally shot by Union cavalry in a shed
1st American presidential assassination, 1/3 of the Northern population witnessed his funeral train
Between 1865 and 1877 when the United States began to rebuild after the Civil War
Also refers to the process the federal government used to readmit the Confederate States back into the Union
There are 3 different plans for Reconstruction: Lincoln’s, Johnson’s, and Congress’s
Reconstruction
LenientTen-Percent Plan: Government would pardon
most Confederates who would swear allegiance to the Union
As soon as 10% of those who had voted in 1860 took this oath the Confederate state could form a new state government and send representatives and senators back to Congress.
Under this plan Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Virginia moved toward readmission
Lincoln’s Plan
Since Lincoln was assassinated before the plan was totally in place Johnson announced his own plan
Similar, except it excluded high-ranking Confederates and wealthy Southern landowners from taking the oath needed for voting privileges.
However, he was pretty racist and believed white men should rule the South and therefore also pardoned 13,000 former Confederates
Almost all the rest of the states started to follow this plan and sent representatives to D.C. where Congress refused to seat them
Johnson’s Plan
Led by Radical Republicans who were angered that Johnson vetoed the Freedman’s Bureau and the Civil Rights Act, although they overrode the vetoes
Drafted the 14th amendment which prevents states from denying rights and privileges to U.S. citizens now defined as “all persons born or naturalized in the United States”
Refused to acknowledge state governments formed under Lincoln’s or Johnson’s plans (except Tennessee)
Instead, divided South into 5 military districts, required South to allow black men to vote and ratify the 14th amendment in order to reenter the Union. Johnson vetoed, Congress overrode.
Congress’s Plan
Republicans were sick of having to override Johnson’s vetoes and so they needed to find a reason to impeach him as they could not impeach him simply for blocking Reconstruction
When Johnson fired Secretary of State Edwin Stanton he violated the Tenure of Office Act and the House finally got their reason to impeach
The Senate however voted not to convict and Johnson therefore remained in office
Johnson Impeached
1868 ElectionGrant barely won due to
the ½ million blacks that voted for him
Obviously the black vote is important and the Radicals were able to pass the 15th amendment which says no one can be kept from voting based on “race, religion or previous condition of servitude”
Property values plummetLand was ravishedPopulation was devastatedRepublican governments tried to begin civil
works projects to begin to repair the damage
Conditions in Post War South
Scalawags, white Southerners who joined the Republican party, mostly small farmers who wanted to gain more political control and keep the wealthy planters out of power
Carpetbaggers, Northerners who moved to the South in order to take advantage of the political turmoil
African-Americans, gained voting rights because of the 15th amendment and became a new political force. 9/10 were Republicans.
Politics in Post War South
Founded their own churchesBecome literateOpen schoolsUnite with family members who had been
sold
Former Slaves Improve Their Lives
Started to vote and even hold office at local, state and even federal levels
Although they made up about ½ the population in the South they held significantly less representation in government
Freed slaves had been promised 40 acres of land by Sherman, but Americans typically believe land ownership is not something that should be redistributed
African-Americans in Reconstruction
Landowners divide their land and assign each household a few acres to work
Sharecroppers got to keep a small part of the harvest and give the rest to the owners
In theory a person could work themselves out of this system and in to tenant farming or even into property ownership
Sharecropping and Tenant Farming
KKK, goal was to destroy the Republican Party, to overthrow Reconstruction Governments, aid the planter class, and prevent African Americans from exercising their new political rights
Used violence and extreme secrecy to achieve their goals, might have murdered as many as 20,000 men, women and children
Also refused to hire or do business with blacksFederal Government had to act with the passage
of the Enforcement Acts to prevent the Klan from gaining more power
Opposition to Reconstruction
Starts with breakdown of Republican unityThis makes it harder for the Radical
Republicans to carry on ReconstructionPanic of 1873 triggers a 5 year depression
which makes people care less about Reconstruction
Supreme Court starts to undo some of the Reconstruction goals
Violence and denied rights continued, but that Radical Republicans fought for them less
Support for Reconstruction Fades
As the Republican Party lost control of the South, the Democrats gained control
Democrats call their return to power in the South “the Redemption”
Election of 1876 ends Reconstruction because Tilden, the Democrat, won the popular vote, but was one vote shy of the electoral majority. The Democrats in the House said Hayes, the Republican, could be president IF the Republicans agreed to end Reconstruction. They did.
13, 14, and 15 amendments stood to help the Civil Rights movement although Reconstruction fell
Democrats “Redeem” the South
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