Welcome to the Civil War

The bloodiest war in American History!

More Americans died in this war than in ALL of our other wars combined!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with certain

unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments

are instituted to among men”

•Where does this quote come from?•Is this the mission of the US?

•Had we achieved this goal by 1860?

The question today…What kick started this conflict?

The answer is …Sectionalism

• What is sectionalism?

-placing the interests of a region above the interest of the whole.

• Why did it emerge?

-because the North and South became very different places as time

progressed

How does the geography differ?

What are the effects of different geography?

The North• More Urban

• More Factories

• More railroads

• More immigrants

• More people

The South• More Rural

• Few Factories

• Based on Agriculture especially cash crop– Originally tobacco and then cotton– There was a need for field labor

See the Southern Civilization Activity

Tariffs were an issue

• We started increasing tariffs in the 1820’s.– These usually favored the Northern

manufacturers and hurt Southern importers– Is “democracy” working for those importers?

• Should they have to subsidize northern businesses?

Story of John C. Calhoun and his conversion to the dark side of

sectionalism

Slavery was THE main cause of sectionalism

• Slaves 1st Brought over in 1619 by the Dutch

• There were many slaves in the North

• Gradually, the North went away from it and the South was moving away from it.

Remember these key points:• During the Constitutional

convention slavery came up but they had the 3/5’s compromise and agreed not to discuss slavery

• If the North would have forced abolition, the South probably would not have joined the Union in the 1st place! (1776 Clip-5.00 in)

Slavery in America

While the North and South were starting to become more alike, an

invention changed everything!

• Eli Whitney Invented the cotton gin (short for engine) in 1793

• Cotton was not profitable before

Before the cotton gin 1 worker=1pound of cotton /day

After cotton gin 1 worker=10 pounds of cotton/day

Cotton production increased

• While the North was experiencing the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the South became more and more dependent on Slavery as cotton prices skyrocketed

0500,000

1,000,0001,500,000

2,000,0002,500,0003,000,0003,500,0004,000,000

1800 1820 1840 1860

SlavePopulation

CottonProduction

The amount of slaves grew

rapidly• The fact that cotton

could now be produced to make a profit led more and more people to depend on slaves

Rather than moving away from slavery, the South became more dependent on it.

`

True or False:

7 out of 10 people in the South owned 0 slaves.

TRUE!!!

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

0 1 2 to4

5 to9

10 to19

20 to49

50 +

% OF FAMILIESOWNING SLAVES

Percentage of Southern White Families Owning Slaves in 1860

About 1,150,000 Families owned no slaves

Number of slaves owned

Then why did so many people support slavery?

It was known as the peculiar institution. People didn’t necessarily want it or

love it, but they depended on it for their economy

William Ellison

Was a freed slave of partial white ancestry who lived in

South Carolina

•Owned a thriving business

•Owned an 800 acre plantation

•Owned 60 slaves

•He even sold his slave babies because they were not “profitable”

How did people justify slavery?

People said that African-Americans were better off:“The negro is improvident; will not lay up in summer for the wants of winter; will not accumulate in youth for the exigencies of age. He would become an insufferable burden to society. Society has the right to prevent this, and can only do so by subjecting him to domestic slavery…the negro race is inferior to the white race, and living in their midst, they would be far outstripped or outwitted in the chaos of free competition. Gradual but certain extermination would be their fate. We presume the maddest abolitionist does not think the negro's providence of habits and money-making capacity at all to compare to those of the whites. This defect of character would alone justify enslaving him, if he is to remain here. In Africa or the West Indies, he would become idolatrous, savage and cannibal, or be devoured by savages and cannibals. At the North he would freeze or starve.”

George Fitzhugh

How did people justify slavery?

Were slaves taken care of?

• Which was it better to be, a poor immigrant in the North or a Slave in the South?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

T M P G Milk

Slave DietFree Diet

T-Total Food Consumption

M-Meat

P-Potatoes

G-Grain

N&S Clip

In some ways, then, the worst was to be what?

• A free black in the North

• A free black woman in the North!

• Illinois outlawed the immigration of free blacks in the 1848 constitution!

Story of Celia

• Purchased to be used as a sex slave

• Gave birth to 2 mulattoes• Eventually, the slave owner

is murdered• She is found guilty

– Not allowed to testify

– Conclusion was that slaves were property

– Hanged in 1855

Then why did slaves fight slavery?

Many slaves ran away from slavery on the Underground Railroad

But most slaves fought slavery in subtle ways

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/features/99/railroad/j1.html

Harriet Tubman helped more than 2000 slaves escape!

People in the North started to change their views of slavery

• People wanted to turn back to God and do good things; so there were many reform movements

• Anti-Alcohol, Education Reform, and

Abolition!!• William Lloyd Garrison was a leader

Who started an abolitionist newspaper

N&S Clip

Garrison also started the American Anti-Slavery Society

• He was one intense reformer…would embrace all reforms…including women’s rights

• He welcomed the Grimke sisters and other women to speak at the meetings

• Some others (the Tappan brothers) didn’t care for that and split with the Garrisonians in 1840 and formed their own separate society.The state of

Georgia had a $5000 reward for his arrest!

Frederick Douglass was also an important abolitionist

• He was taught to read and write illegally

• Ran away and became a prominent abolitionist speaker and writer

• Worked with Garrison but had a split with him over the Constitution (Garrison liked to burn it and Douglass said it is okay)

• As the abolitionist movement grew, more and more Southerners feared for their “way of life.”

Then, in 1852, a book came out!

People began seeing slavery as morally wrong.

The Queen of England read it and wept!!!

With the increase in the influence of the abolitionists, people began to view slavery as morally wrong

and want to abolish it.

If you owned slaves in the South, how

would you begin to feel?

Sectionalism was getting worse as the Sectionalism was getting worse as the 1800’s progressed.1800’s progressed.

Fear for their “way of life” emerged as America expanded. Problems arose

over the question of slavery

• “Mexico is the forbidden fruit, if we eat it, our political institutions will die.”

• John C. Calhoun

• Will the new territories be slave or free?• Why would people back East care about

new states?• The 1st time this came up was with Missouri

in 1820.

Problems with expansion of USATerritory How resolved

Missouri in 1820 wants to become a state

Missouri admitted as slave and Maine as free. 36’30 will mark all future problems.

Missouri Compromise

California and rest of Mexican Cession (from Mexican War)

California admitted as free, Stricter Fugitive Slave Law, No more slave trade in D.C and Popular Sovereignty in Mexican Cession. Compromise of 1850

Kansas and Nebraska are being divided into states

Congress decides to let the people decide on what they want. This is “popular sovereignty”

1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act

These compromises were quick fixes

•didn’t solve the issue of slavery

•although many in the north said they would allow slavery to stay in the South, they would not allow it in the new land. Therefore more tension!!!

Certain events served to increase the tension and detract from the

compromises

• Wilmot Proviso• Uncle Tom’s Cabin• Underground Railroad• Bleeding Kansas• Dred Scott Decision• Harper’s Ferry• Election of Lincoln