...The Civil War More Americans died during the Civil War from 1861-1865 than in any other war, ever. While these dates may define the period of war action, in fact the Civil War was the result of a long, history of complex issues of such things as Constitutional interpretation, economics, and the ethics of slavery. Below are brief sketches of only a few of the memorable names from that era of U.S. history. Also online at the Smithsonian is a collection of Civil War photographs by Mathew Brady. Henry Clay (1777-1852) George Peter Alexander Healy (1813-1894) Oil on canvas, circa 1845, NPG.65.44 National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Transfer from the National Gallery of Art; gift of Andew W. Mellon, 1942 Henry Clay was one of the most influential congressmen of the early 1800s, with a political career that spanned nearly fifty years. Born in the midst of the American Revolution, he devoted his professional energy to the preservation of the union of the states in the stormy years preceding the Civil War. To that end, he crafted several key compromises between the North and the South, for which he became known as "The Great Pacificator." But even his legendary statesmanship could not keep war from erupting nine years after his death. Differing interpretations of the Constitution were at the heart of the Civil War. Clay and other supporters of the Union insisted that states were subject to federal authority, while others, most notably...
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...RECONSTRUCTION, WHAT WENT WRONG I. Historiography of Reconstruction A. Early Views Journalists, Poets, & Rebels Negative view of Reconstruction Sidney Andrews, The South Since the War (1866) John Dennett, The South as It Is. Southern frame of reference Sidney Lanier (poet) Attempt to justify Civil War B. Early Professional Historians John Ford Rhodes Ohio Democrat Not impartial Blamed North for problems of Reconstruction’ Claimed Black Rule forced on South at point of bayonet John William Burgess Tennessee Unionist Former Union soldier Studied at University of Berlin Organized History Graduate Program at Columbia University Produced historians such as U.B. Phillips and William Archibald Dunning Traditionalist view of Reconstruction Burgess, Phillips & Dunning Basic view: Stressed Southern problems Minimized achievements of Freedmen Regarded White Supremacy as normal in South C. Dunning School And Traditionalism William Archibald Dunning Taught at Columbia University Attracted best historical minds of his day Wrote histories of their own states James W. Garner, Reconstruction in Mississippi (1901) Walter Lynwood Fleming, Civil War and Reconstruction in Alabama (1905) William W. Davis, Civil War and Reconstruction in Florida (1913) Clara Mildred Thompson, Reconstruction in Georgia (1915) Histories very detailed and accurate BUT hostile...
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...Conspirator had a few scenes that were not accurate. Overall, this movie is historically accurate because after John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln, he was taken to a house across the street from the theater to be cared for, four of the captured conspirators were executed by hanging, and the trial by military tribunal was deemed unconstitutional. On the late evening of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth snuck into the viewing box where President Abraham Lincoln and others watched a play at Ford’s Theater. Booth shot Lincoln in the back of the head at a close range. The President was moved across the street to a gentleman’s home where he was pronounced dead the following morning. According to Lincoln’s family physician, Dr. Robert King Stone in a statement he had made during the trial, “I was sent for by Mrs. Lincoln immediately after the assassination. I arrived there in a very few moments. . . . [I] found that the President had been removed from the...
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...anti-American sentiments. People, politicians and academics wondered how he could put up with such sentiments yet he hoped to lead a society as diverse ethnically and racially as America. This speech, ‘A More Perfect Union’, was Senator Obama’s response to these accusations. The speech has been hailed by many people as being the one that won him not only the Democratic Party nomination but also the U.S Presidency. For instance, the speech played a role in prompting New Mexico governor Bill Richardson to back Mr. Obama for the Democratic nomination. Governor Richardson was courted by both Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton as he was America’s only Latino governor and as such, whoever he supported may have won most of the Latino votes. Many people, including rivals in the Republican camp, called the speech ‘brutally honest’ and significant in American history, especially on the subject of race relations. For instance, then Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee (R) praised the speech by saying, “Mr. Obama handled this as well as anybody else could” and called the speech ‘a very historic speech’. John McCain called the speech ‘an excellent speech and an...
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...What Influenced Abraham Lincoln Submitted To Mr. Douglas In Partial Requirements For HISP United States History Lili Quevedo December 19th, 2014 It was a glorious day on April 14, 1865, for the Unites States of America—the states were united once more. The North had won the Civil War five days ago and everyone was still celebrating victory. The people had one man to thank for leading them through the war: President Abraham Lincoln. Not only had he lead the Union to victory, but he had also set the slaves in the South free. The celebration would be short-lived, however, because one Southern man was not happy with the outcome of the war. It was on that day that actor John Wilkes Booth entered Ford’s Theatre shot Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head. The next day the President died, leaving the country mourning for one of the greatest Presidents that ever lived. There is no doubt Abraham Lincoln was an accomplished person, so how did one man leave such a legacy and mark on the United States of America? Although he was a great man, Abraham Lincoln did not just come out of his mother’s womb and suddenly know what he wanted to do in life. Like most humans, it can take months, years, or even decades for one’s beliefs and ideals to form. How we choose what we like and do not like does not occur randomly, but through people and events that leave a great impression and influence on us. Abraham Lincoln's greatest influences in his life that shaped his...
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...Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln are undeniable two of the greatest men in history. When comparing the two, there are not a lot of things they have in common. However, there are some main things that they did have in common. Both of them were powerful leaders, they both lost parents at a young age, they were in the military and they both were assassinated. Julius Caesar and Abraham Lincoln lived during different time periods. Caesar was born in 100 BC in Rome (Alvin et al., 2009). Julius was considered to be a dictator and a manipulator. In Caesar home city he was a leader. When the people were not allowed to be in any decisions were made for the country. Caesar had the most power in his country and he was able to control a large army. As time went on Julius Caesar gained more power. Many in the Senate felt that he was a very dangerous, ambitious man. They didn’t like all the vicissitude that Caesar was endeavoring to make to their country. They considered Caesar’s power as a disregard and disrespect to authority, tradition, and Roman rules. Caesar had many occasions to challenge Roman commanders and many of their opponents, which lead to many civil wars. But his decision to cross Rubicon was against the Roman law (Alvin et al., 2009). Julius Caesar’s zeal and overconfidence that he became invincible in both Rome and battle, because his soldiers resected and doted him; he mentally conceived that he could pursue whatever he wanted. This led to his demise. Some members of...
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...Merely 35 years after the last shot was fired in the American Civil War on June 22, 1865, in 1901, anticipating his imminent displacement, George White—the last African American remaining in Congress—retired. He was a victim of North Carolina’s disfranchisement schemes. On the eve of his departure from the House, Mr. White lamented, “The mule died long ago and the land grabbers have obtained the 40 acres.” Audible in his tone was the frustration that underlay more than 30 years of broken promises made to African Americans. The phrase “forty acres and a mule” that Mr. White refers to in his address has its roots in the Special Field Order # 15 (SFO # 15). The order was signed into effect on January 16, 1865 by General William Tecumseh Sherman; just two months after Abraham Lincoln had been reelected to office. SFO #15 entitled each freed family forty acres of tillable land on islands and the coast of Georgia. However, there is no mention of mules (or any animals) in the field order. A popular fable is that Sherman's commissary man came to him complaining that he had a large number of “broken down” mules for which he had no means of disposal. Sherman sent the useless animals for distribution along with the land. The first two sections of the SFO # 15 describes the area where the land was to be reserved and section three clearly indicates the size of the land to be allocated. “Special Field Orders, No. 15 I. The islands from Charleston, south, the abandoned rice fields...
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...Ulysses S Grant: An American Hero Shreya Joshi Social Studies Mr. Nieskens May 27, 2014 In the 1800’s, the United States was a growing and thriving nation. In the South, many plantations were producing mass amounts of cotton. To keep up with the cotton demand, plantation owners bought more slaves to grow and harvest the cotton. The cotton and slave industry’s blossomed because of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin (Cayton et al 274). By 1850, the country had conflicting views because slavery became a growing issue. In fact, the main reason for the Union separating was over slavery being illegal or not. The Union broke up under Lincoln’s presidency when South Carolina seceded from the Union on December 20, 1860 (371). The upper South seceded as well and founded a new country called The Confederate States of America, or the Confederacy. The war begins after they secede. Born Hiram Ulysses Grant, he led the Union to victory in the Civil War and wrote a heroic legacy. Grant fought in the Mexican and Civil wars. At the age of 15, he applied to West Point Military Academy and was barely accepted (Rickarby 6). Due to his background with working with horses, he was an excellent cavalryman. While in the army, he was promoted quickly. For a short period of time, Grant quit the army, yet regretted quickly. He failed at everything he tried before rejoining the army, proving he was meant for the army (Simon 6). He had written an incredible military history, which led him to have a successful...
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...An Analysis of Longfellow's A Psalm of Life Henry Wadsworth Longfellow begins his poem "A Psalm of Life" with the same exuberance and enthusiasm that continues through most of the poem. He begs in the first stanza to be told "not in mournful numbers" about life. He states here that life doesn't abruptly end when one dies; rather, it extends into another after life. Longfellow values this dream of the afterlife immensely and seems to say that life can only be lived truly if one believes that the soul will continue to live long after the body dies. The second stanza continues with the same belief in afterlife that is present in the first. Longfellow states this clearly when he writes, "And the grave is not its goal." Meaning that, life doesn't end for people simply because they die; there is always something more to be hopeful and optimistic for. Longfellow begins discussing how humans must live their lives in constant anticipation for the next day under the belief that it will be better than each day before it: "But to act that each to-morrow / Find us farther than to-day." In the subsequent stanza, Longfellow asserts that there is never an infinite amount of time to live, but art that is created during one's life can be preserved indefinitely and live on long after its creator dies. In the following stanzas, Longfellow likens living in the world to fighting on a huge field of battle. He believes that people should lead heroic and courageous lives and not sit idle and remain...
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...When we were assigned this assignment, I wanted to pick four leaders who I wanted to learn from. I wanted to study how they became successful leaders. I wanted to enhance my abilities from what I learned from the following four leaders. The four leaders I choose: Pope Francis, Jeff Bezos, Alexander the Great and Abraham Lincoln. I choose these four because of the style of leadership I feel they are the best in: leading by an example, being a risk taker, using strategy, and never giving up (determination). Pope Francis is very effective by setting an example. He is humble. He wants to be a Pope who for the people. He is not someone who wants fluent his position which makes him a popular Pope. He would rather drive in a FIAT 500 then a limo. (What did the leader do well ) "Francis hates any members of the clergy who sit in offices and push paper," Krames says. As a bishop in Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio (as he was then), would dress as a plain priest and go out at night to talk with people. "When he became pope he told one of his archbishops, 'I can't do that anymore, so you're going to do it for me.' He doesn't want a pristine church, he wants a church that's going out in the streets to find people and help them." Likewise, Francis famously chose not to move into the papal apartments but to remain in a guest suite at the Vatican, "to live in community with others," according to a Vatican representative. “[1] “The reformist Pope immediately set his sights on the...
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...States ended the ceaseless suffering of thousands of slaves. In 1831 a slave by the name of Tice Davids fled from years of torment. Davids had been pushed to his limits by his master for far too long, and had to escape. As Davids ran as far and as fast as he could his master was not far behind, chasing and slurring him as he ran, Davids never looked back. His goal was to make it to Ohio, Ohio was a free state slavery was not an issue here like it was in the close state of Kentucky. Unable to find Davids his slave master assumed he had escaped through an underground road. Thus the first path of the Underground Railroad was created ( ). After Tice Davids ran from his slave master he found a man by the name of Rankins. Rankins was the son of Mr. John Rankins, one of the main men who helped slaves who had escaped from slavery and made it to Ohio. John Rankins hid Davids from his slave owner until the next morning, then Rankins gave Davids what food he had and a little money and sent him to another house around ten miles up the road and told him he would be save there. Davids did not recognize how many white people were willing to help in the little town of Ripley Ohio. Shortly after Davids escaped and his slave owner gave up on searching there were hushed stories of what might have possibly happened. Slaves began to over hear about Tice and had hope for their own freedom. ( ). Conductors of the Underground Railroad helped fugitive slaves find the escape routes. There were many of...
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...Page 1 Ulysses S. Grant (2002) Program Transcript Part One Narrator: October 23, 1863. Chattanooga, Tennessee. After a grueling four-day journey, General Ulysses S. Grant arrived at Union headquarters. He had injured his leg and had to be helped off his horse. Once again, he was dogged by rumors that he'd been drinking. He listened silently as his officers described a bleak situation. The Union Army was surrounded. Men and horses faced starvation. A Confederate victory seemed inevitable. Grant thanked his men, and began to write his orders. Max Byrd, Novelist: You see a lot of Grant in just that act of writing. The concentration and the determination. He never looked up. He never hesitated. He never seemed to search for a word. Geoffrey Perr et, Biographer: By the time he'd finished, he was surrounded by pieces of, of paper that he'd covered with his, his very even hand writing. In effect, he had fought the battle already in his o wn mind. Narrator: Before the war, Grant had been a nobody, a failure as a farmer and a businessman. As Commanding General, he was called an incompetent, a butcher. But he would win every campaign he ever fought. His plain, Midwestern w ays would captivate the American people. David W. Blight, Historian: There was something about that element of the American dream of that rags to riches story. He had experienced humiliation and he had understood failure. And I suspect a lot of Americans could see themselves in him. Donald Miller, Historian: Grant...
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...Unit IV: Continuing Sectionalism, Civil War, And Reconstruction. 1853 To 1877 1. Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854 – A Bill introduced by Steven Douglas to organize the Nebraska territory. He hoped to build a transcontinental railroad making Chicago the terminus, but they could not do this until the Indians were cleared away and the land was in control. Nebraska would presumably become a free state due to the Missouri Compromise but to please the South Douglas argued that the territories should be left open to popular sovereignty. Douglas pushed for the bill and won, therefore the Missouri Compromise was repealed and the North was in an uproar. 2. Birth of the Republican Party- Made up of former Free Soilers, Conscience Whigs, and “Anti-Nebraska” Democrats. Presented themselves as the party of freedom though they were not abolitionist, but they believed that slavery be kept out of the territories. The Republican Party appealed too many to voters who not only disagreed with slavery but also wanted to keep slavery out of their states. 3. Stephan A. Douglas- Known as the “Little Giant,” he was the most prominent spokesman of the Young American movement. He held a series of state offices before being elected for the United States Senate at the age of 29. Douglas wanted to get on with the development of the nation; to build railroads, acquire new territory, and expand trade. This made him suggest and push for the Kansas-Nebraska Act. 4. Popular Sovereignty- Also known as...
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...INTERPRETATIONS OF THE CIVIL WAR IN EARLY FILM One Film To Rule Them All In 1915, the blockbuster film, The Birth of a Nation swept the nation. In a pivotal scene, the attractive daughter of a former slave owner, whose cotton business had been ruined by the war, is stalked by a menacing looking black soldier, named Gus. He is shown with his shirt wide open and bare-chested. Flora, the stereotypical southern belle, notices the voyeur and is visibly shaken. Flora tries to hide from Gus, but Gus corners her and tells her that he wants her and that he is not married. Since the end of the Civil War, Flora has noticed several black soldiers in the area in the past few months harassing her family and other upstanding families. Gus forces Flora closer and tries to kiss her. In a panic, Flora slaps him and pushes him away. Flora flees into the woods. The ensuing pursuit shows Gus as a sex-crazed maniacal troll chasing down the seemingly innocent virginal fairy. Gus follows her absorbedly intent on raping her. Flora winds up on a cliff overlooking a series of jagged rocks. She stares at Gus and motions for him to leave her alone. In a silent ultimatum, she gesticulates that if he doesn’t leave then she’ll leap from the cliff to the rocks below. Gus is exposed as a beast, sweating and pulsating lustful desires. He moves closer to Flora to stop her from leaping. Unwilling to give herself to a black man and death being the only alternative, Flora jumps from the...
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...The cat that was watching the dog most intently walked carefully away. 8. TV commercials, sometimes the most entertaining parts of a program, are essentially flashy corporate propaganda. 9. The dam project, which many in the government consider to be a sign of national strength, will destroy hundreds of villages and vast areas of wildlife habitat along the river banks. 10. The free-jazz musician Sun Ra claimed to be from Saturn. 11. The one woman who did not attend the meeting said that she had to study for her chemistry exam. [who did not attend the meeting is an essential clause, defining the specific woman in question.] 1 2. He did not however intend to return the money he borrowed. [however is a Non-Essentials word.] 1 3. West Point cadets, who break the honor code, are expelled. [who break the honor code is an essential clause, defining a subset of cadets.] 1 4. She was as a matter of fact chiefly interested in becoming a Hollywood celebrity. [as a matter of fact is a Non-Essentials phrase.] 1 5. Raul's wife, Conchita, is president of the local Red Cross. [Conchita is a Non-Essentials word since Raul's wife already defines the specific person in question.] 1 6. The German writer, Hermann Hesse, is a favorite with American college students. [Hermann Hesse is an essential term, defining the specific German writer in question.] 1 7. The courthouse...
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