Name______________________________________________Date________________Block__________

African American History Unit 5: The Civil WarCompromise of 1850By 1850 there were fifteen slave states and fifteen free states. Many Southerners were deeply worried by the ever-tipping political balance when Californians drafted a state constitution that outlawed slavery, and they applied for admission to the US. The admission of California would destroy the delicate equilibrium in the Senate. Even more disagreeable to most southerners was the loss of runaway slaves, many of whom were assisted north by the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network of people who aided fugitive slaves in their escape from the slave states to the free-soil sanctuary of the northern states or Canada. Men and women hid fugitives in secret tunnels and in their homes, provided them with food and clothing, and escorted or directed them to the next station. The most amazing leader of the Underground Railroad was an illiterate runaway slave from Maryland, fearless Harriet Tubman. During nineteen trips into the South, she rescued more than three hundred slaves and deservedly earned the title “Moses.” By 1850 southerners were demanding a new and more stringent fugitive-slave law. Estimates indicate that the South in 1850 lost perhaps 1,000 runaways a year out of its total of 4 million.

The Congress was bitterly divided over whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories. Congressman Henry Clay understood that if the North and South did not work together to solve the conflict that the country would go to war with itself. He worked tirelessly to create the Compromise of 1850 that both the North and the South could accept.

The compromise had four major parts. First, California was accepted as a free state in the Union. Second, slave trade was banned in Washington, D.C. The compromise also proposed a new and more effective Fugitive Slave Act. The Fugitive Slave Act required people in the free states to capture and return escaped slaves to the South. Lastly, the Compromise allowed residents of the territories of New Mexico and Utah to use popular

sovereignty. Popular sovereignty was the right of residents of a territory to vote to decide whether the state would become a free or a slave state.

Missouri Compromise (of 1820) Compromise of 1850Why was there a

conflict?

Describe each part of the

Compromise

1)

2)

3)

1)

2)

3)

4)

What parts does the

North like?

What parts does the

South like?

1) Compare and contrast the Missouri Compromise (of 1820) and the Compromise of 1850:Fugitive Slave ActOn June 2, 1854, thousands of people lined up on the streets of Boston, Massachusetts. Flags flew at half-mast, and a black coffin bearing the words “the Funeral of Liberty” dangled from a window. Federal soldiers, guns ready, marched a single African American, Anthony Burns, toward the harbor. He was being forced back into slavery in Virginia. Burns’ return to slavery happened because of the Fugitive Slave Act, which was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850.

In addition to requiring people in the free states to capture and return escaped slaves to the South, the law also fined anyone who helped a fugitive slave $1,000 dollars and/or six months in jail. Infuriated by the Fugitive Slave Act, some northern states passed laws that forbade the imprisonment of runaway slaves. At the same time, leaders of the Underground Railroad stepped up their timetables and sped up how quickly they led blacks out of slavery.

The highest selling book in the entire nineteenth century (1800s) was the Bible. The second highest selling book was Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Published in 1852 by the ardent abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin delivered the message that slavery was evil and that ending slavery is America’s great moral struggle. Stirring strong reactions from North and South alike, the novel became an instant bestseller. Northern abolitionists increased their protests against the Fugitive Slave Act, while southerners criticized the book as an attack on the

South as a whole. 2) Read the notice above. If you were a free black person living in Boston, would the Fugitive Slave Law change the way you lived? If so, how? If not, why not?

3) How did people resist the Fugitive Slave Act?

4) Why do you think most Southerners were angry at Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin?

Kansas-Nebraska ActStephen Douglas, a Senator from Illinois, wanted to develop and settle Nebraska and Kansas, lands to the west Missouri. Along with many other members of the Democratic Party, Douglas was sure that continued expansion would strengthen his party and unify the nation. He believed that popular sovereignty provided the most fair and democratic way to organize the new state governments, so he proposed to use popular sovereignty to decide the free or slave status of the Kansas and Nebraska Territories. There was one problem. Douglas’ Kansas-Nebraska plan contradicted the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had forbidden slavery in all territory north of the sacred 36-30 line at the Missouri-Arkansas border. Both Kansas and Nebraska should be free states. The only way to open the region to popular sovereignty was to repeal the 1820 deal outright. But what Douglas failed to fully understand was how strongly opposed to slavery northerners had become and how far supporters from

both sides would travel to support their cause.

Bleeding KansasThe race for the possession of Kansas was on. From both the North and the South, settlers poured into the Kansas Territory. Most were simply farmers in search of new land. But a small part of the migrants were financed (paid for) by groups of northern abolitionists or free-soilers. These antislavery societies

supplied them with guns, animals, seeds, and farm equipment. In 1855, Kansas held the election to decide whether it would become a slave or a free state. Thousands of pro-slavery advocates from the slave state of Missouri crossed the border into Kansas and voted illegally. Their fraudulent election swung the votes in favor of slavery. Before long, violence surfaced in the struggle for Kansas.

A proslavery group burned down an anti-slavery town and arrested many of the settlers as traitors. John Brown, a white abolitionist, led a militia in a massacre of proslavery settlers at Pottawatomie Creek. Brown cut off their hands and impaled them with swords. Proslavery settlers cried for revenge and the massacre triggered dozens of incidents throughout Kansas. Over 200 people were killed. John Brown fled Kansas but left behind men and women who lived with rifles by their sides. People began calling the territory Bleeding Kansas, as it had become a violent battlefield. 5) What was popular sovereignty?

6) Explain why the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed (cancelled) The Missouri Compromise:

7) Create an illustrated advertisement (picture + words) in The North Star asking for volunteers to move to Kansas to stop slavery from spreading there:

Brooks-Sumner IncidentSenator Charles Sumner, a northern abolitionist gave a speech in Congress criticizing his colleagues who supported slavery. Sumner was particularly disrespectful toward a

Senator from South Carolina named Andrew Butler. A few days later, Butler’s nephew, Congressman Preston Brooks walked into the Senate room and beat Charles Sumner with his cane. Sumner was covered with blood and he suffered shock and brain damage. Northerners condemned the incident, while southerners were outraged that Sumner’s hateful speech was so popular in the North.

Dred Scott v. SandfordA Missouri slave, Dred Scott, sued his owner demanding freedom. Scott’s owner had taken him north of the Missouri Compromise line in 1834 and for five years they had lived in the free territories of Illinois and Wisconsin. Later they returned to Missouri, where Scott’s owner died. Scott argued that he should be a free person because he lived in free territory for several years. Not surprisingly, the Supreme Court stated that Dred Scott, and all black people, did not have the right to sue anyone because they were not citizens of the US.

The Court did not simply reject his case, however. The Supreme Court ruled that because a slave was private property, he or she could be taken into any territory and legally held there in slavery. Congress could not forbid slavery in any part of the territories. Doing so would interfere with slaveholders’ right to own property. By striking down the Missouri Compromise, the Supreme Court had cleared the way for the extension of slavery.

8) You are a reporter in Washington, D.C. Write an urgent telegram to the newspaper to explain the Brooks-Sumner Incident.

Rules for writing a telegraph a) WRITE IN ALL CAPS b) instead of writing the period at the end of each sentence, write –STOP— c) use only 20 words d) Get rid of small connecting words such as “a” “the” “that” “we” “I” “in” “your” “was.”

BREAKING NEWS FROM WASHINGTON—STOP—

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

9) What did the Supreme Court rule in Dred Scott v. Sanford? Who benefitted most from the ruling, northerners or southern? Why?

The Republican Party & the Lincoln-Douglas DebatesThe Republican Party was a new political party made up of former Whigs and Free Soilers. The party did not call for the immediate abolition of slavery, but it did adopt the Free-Soil position of opposing the extension of slavery into new territories. In the summer of 1858 the race for one of Illinois’ senate seats occurred between the popular Democrat Stephen Douglas and a Republican challenger, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was a self-educated man, a lawyer, and a politician with only two years of experience. Lincoln boldly challenged Douglas to a series of debates.

Their most famous debate came in Freeport, Illinois, where Lincoln nearly impaled his opponent on the horns of a dilemma. “What would happen if the people of a territory used popular sovereignty to vote against slavery?” Lincoln asked Douglas. The Supreme Court in the Dred Scott decision ruled that the people could not do this. So who would be right, the Court, or the people? Douglas’ response became known as the Freeport Doctrine, where he argued that no matter how the Supreme Court ruled, slavery would not exist if the people voted against it. Douglas’ Freeport Doctrine angered southern Democrats who were determined to break away from Douglas.

Although Lincoln lost the election, he became a nationally known Republican leader. His views on slavery were complex and they reflected the beliefs of many white northerners. Lincoln believed that slavery was immoral and that it should not be allowed to spread to the west as the country grew. Lincoln doubted that slavery would cease to spread without legislation outlawing it in the territories. However,

Lincoln did not believe in racial equality. “I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races.” 10) What did Stephen Douglas’ Freeport Doctrine state? What was the effect of this argument on southerners?

11) Based on this source, what were Lincoln’s views on black people and slavery?

Harpers Ferry1859 was a year of action. Most Americans were concerned with the economy and the lack of jobs, and they would have preferred a respite (break) from the issue of slavery. Instead, John Brown, the abolitionist from Bleeding Kansas reemerged and ended all hopes of a compromise over slavery between the North and the South. While politicians debated the slavery issue, John Brown was studying the slave uprisings that had occurred in ancient Rome and on the French island of Haiti in the late 1790s. In Haiti, black men and women fought their white slave holders and created a new nation free of slavery. John Brown believed that the time was ripe for similar uprisings in the US. He relied on an Old Testament conception of justice—“an eye for an eye”—and he had a puritanical obsession with the wickedness of others, especially southern slaveowners. He believed that violence in a righteous cause was justified.

On the night of October 16, 1859, he led a band of eighteen men, black and white, into Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His aim was to seize the federal arsenal, which is a place the government keeps its supplies of guns and ammunition for the army. After taking control of the arsenal, his plan was to distribute the guns to slaves in the area, and start a slave rebellion. John Brown held 60 of the town’s slaveowners hostage. He hoped that their slaves would then join the insurrection, but nobody came forward. Instead, local troops killed eight of Brown’s men. Then the US marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee, raced to Harpers Ferry, stormed the engine house where Brown and his men had barricaded themselves, killed two more of the raiders, and captured Brown.

Brown was hanged for treason a month later. Public reaction was immediate and intense. Although Lincoln and Douglas condemned Brown as a murderer, many other Northerners expressed admiration for him and for his cause. Some northerners called Brown a martyr (mar-ter) for the sacred cause of freedom. The response was equally extreme in the South, where mobs assaulted whites who were suspected of holding antislavery views. Harpers Ferry terrified Southern slaveholders, who were convinced that northerners were plotting slave uprisings everywhere.

12) Choose 6 of the events from the reading on John Brown’s Raid at Harper’s Ferry that you believe are the most important. Draw a cartoon that illustrates each of the six events:

13) Was John Brown a hero or a villain? Why? (5 sentence minimum)

The Election of 1860, Secession, & The Confederate States of AmericaFour major candidates ran for president in 1860. The Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln, who opposed the spread of slavery into the territories. The Democratic Party split over the issue of slavery: Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas, who believed in popular sovereignty. Southern Democrats nominated John Breckinridge, who believed that slavery should be protected. The Constitutional Union Party, which ignored the issue of slavery, nominated John Bell of Tennessee. Lincoln pledged to stop the spread of slavery into the new territories. However, Abraham Lincoln did not want to interfere with slavery in the South. Regardless, southerners viewed Lincoln as a threat to their power. Lincoln did not campaign in the South and Lincoln's name did not appear on the ballot in 10 southern states. After the election of 1860, seven states seceded from the Union: South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. Secession is when part of a country withdraws or leaves the country. The state leaders believed that independence was the only way to maintain slavery and preserve white racial superiority. Importantly, southern slave owners were most likely to highly support secession, while southerners who did not own slaves were likely to oppose secession. After the Civil War began, North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Arkansas also left the Union. After they seceded from the US, Southern delegates created a new country called the Confederate States of America. They elected Jefferson Davis the president of the new country. The capital of the CS of America became Richmond, Virginia. 14) Who won the election of 1860? Why do you think many Southerners were convinced that they had lost their voice in the national government?

15) What is the definition of secession? Did the northern or southern states secede? What trick can you use to remember the word, secede?

16) Re-write the pledge of allegiance for the Confederate States of America that connects with the beliefs of most white southerners.

Border States and Martial LawAll the states that chose to secede from the United States of America and join the Confederate States of America

Flag of the CSA

Candidate Electoral Votes

Lincoln (dark grey) 180Breckinridge (light grey)

72

Bell 39Douglas 12

were slave states. At the same time, however, not all the states that remained in the Union (USA) were free states. These slave states which stayed in the United States were called border states, and they included Missouri (MO), Kentucky (KY), Maryland (MD), and Delaware (DE). But why didn’t these slave states join the pro-slavery Confederate States of America?

The reason is because Abraham Lincoln and the federal government took control of the border states to prevent Confederate supporters from gaining power. When the federal government takes complete control over a city or state, it is called martial law. Lincoln jailed Confederate supporters in the border states, and he denied the prisoners the writ of habeas corpus, which is when the court decides if a prisoner has been illegally imprisoned. Between fifteen and twenty thousand US citizens were arrested.

The Draft RiotsA draft is when the government selects people for military service rather than waiting for them to enlist. As enrollment in the army was not high enough for US military leaders, Lincoln supported a military draft. This was unpopular among many of the poor and immigrants who resented the fact that wealthy citizens could avoid military service in exchange for paying $300. In July 1863, draft riots broke out in New York City, killing more than 100 people and resulting in the lynching (hanging) of at least 11 African Americans by immigrants and poorer whites who blamed them for the war. Some northern opponents of Lincoln were called Copperheads. They argued that if Lincoln freed the slaves they would move to the North and steal jobs from the white men.

17) What was a border state? 18) Outline the Border States on the map above in pen: 19) What is happening to the African American in the cartoon? What are the people so angry about? Who are the attackers? What message do you think the cartoonist is making about Abraham Lincoln (the man on the far left side)?20) Do you support Lincoln’s decision to use martial law and to deny prisoners the writ of habeas corpus? Why or why not? In your response be sure to explain martial law and the writ of habeas corpus (at least 5 sentences)

The Civil WarA civil war is a war fought between people of the same nation. The Civil War refers to the war between the North (US) and the South (CSA) between 1861 and 1865. It is the deadliest war in the history of the US. The conflict over the extension of slavery caused the war. Lincoln’s first goal in the war was to preserve the Union. Although the South had better trained generals, the North had more soldiers, as well as factories which produced more guns, ammunition, and supplies for the war. The war began at Fort Sumter, a US military fort in Charleston, South Carolina. The Confederate States of America demanded that this US fort

surrender because it no longer existed in US territory. President Lincoln refused and sent ships to the fort to resupply the troops with food. On April 12, 1861, Confederate soldiers opened fire on the fort before the ships could arrive, forcing the Union troops to surrender. The first major battle of the war happened just thirty miles from Washington, D.C., the capital of the US. Union soldiers began to gain

ground until they ran into a line of Virginia troops under General Thomas Jackson. “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall,” shouted one Confederate. “Stonewall” Jackson’s line held, and the Confederateshumiliated the Union. After the defeat, Lincoln adopted the Anaconda Plan. Like the anaconda snake wrapping around its victim, the Union greatly restricted the movement of the Confederates by seizing control of the Mississippi River and blocking them from using the ocean to transport troops and supplies.

The Union caught a lucky break when they captured Confederate military plans wrapped around a box of cigars. The plans described how the Confederates planned to invade the North in Maryland. The Union used those plans to surprise the Confederates at the Battle of Antietam. 23,000 soldiers died in one day of fighting. The Union won and the French and British, who had considered supporting the Confederates, continued to support the US instead.

At the end of 1862, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. (Emancipation means the freeing of people.) This executive order freed the slaves in the Confederate States of America. However, Lincoln and the US government did not have control over these states, so they had no power to free these slaves. At the same time, the Emancipation Proclamation did not apply to the border states. This meant that Lincoln maintained slavery in the states that were still part of the US. Lincoln used the proclamation to make it clear that the war was not only about preserving the Union, but it was also now about ending slavery. Most abolitionists welcomed this, but Lincoln kept

slavery in the border states because he was worried that many conservatives would turn against the war.

The need for more men convinced the US leaders to recruit northern and southern blacks for the Union Army. Over 200,000 free African Americans served in the US army in segregated (racially separated) groups. Seeing their battle as one to free their own people from the bonds of slavery, African Americans served notably during the war. African American units were a major reason why the Union army defeated the Confederates.

In 1863, the Union army surrounded the Confederates in Vicksburg, Mississippi, a major citadel (fortress). Fearing the end, General Robert E. Lee of Virginia created a plan to invade the Union and hopefully stun them. Union General Ulysses S. Grant used a siege, which is a military strategy where they surrounded Vicksburg, cut off their supplies, and starved the Confederates into surrendering. After 2 months of the siege, Vicksburg residents finally surrendered after being reduced to eating horses, dogs,

and rats. Robert E. Lee’s invasion of the North led to the Battle of Gettysburg, the Pennsylvania battle which was a turning point and the bloodiest battle of the war. The Confederate Army failed to gain the high ground early in the battle. The Union defeated the Confederate Army and 51,000 soldiers were killed, wounded, or missing. As a result, the Confederates failed to invade the North. After the battle, Lincoln traveled to the battlefield to deliver the Gettysburg Address, a speech about his desire to see the union survive and the nation reunited.

In 1864, an elite army of Union soldiers led by General William Tecumseh Sherman went on a march of destruction more than 200 miles long in Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah. The totality of destruction they caused during Sherman’s March, as it is called, was tremendous. A Georgia woman described what she saw: “The fields were trampled down and the road was lined with carcasses of hoses, hogs, and cattle that the invaders had shot down to starve our people.”

The war caused massive casualties for both sides, but the South was more severely affected. 90% of all free men served in the military, and the families they left behind often struggled to survive. In early April 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant in a

courthouse in Virginia rather than see more soldiers die. On April 14, 1865, just five days after the surrender at Appomattox, a Confederate supporter named John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C.

21) War Letter Assignment: April 14th, 1865. You are President Abraham Lincoln. The Civil War has just ended five days ago at Appomattox Courthouse, and you are so relieved that the bloodshed is over. You will finally have a chance to rest and enjoy a play later tonight with your wife. But before you leave, you must complete a heartbreaking daily ritual. You must write a condolence letter to one of the 30,000 African American families whose son died fighting for the Union.Your letter must include each of the following:_______ Explain if the soldier died in vain (for no reason)_______ In which battle did the soldier die? Who won the battle?_______ Explain how the purpose of the war evolved (changed over time)_______ Explain the benefits (what is good) and the shortcomings (what is bad) of the Emancipation Proclamation_______ Explain the significance of African American soldiers in the Civil War

Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States