...INVESTIGATIVE TEAM MEETING 1 WAS SLAVERY THE PRIMARY CAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR? During the nineteenth century, slavery was the leading cause of the Civil War, due to differing views on this subject between the Northern and Southern states. The whole debate on slavery began during the Lincoln-Douglas Debate time period when Lincoln and Douglas debated on the Kansas-Nebraska Act stating that the state could choose for themselves the position their state was in for slavery. However, he was countered on his opinion when the Dred-Scott Decision passed through court that denied African American rights to be a citizen. This divided the country into further political parties which included Radical Abolitionists and “Fire-Eaters”, two extreme groups that fought for their beliefs on slavery. These political parties drove citizens to form strong beliefs and therefore split the country into two sides – the North and the South, the Free and the Slaves States, and the Republicans and the Democrats. INVESTIGATIVE TEAM MEETING 2 DOES LINCOLN DESERVE TO BE CALLED THE “GREAT EMANCIPATOR?”...
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...plantation slavery, which did not end until the enactment of the 13th Amendment in December of 1865. The 6th largest cotton producing economy, Arkansas relied on slave labor until the enactment of the 13th Amendment. At its peak, slaves were 25% of the population. While not ending slavery before the 13th Amendment, abolitionist groups and a ban on importing new slaves made Delaware’s use of slave labor almost non-existent by the end of the Civil War. Although Georgia banned slavery from 1735 to 1751, the practice greatly increased after Eli Whitney unveiled the cotton gin in Savannah, Georgia. Spanish rule declared runaway slaves from other colonies to be free if they...
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...American Civil War started in 1861 and was fought between the Northern United States, known as the Union, and the Southern United States that had succeeded from the United States to form their own independent nation, known as the Confederacy. One of the main reasons the Southern states wanted to withdraw from the United States was African American slavery (Introduction to Civil War America). The Confederate states wanted to be able to deal with slavery without interference of the United States federal government. Several important battles took place during the Civil War including battles within the Atlanta Campaign. The roles of men and women during the war and in society in general differed greatly throughout the eighteenth century. As the...
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...bloody wars. One of the founders of what makes up our country today was Abraham Lincoln. He was born on February, 12, 1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. About 20 years later, Lincoln moved and settled in the town of New Salem, Illinois. He was a self-taught lawyer and legislator. Soon he became engaged in local politics. He worked as a supporter of the “Whig Party” and won the election to the Illinois State legislator in 1834. Lincoln was a staunch advocate of internal improvements, a national banking system, and frontier settlement. During his presidency, he continued to support these causes, and implemented policies to further them. He opposed to the idea of spreading slavery to the territories. His vision was to expand the united states with a focus on commerce and cities; rather than agriculture. An unsuccessful bill to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia later became law during his first term as president. So, generally, with reguard to domestic policy, Lincoln's presidency was of a piece with his previous political activity. The main difference between Lincoln the legislator and Lincoln the president lies in his attitude toward the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. As a Member of Congress, Lincoln had been extremely critical of President Polk's sweeping executive privileges during the Mexican War, arguing that only the legislature had the power to declare and direct the course of war; But during the Civil War...
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...Over the years people have thought of many different causes for the civil war that took over 600,000 American lives in 1861-1865. Many people believe that the only true cause of the civil war was because of slavery but the war itself was fought over something much bigger than just slavery it was fought over the great political difference between the North and South. The actions of the Democratic politicians from the South and Republican politicians from the North kept the conflict between the states at the center of the political debate for years and made the war inevitable. Key political causes of the civil war include the acts congress passed, the split that happened throughout the years between congress, and most importantly the election in 1860 that elected Abraham Lincoln as president. Congress, throughout the years since America won independence passed laws they believed would help their nation. But as slavery became more of a problem in the nation, acts passed by congress became more important and affected the outcome of the American nation and its citizens much greater. Congress passed many acts throughout the years leading to the Civil War, but some very important ones that both held off the civil war and pushed the civil war are the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Connecticut Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas – Nebraska Act of 1854. The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 after Missouri requested in 1819 to be part of the Union as a slave state. Missouri’s request...
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...Americans possess. During this time many African Americans were released from slavery. They had to find a way to survive on their own. During the reconstruction period, America had to adjust back to the way of life before slavery and the Civil War. Throughout the article “Reconstructions and the Formerly Enslaved,” it discussed the dispute between the north and the south, the civil war, freeing of the slaves, citizenship, and economy in the south. While slave were trying to be freed, there was a huge dispute between the north and the south. White Americans in the north believed the slaves should be freed. They supported the idea of allowing the slave Americans to have a free and prosperous life. The white Americans in the south totally disagreed with the idea of freeing the slaves. Whites in the south did not agree because they would lose their biggest source of income and the productivity of their crops. They thought that it would hurt them economically because they would not have the free labor...
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...the South were freed so that they could join the army. The Border States including Missouri, Maryland, Delaware, and Kentucky were not included in the Emancipation Proclamation. The Civil War was not a war to end slavery it was a war to get the South to join the Union once again. “That aim remained the restoration of the Union, but the Emancipation Proclamation meant that it would be a transformed Union, one without slavery” (Crowther, Edward R.”Emancipation Proclamation”.14 Mar.2012) Many believe that even if the Emancipation was not signed that slavery would of come to an end. But the question is was the Emancipation Proclamation needed to win the Civil war? The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in states rebelling against the Union, but the slaves in the Union and Border States were not at all affected by the Emancipation Proclamation. The Emancipation Proclamation was a war strategy that Lincoln hoped would help him win the war. As Lincoln stated many times, he was not trying to abolish slavery in the beginning of the war but he would do anything to put the country back together with or without slavery. The Emancipations Proclamation did not actually free any slaves but it freed slaves for a short term period until the war was over. To actually free slaves Lincoln would need to win the war because he was not legally able to confiscate the South’s property because they had seceded from the Union. On January 1, 1862 Lincoln signed the final draft of the Emancipation...
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...Twelve score years and two years ago, America was founded upon the idea that “all men are created equal.” Throughout history, some people have been denied their equal rights. Lincoln’s famous speech,”Gettysburg Address” and Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, The Life of Frederick Douglass both show insight on the civil war. Douglass wrote his book before the Civil War began and Lincoln wrote his speech during the Civil War. Douglass showed what it was like to live as a child kept in slavery. Lincoln gave his speech about the struggle over ending slavery and having equality. The Civil War changed Americans’ ideas about freedom because it ended slavery and changed the way people thought about equality. Life before the Civil War seemed to have...
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...The Civil War was a milestone of America. A time of strife, a time of fear, a time of innovations. Anyone living in the years 1861-1865 had their own account of the war and the events that happened to them. Shelby Foote, a American historian, declared “And I’m a slow writer: five, six hundred words is a good day. That’s the reason it took me a good 20 years to write those million and a half words of the Civil War”. Despite the wells of information about the war, one fact can be reached: the Civil War has come to benefit modern society. Although the Civil War was a dark time in American history, society has benefitted by creating advances in the medical field, inspiring innovations in the military, and bringing the dispute over slavery to a...
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...The Civil War was a remarkable moment in history. This war went from 1861 to 1865, between the North and South of the United States. It started because the North wanted a unified country, while the South wanted state right’s, not a federal government. The war continued because the South wanted slaves, unlike the North. This war is a time in history that will never be forgotten. The North and South had always been drifting apart because of the major differences in civilization and economy (Guelzo). The main factor being slavery. Since the South was so agricultural, they thought that making slaves do their work was acceptable. They had many big farms and needed workers, so instead of working themselves, they made slaves do their work for them. The North had their own agricultural resources and did not...
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...• Robert Livingston • War of 1812- Military conflict between US and Britain following revolution about unresolved issues: trade restrictions, etc. • Tecumseh- Native American leader of the Shawnee and a large tribal confederacy; opposed US in war of 1812. • John Quincy Adams- sixth president; whig. • Empire of Liberty- theme developed first by Thomas Jefferson to identify America's world responsibility to spread freedom across the globe. Jefferson saw America's mission in terms of setting an example, expansion into the west, and by intervention abroad. • Transportation Revolution- early 1800s, development of steamboats, canals, and railroads. Faster transport of people, products, and knowledge. • National Road- First major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Connection between the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and a gateway to the West for thousands of settlers. • Communication Revolution- Samuel Morse invented telegraph. • The Market Revolution- improvements in how goods were processed and fabricated as well as by a transformation of how labor was organized to process trade goods for consumption. • Porkopolis- Cincinnati was the country's chief hog packing center, and herds of pigs traveled the streets. • Labor theory of value- The value of a commodity is only related to the labor needed to produce or obtain that commodity and not to other factors of production • Second Party System- 2 party system • Democrats-...
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...U.S History to 1877 The Civil War By: Anthony Green I chose to do a picture of the American Civil War. The picture I chose is of a battle between the union and the confederacy or north and south. The picture shows how severe the war truly was between the two sides. The north is running up a hill while the south is running down. Both sides have guns and swords drawn, and gun smoke everywhere, people dying on both sides. Horses getting shot, flags waving, and everybody seems to be yelling and screaming. Cannons getting shot looks like it might rain, I feel that it depict a deep time of depression, truth, but most of all anger, anger for the south to take control of the north, and anger for the north to take control of the south. In 1860 Abraham Lincoln ran for president. The republicans lead by Lincoln opposed to the expansion of slavery into the United States during the presidential election. Lincoln won the election, and then on march4th 1861 he was officially inaugurated. But before his inauguration seven of the cotton based slave states formed the confederacy. The first six to secede had the greatest number of slaves in their community, almost fifty percent for the six states. The outgoing democrats and the incoming republicans rejected secession as illegal. At Abraham Lincoln’s inaugural address said that by him coming into being president that it wouldn’t start a civil war. The eight slave states still left continued to fail...
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...The American Civil War In my final project I would like to try to describe the American Civil War. I chose this topic, because I think there are still disparities between the South and the North. I would like to learn something more about it. I would also like to discuss racial problems. In my opinion it is interesting to show a different perspective of slavery during the war and African American’s status these days. This project should also remind people of what the American Civil War was about. The Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Causes o the war 3. Abolitionism 4. The war 5. Characteristics and results of the war 6. Reconstruction period 1. Introduction The American Civil war was an armed conflict that took place between the States of the Union (today's founding states of the USA) and the Confederation of States (11 states that wanted to secede from the Union). The war lasted from 1861 – 1865. This war is also known as the North versus the South. 2. Causes of the war • Difference between the North and the South The North - industry, coal mining and processing iron, financial, more people, slavery was prohibited The South – agriculture, cultivation of tobacco, cotton and sugar cane, backward industry, legal slavery • Slavery Slavery was the most obvious reason for the war. The northern states wanted to ban slavery throughout the USA, while the southern states feared, that it would destroy their economy. The balance between "free states"...
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...CIVIL WAR JOURNALS “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, And is not either to save or destroy slavery” -Abraham Lincoln (1862) THE BACKGROUND CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR (C.W. JOURNAL #1). The Civil War wasn’t only about the fight of freedom for the black people, but also the economics, and the states against the federal rights, lead them to the call of battle. To me, they were important factors that people had their own desire of having the life they wanted. The Economic and social differences between the North and the South became more notable each day. The North needed the South, and the South needed the North. The southern economy was depending on cotton in which they needed the salves to work on. The North had the industries that purchased the raw cotton and turned them into finished goods. This created a major difference in economic attitude, and the North meant the change of society, evolved with different cultures and classes. Other fact that lead them to war was the disagreement the states had against the government. The government felt that the states should still have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts. This resulted in the idea of nullification. When nullification would not work, the states felt that they were no longer respected and moved towards secession. ELECTION OF 1860 (C.W. JOURNAL #2). The Democratic Party split into Northern and Southern due the slavery issues. In the Northern democratic...
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...1903The Civil War is one of the central events in America's collective memory. There are innumerable statues, commemorations, books and archival collections. The memory includes the home front, military affairs, the treatment of soldiers, both living and dead, in the war's aftermath, depictions of the war in literature and art, evaluations of heroes and villains, and considerations of the moral and political lessons of the war.[247] The last theme includes moral evaluations of racism and slavery, heroism in combat and behind the lines, and the issues of democracy and minority rights, as well as the notion of an "Empire of Liberty" influencing the world.[248] Memory of the war in the white South crystallized in the myth of the "Lost Cause", which shaped regional identity and race relations for generations.[249] 150th anniversary2011 marked the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the American Civil War. Many in the American South attempted to incorporate both black history and white perspectives. A Harris Poll given in March 2011 suggested that Americans were still uniquely divided over the results and appropriate memorials to acknowledge the occasion.[250] While traditionally American films of the Civil War feature "brother versus brother" themes[251] film treatments of the war are evolving to include African American characters. Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama NAACP, said celebrating the Civil War is like celebrating the "Holocaust". In reference to slavery, Simelton...
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