History 304 Readings Wiki

I found it interesting that the author cited Patrick Henry when discussing how the early origins of the Civil War can be traced back to the ratification of the Constitution. According to the quotes cited, Henry believed the government would eventually interfere with slavery and eventually tax the South more heavily to get them to free the slaves. I had no idea this connection existed and I found it interesting that people were skeptical about the government and slavery this early. -Emily Booth

A quote by Lincoln shows his opinion on the current state of the Union, which was that it could not exist with the North and South having polar opposite beliefs. He believed the United States could not stay divided and would eventually have to be all slave or all free. This alludes to the war's outcome in which the North won and imposed freedom throughout the United States. -Emily Booth

The South believed as long as the Democrats were in power, the government would not interfere with the institution of slavery. So, when Lincoln, a Republican, won the election of 1860, they immediately felt threatened. This led to many Southern states seceding quickly almost as a last resort to protect their way of life. -Emily Booth

In the late eighteenth century, when Americans spoke about their country, they really meant their state. Rather quickly, a tradition emerged of challenging the authority of the national government at every possible instance. (Guy)

With the expansion of cotton production, which soared after the invention of the cotton gin, came the spreading belief that slavery was not a necessary evil, but a positive good. Members of Southern states deluded themselves into believing slaves were actually better off in a state of enslavement. (Guy)

In 1860, about one-quarter of Southern families owned slaves, and more than half of those possessed fewer than five. The members of the planter elite accounted for just 3 percent of all white families, though owned more than half of all slaves. Nonslaveholding farmers, otherwise known as yeomen, identified their interests with the slaveholding elite. (Guy)

American civil tension was building long before even the revolution. The original Articles of Confederation and Constitution had many holes and failings which created distress between the states. View of all peoples varied across the nation from freedom and equality for all, down to white men being superior. These issues would prove tough to consolidate across the country and would help lead to Civil War. (Declan)

It was interesting to see the way that discourse over slavery had been a part of the United States for a long time before the Civil War. Dating back to before the Constitution, it was a controversial choice to not allow slavery in the Northwest Territory of the US under the Northwest Ordinance. To the proslavery people of the South, this move was seen as hostile towards their way of life, and could eventually spiral into a national ban of slavery. (Tanner Gillikin)

In 1856, the event known as Bleeding Kansas occurred. During this event, the state of Kansas held a vote on whether to allow slavery in the territory. Many people rushed into the state from both sides of the debate to sway the vote. This flood of opposed people resulted in a massive fight breaking out. This fight would serve as a mini Civil War of sorts, showing that both sides were willing to go to the grave for what they believed in. (Tanner Gillikin)

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was one of the major immediate causes of the Civil War. In 1859, Brown attempted to start an insurrection to help abolish slavery. His attempt did not go far, but, the damage was done. This event proved Southern fears that the crazy men of the North were coming to take away their slaves. This directly led to the secession in the next year. (Tanner Gillikin)

In 1830 there were more than a hundred thousand free African Americans, which seems like such a large number. It really gives you a better perspective on what things where like back there. These numbers and facts set up the society and the people that were living in these times as we learn about this war. (Lexi)

It was believed that tariffs would benefit Northern industries while harming the Southern farms and agriculture. The power to enforce tariffs held the power to attack slavery in the states. (Lexi)

I found it interesting how Lincoln never really blamed the Southerners, but he still believed that slavery could not be defended as something that was right in the moral sense. (Lexi)

This chapter has a lithograph from 1850 called Effects of the Fugitive-Slave-Law, which includes text from the Bible and the Declaration of Independence. I thought it was interesting (and pretty smart) that the artist added a Bible text to emphasize that executing Black men goes against humanity. (Hannah E.)

Lincoln promised the South (or secessionists) that he wasn't going to interfere with slavery. However, it went in one ear and out the other for the secessionists. They did not forget what Lincoln had previously spoken about containing slavery. Overall, it appeared that the secessionists lacked trust in Lincoln and his beliefs. (Hannah E.)

Within the federal government in the years leading up to Lincoln’s election and the impending Civil War, there seemed to be a lean towards support of the Southerners’ wishes. James Buchanan owed his election to Southern Democrats, the Supreme Court supported the rights of slaveholders in the Dred Scott Decision, and Democrats controlled Congress (Masur 17-18). Until the election of Lincoln, a believer in free soil, it seemed as though the South could get whatever they wanted. (Sarah M)

I found it particularly interesting that even though the Civil War has all of these “short term origins,” the long term origins were just as important and longstanding. The conversation surrounding slavery had been there since the Declaration of Independence, and it was interesting to me to see that development happen over time, rather than just this short sprout common history has described it as. (Caty)

Masur asserts that the Dred Scott Supreme Court case was crucial in climaxing tensions between the North and the South in the moments leading up to the Civil War. The decision came with the interpretation that the fourth amendment protection of property protection and due process applied to slaves, in federal territory. Northerners saw this as just one step away from being applied to the states, and thus, every state becoming a slave state again. - Ewan H

The seven seceded states met in Montgomery, Alabama to adopt a provisional Constitution that would be ratified on March 11. Based on the U.S. Constitution, the Confederate Constitution declared one six-year term for the president, recognized the “independent character” for each state, forbid laws preventing slavery in any way, and also forbid protective tariffs. (Guy)

Lincoln's inaugural speech promised he wouldn't mess with slavery where it was at the time but also declared that the Union was perpetual and only through unanimous agreement could a state leave the compact of the United States. (Guy)

Lincoln's appeal for state militia troops to deal with the insurrection prompted four additional states to secede: Virginia (April 17), Arkansas (May 6), North Carolina (May 20), and Tennessee (June 8). (Guy)

Alexander Stephens, the new vice-president of the Confederacy, had declared slavery and white supremacy as core to the Confederate cause, before the war was even made about slavery in 1863. He declared it a “great physical, philosophical, and moral truth” that African-Americans were subordinated to white Americans and that the Constitutions wording of “all men are created equal” is a fallacy. How this didn't become the subject of anti-Confederate propaganda in the North, or unnerving the British, or even make the war about slavery in 1861, is very surprising. (Orion van Rooy)

Before the Confederacy was officially created, Senator John Crittenden of Kentucky had proposed a new compromise to extend the Missouri line to the Pacific. This was struck down, and it seems like as a result, the succeeded states held a meeting and officially formed the Confederacy. Something else that struck me in particular was the sheer difference in magnitude of the North and South armies - the South was vastly outnumbered. (Caty)

From the start of the Civil War international relations played a big role. The Confederacy was eager to gain support and recognition from nations in Europe, particularly Britain. The British stood to gain a lot from the Confederacy winning, as they would have made a good trade partner for the country. This was mostly prevented by the Union’s Anaconda Plan, which prevented the Confederacy from getting any supplies from Europe. (Tanner Gillikin)

In the early days of the Civil War, the conflict and the threat of the confederacy was not taken seriously by some in the North. Abraham Lincoln saw the war as a simple rebellion, and believed a decisive victory near the start of the war might put it down completely. Citizens of the Union would even attempt to spectate the first battle of Bull Run. This view would quickly change as soon as the fighting started, and the true horrors of war, and how hard fought all this would be was revealed to everyone. (Tanner Gillikin)

From the start of the Civil War international relations played a big role. The Confederacy was eager to gain support and recognition from nations in Europe, particularly Britain. The British stood to gain a lot from the Confederacy winning, as they would have made a good trade partner for the country. This was mostly prevented by the Union’s Anaconda Plan, which prevented the Confederacy from getting any supplies from Europe. (Tanner Gillikin)

In the early days of the Civil War, the conflict and the threat of the confederacy was not taken seriously by some in the North. Abraham Lincoln saw the war as a simple rebellion, and believed a decisive victory near the start of the war might put it down completely. Citizens of the Union would even attempt to spectate the first battle of Bull Run. This view would quickly change as soon as the fighting started, and the true horrors of war, and how hard fought all this would be was revealed to everyone. (Tanner Gillikin)

The North had a lot more resources thanks to industrialization, population, and other factors that aided them in the war. However, most of the battles were fought on Southern soil, so Union troops were fighting in foreign lands. Each side had its advantages and disadvantages that led the war to go longer than anyone first thought it would. (Lexi)

On February 6, 1862, Grant attacked and took Fort Henry and then took Fort Donelson on February 16th. This was a major advantage for the Union because they had control over important Confederate territory and two major rivers. This was a celebrated victory for the Union and a hard loss for the Confederates. -Emily Booth

The bloodiest battle up to this point of the war occurred on April 6 in Shiloh Church, Tennessee, which ended in a tough Union victory. This was a major turning point in the war for the Northerners, who then realized the conflict would not be so easily won. -Emily Booth

At this point, Lincoln began working with Congress to start to “attack” slavery, hoping for gradual emancipation. Some of his first acts included an unsuccessful resolution with slave states in the Union, giving government cooperation to any that gradually emancipated, and abolishing slavery in Washington DC. -Emily Booth

The relationship between Southern and Northern soldiers during the Civil War was interesting. Of course the two sides were at odds, and both mostly attributed that opposition to patriotism for their side. However, there was a notable amount of cooperation between the groups. Union soldiers would trade coffee for tobacco, or soldiers would alternate whistling short tunes. This shows that even with the groups being at war with each other they were at the end of the day still brothers. (Tanner Gillikin)

Masur explained that many American saw this war in a very different perspective due to the Civil War being the first largely photographed war. Alexander Gardner and James Gibson were the first photographers to show dead bodies within their photos portraying the Civil War. (Lauren V.)

When drafting the Emancipation Proclamation, Lincoln almost vetoed it due to him thinking it was a bill of attainder which is when a group of people are punished without a trial. He, however, decided to go forward with it as an executive order that he would give after Union Victory. (Lauren V.)

I found Lincoln’s response to the publication released by Horace Greeley, an editor of the New York Tribune, to be interesting. In the publication Greeley explained that northerners did not support Lincoln’s decision of the Emancipation Proclamation in which he responded that he, “…was not trying to save or destroy slavery…”. Masur explained that he worded his response in a way to not isolate southern sympathizers while also restating how he was trying to preserve the Union. (Lauren V.)

People, and soldiers especially, start to see the amount of death that this war is causing. No one had really thought that this war would go long, let alone be so violent and deadly. People started to believe that the soldiers who died did not die for glory, but rather for peace. (Lexi)

GOT TO HERE–WBM

The Proclamation was met with a wide range of opinions and responses. For example, enslaved peoples fled to the Union side in large numbers after hearing the Proclamation. But not everybody was happy. One surgeon made it clear that he disagreed with the Proclamation, using very negative words. In response, Lincoln basically said that there was no going back on Proclamation and even said “broken eggs can not be mended”. I thought his choice of words were very interesting. (Hannah E.)

The Civil War affected both sides in many different of ways. One disadvantage for the Confederates was a lack of food and goods. A drought in Virginia caused crops to fail, and there was a lack of salt, which was used as a meat preservative. As a result, there was a lot of inflation, which drove up the prices of food and other goods dramatically. It got so bad that women in Richmond raided food and clothing stores to protest. (Hannah E.)

I found it interesting that when the Union won the Battle of Vicksburg, Sherman wrote to Ulysses Grant, connecting the victory to 1776. That it was the “best fourth of July since 1776” (pg. 55). The 4th of July marked the victory of the Battle of Vicksburg and the signing of the Declaration of Independence, both of which represent freedom and unity. (Hannah E.)

By 1863, the Confederacy was suffering issues with food security. By being cut off from all of its major trade partners, the nation lacked a solid way of acquiring food for its people. There was a shift from farming cotton for profit to making food for basic sustenance. There were also some attempts by the government to create taxes and regulations that would help alleviate the famine, but these ultimately failed due to the perceived tyranny. (Tanner Gillikin)

The Battle of Gettysburg was an important battle of the Civil War. Through superior strategy and technology, the Union army destroyed the Confederate army. By the end of the battle 50% of the Confederate soldiers who fought died, and many more were injured. (Tanner Gillikin)

One response to the Emancipation Proclamation that was really striking was the exclamation, “the war was not merely a battle between North & South; but a contest between human rights and human liberty on the one side and eternal bondage on the other.” The Proclamation not only declared all slaves free, but it also singled out the war as one based around slavery and human rights, rather than the South's perceived version which revolved around rights and liberties. (Declan F.)

The southern Confederacy wound up contradicting itself and triggering many of its planters and elites. Short on food during the war, the southern government attempted to persuade planters to switch from tobacco to edible crops. However, this backfired as these planters seceded in hopes of escaping a government that told them what to do and subjected them to rules and mandatory enforcements. (Declan F.)

Allowing Black men to take arms and serve was Lincoln's ultimate execution of emancipation. He took his word and made it real, solidified it, so none could call out Lincoln or the North for hypocrisy. The additional bonus of men in the army was incredibly helpful as well in securing the North's victory in the war. (Declan F.)

The Union government was the setting of much controversy over the draft. If one was wealthy enough, then they could pay to have their draft pushed onto another person. Of course, this disproportionately affected the poor, especially the Irish. This would lead to a lot of violence and hate being directed towards African Americans. (Tanner Gillikin)

On January 11, 1865, Robert E. Lee wrote a letter claiming the war required the Confederate Congress to consider recruiting slaves as soldiers like the Union had been doing. (Guy)

Decades of pro-slavery ideology made convincing the Confederate Congress to enlist slaves difficult. It was also a massive contradiction that invalidated the Confederate's message. (Guy) On January 16, Sherman issued Special Field Order Number 15, which provided black families freed by the war forty acres of confiscated and redistributed land. (Guy)