Build-up to Civil War
Dred Scott
• Dred Scott-• Former slave. • He was taken by his master, an officer in the U.S. Army,
from the slave state of Missouri to the free state of Illinois and then to the free territory of Wisconsin. He lived on free soil for a long period of time.
• When the Army ordered his master to go back to Missouri, he took Scott with him back to that slave state, where his master died. In 1846, Scott was helped by Abolitionist) lawyers to sue for his freedom in court, claiming he should be free since he had lived on free soil for a long time.
Emerson is stationed in Missouri – A Slave State
Emerson is transferred to
Illinois – A Non-Slave
State
Emerson is transferred to Wisconsin – A
Non-Slave State
Emerson is transferred back to Missouri – A Slave StateHe passes away shortly after.
• US Supreme Court– Dred Scott was not a US Citizen because he
was a slave– Congress has no right to control a person’s
property
The election of James Polk in 1844:• Manifest Destiny became a rallying cry for the election of James Polk in 1844• Texas was annexed by joint resolution of Congress shortly after
How was “Manifest Destiny” applied by Americans?
The Mexican War:• President Polk sent representatives to Mexico to offer to purchase additional Mexican territory but his offer was rebuffed• Then, Polk sent American troops into a region that was disputed between Texas and Mexico• The Mexicans interpreted this as a hostile act and shots were fired• President Polk interpreted this action as an act of war
How was “Manifest Destiny” applied by Americans?
The Mexican War:• In the war, the U.S. forces were able to penetrate far enough into Mexico and the Mexicans surrendered• In the peace treaty, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States acquired land that today includes the states of California, New Mexico and Arizona
Why is the Mexican War so significant?
• Land acquired by the United States in the war was neither U.S. territory or unclaimed land;
• The land will intensify the debate over slavery between the North and the South.
In sum: The Mexican War established a confrontational relationship between the United States and Mexico that lasted into the 20th century and may still influence resentments intensified by the contemporary controversy over illegal immigration and added to the tensions between the North and South
Civil War
• Lincoln (R) and Stephen Douglas (D) ran against each other in 1860. They engaged in numerous debates largely in regards to slavery.
• In 1858 Lincoln gave a famous speech, “"A house divided against itself cannot stand,"
• Lincoln adamantly opposed abolition were slavery existed but was opposed to it in new territory
• After the 1860 election (Abraham Lincoln’s won) a minority of Americans were determined to leave the Union because they believed that Lincoln would force them to grant freedom to their slaves; however, President Lincoln pledged to preserve the Union and democracy.
• In his 1st Inaugural Address he insisted that he hoped to preserve the Union
• Confederates fired on federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter and the Civil War began.
• The northerners had a moral victory from the Fort Sumter attack and Lincoln called for 100,000 volunteer troops
• Men came in overwhelming numbers and were sent home
• The South viewed this as a threat from Lincoln
• The outcome of the Civil War depended on the economic resources of the North and the South, the geographic factors that influenced strategy and the military and political leadership that influenced public support.
• The Union (the North) had far greater economic resources including industrial capacity, miles of railroad tracks, manpower and a navy.
• The South depended on the power cotton and their trading relationship with Great Britain to provide the manufactured goods and ships that they lacked.
• The Union blockaded southern ports which disrupted trade throughout the war.
• The North’s offensive strategy was based on geography and included splitting the South at the Mississippi River and taking the capital at Richmond [part of Anaconda Plan].
• The South’s mostly sought help from Great Britain and defended their region until aid was obtained or the North tired of the war effort.
• Confederate forces invaded the North twice in an effort to gain foreign support and hasten the end of the war but were stopped at Antietam and defeated at Gettysburg.
• The North (blue) and the South (Grey) were two different “nations” and the states in red remained neutral Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware***
• Lincoln had to be very careful with these borders states bc he did not want to “lose” them to the South so he choose not to say much about the slavery issue
• After the success at Antietam Lincoln decided to announce the “Emancipation Proclamation” as a war measure bc he did not have the power to “free” slaves in any other way as President. As Commander in Chief he could use it as a means to help win the war.
• By making the war about slavery, Lincoln cut off England’s support to the South and it also began to make it a war about morals which increased some Northerners reason for fighting and encouraged African Americans to join the fight.
• Lincoln gave the South a last chance to make peace and keep their slaves by announcing his intention to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in the fall but not making it effective until the first of the year (they did not free their slaves)
• The Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free the slaves, it only freed slaves in states in rebellion on January 1, 1863, essentially, Lincoln freed slaves where he had no power to do so few slaves were freed
• He did not free slaves in the North, border states, or the Southern states that did not secede bc he feared this would undermine the unity of the North by antagonizing the border states and those slave states that did not secede from the Union.***
• So, slaves were not freed until after the Civil War with the 13th Amendment***
Standard 3.2 cont
• The Emancipation Proclamation was an important turning point in the war- Lincoln effectively exercised his power as commander in chief and eventually found the right general to win the war- Grant
• Lincoln was frustrated by his generals until he named Ulysses S. Grant, who had been successful at Vicksburg in cutting the South in half at the Mississippi River, as commander of northern forces.
• Grant changed the strategy to ‘total war’– Total War- a war in which every available weapon is used and the
nation's full financial resources are devoted; often involves massive destruction
• Sherman’s ‘March to the Sea’- meant to frighten Georgia’s civilian population into abandoning the Confederate cause. The northern soldiers stole food and livestock and burned the houses and barns of people who tried to fight back. The Yankees were “not only fighting hostile armies, but a hostile people,” Sherman explained
• Grant’s unrelenting attacks and siege at Petersburg strained the dwindling economic resources and manpower of the South and brought surrender at Appomattox Courthouse.
• Eventually, Grant’s Siege at Vicksburg cut the “west” and South in half, giving the North control of the Mississippi River. This was the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war and began to put the nails in the coffin for the South.
USHC Standard 3: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how regional and ideological differences led to the Civil War and an understanding of the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on democracy in America.
USHC 3.3: Analyze the effects of Reconstruction on the southern states and on the role of the federal government, including the impact of the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments on opportunities for African Americans.
The Aftermath of the Civil War
By the end of the Civil War, the southern states suffered devastating damage to their factories, farms and transportation systems as well as the heavy loss of their men.
What was the purpose of the Reconstruction period?
The purpose of Reconstruction policies of the federal government was NOT to rebuild the South, because the national government did not see this as their role but as the responsibility of individuals and of state governments
The goal of Reconstruction was the re-establishment of full participation of the southern states in the Union based on the South’s acceptance of the outcome of the war, including the liberation of their slaves
What effects did Reconstruction have on the South?
During the first years after the end of the war, the federal government took an increasingly active role in protecting the rights of the freedman against the dominant white southern society.
The federal government expanded democracy and significantly impacted society in the South
How did Southerners react to the Reconstruction policies?
The actions of southerners “radicalized” the Reconstruction policies
Southerners reacted to the end of the war with determination to retain their autonomy and their way of life, despite their military defeat
Southern state governments passed Black Codes to replace their slave codes
Black Codes: any code of law that defined and especially limited the rights of former slaves after the Civil War.
Southerners also elected former Confederate officers and officials to Congress
Southern citizens and vigilante groups engaged in violence against African Amereicans
Freedmen’s Bureau: a U.S. federal government agency that aided distressed freedmen (freed slaves) in 1865–1869, during the Reconstruction era of the United States- provided clothing, shelter, food, etc
How did Congress respond?
Congress refused to admit Southern officials to Congress and sent the 14th amendment to the states for ratification
In the election of 1866, the Republicans in Congress got a veto-proof majority from a public that was concerned by stories of violence in the South
Congress took this electoral victory as a mandate for further actions to protect the freedman
A Congressional Reconstruction plan (Military Reconstruction Act of 1867) was passed by these so-called “Radical Republicans”
This plan split the former Confederacy into five military districts to better enforce the Reconstruction Amendments
Congress impeached President Andrew Johnson to ensure that as commander in chief he could not undermine its efforts
President Johnson was not removed from office, but his power was limited and the Union army was free to try to enforce the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments
• During Reconstruction, anti-African American factions such as the Ku Klux Klan were organized to intimidate black voters in the South• African Americans were able to vote only with the protection of federal troops stationed in the South under military Reconstruction, but there were never enough federal troops to protect African American voters from both economic and physical intimidation and violence, including lynching
Voting in the South
X
• When white voters were pardoned and returned to lead southern governments, Republican office holders were gradually replaced• Southern governments would remain under control of white Democrats and be known as the “Solid South” until the Civil Rights Era (1960’s)
DEMOCRAT
• The corruption of the Grant administration, economic depression in the North, the growing interest in western settlement and economic growth replaced the nation’s interest in preserving the gains made in the Civil War• At the same time, newspaper reports of continuing violence towards freedmen undermined the belief among the northern public that things would ever be different in the South• The resolve of the public and Congress to protect the freedman decreased in the face of continuing resistance of southerners to granting equal citizenship to African Americans
Why did the North give up their efforts to re-unite the Union?
• The disputed election of 1876 led to the compromise of 1877• In the election of 1876, Republican Rutherford B. Hayes was awarded the White House over Democrat Samuel J. Tilden• Tilden was ahead of Hayes, 184 electoral votes to 165 with 20 electoral votes left• The 20 remaining votes belonged to Florida, Louisiana and South Carolina
The Election of 1876 and the Compromise of 1877
• When the remaining 20 electoral votes were cast for Hayes, it became obvious that a compromise had been made• Compromise of 1877: Republican Rutherford B. Hayes would become president of the United States, and the Reconstruction policies being enforced in the South would end• The withdrawal of federal troops and their protection of the freedman brought an end to Reconstruction
Samuel J. Tilden
Rutherford B. Hayes
• Southern states passed laws requiring African Americans and whites to use separate facilities• Plessy vs. Ferguson (1896): landmark court case that upheld segregation in the “separate but equal” ruling. This negated the equal protection provisions of the 14th amendment and hastened the enactment of more Jim Crow Laws
• Segregated by law, African Americans became second class citizens in a society that was separate but NOT equal
• Poll taxes and literacy tests severely restricted the 15th amendment for African Americans• The grandfather clause assured that whites who could not read or pay the tax were able to vote• Without the vote, African Americans could not protect themselves through their state governments
How were African Americans’ rights limited?
• As cotton exhausted the soil and cotton prices fell, sharecroppers and tenant farmers found themselves in increasingly difficult economic conditions• When textile mills opened in the South in the late 1880’s, African Americans were discriminated against in hiring• Unable to get other work in the South, many African Americans fell farther into poverty and some migrated to the cities of the North
The Southern Economy after the Civil War: