Civil War/ Guerre de Sécession (1861-1865) Flashcards
Why?
Mid 19th century (1850’s) = tensions between free states and slave states = The Compromise allowed California to become a state itself.
The US divided into two very different regions.
North and South
The North:
– industrialized
– cities : centers of culture, reform. People get interested in social aspects, to make a better society (abolitionism, feminism)
– against slavery : abolitionists
– didn’t have slaves
– agriculture : small farms (produced what they needed = subsistence agriculture)
– had railroads
The South:
– agricultural
– rural (very few cities : New Orleans, Savannah, Atlanta, Charleston)
– had slaves
– agriculture based on plantation system
- produced 2/3 of world cotton.
Plantation system:
One corn: monoculture (a cash crop)
Cotton → so the south was nicknamed Cotton kingdom.
They sold cotton to the north of Europe and they bought what they needed.
The problem was that the south became dependent on exporting cotton and importing other goods.
– dependent on slavery : cheap labor
Cotton gin was invented (a machine): 1793-1794
Cotton gin was invented
(a machine): 1793-1794
Invented by Eli Whitney (Boston → teacher in the South). He observed the slaves; he wanted to try to find a way to use an engine to do this tough labor. It was 20 times faster to produce cotton.
He demand for cotton increased → cotton gin and cotton production developed until the mid 19th century.
1830’s and 1840’s
railroads started to develop: more western land became accessible:
Frontier = limit of civilization
And wilderness: movement West
1787
the US constitution: 13 original states. = written in Philadelphia from May to September (4 months) = The Wilmot Proviso (David Wilmot): “no slavery will be allowed in the new territories of New Mexico. (date?)
Northwest Ordinance
allowed new states to enter the Union.
(after north west ordinance) Debates about the states of the new states;
Several compromises:
– Missouri Compromise (compromise of 1820) page 315-317
-> Equal number of slave states and non-slave states (Free states)
One free state for one slave state
→ Maine : free / Missouri : slave
→ to keep the balance of power between slave states and free states.
California gold rush (1849)
California: became a territory
People who came to California were called forty-niners → many miners went to CA - (part of what used to be New Mexico in 1848) to find Gold.
1845-1848
End of the Mexican War (America defeated Mexico) = it has to do with slavery (spread of slavery) which was an economic opportunity for the South (it required a lot of manpower for cotton’s culture)
But after the Mexican War, the south territories increased fastly as they needed more & more space for cotton’s culture = slavery was extended
Compromise of 1850: page 461-467
– California in 1850 became a free state
– territorial governments were organized in New Mexico and Utah
– slave trade but not slavery was abolished in the DC
– fugitive slave act passed
the Fugitive Slave Act
Consequences
1850 = People in the north and the south had to return fugitive (=runaway) slaves back to their owners in the south.
Consequences:
– Southern masters hired agents (called “kidnappers” by the north) in the North;
– Northerners disobeyed, most northerners complied
– Underground Railroad (organization to help the fugitive) = a series of safe houses (hidden ones) = around 1850’s, the abolition movement was gaining ground and people in the North (Abolitionists) helped slaves to escape & hid them = this angered the South and Southern people tried to stop slaves’ escape = because it had an economic impact.
(North wanted to help slaves but South wanted to get back their slaves so it created tension between North and South)
– Blacks were rescued and only 3 by force
1854
Kansas – Nebraska Act: repealed the Missouri Compromise page 467-473
-> It was passed by Stephen Douglass (from Illinois) and it says that Kansas & Nebraska would be allowed to choose if they are a free or slave state = Kansas became a slave one & Nebraska a free one.
In 1854, the Republican Party was organized for the 1st time to bring all anti slavery factions (called the GOP = grand old party). Abolitionists & other people like Lincoln didn’t agreed with slavery but weren’t ready to abolish it = they were to keep slavery where it was and not to extend it through the country.
New territories would decide on the question of slavery = popular sovereignty:
People should decide: - Senator Stephen Douglass (Democrat)
– Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
1856
-Popular Sovereignty: the elections were scheduled for 1856 (battle between the Abolitionists and people who wanted to keep slavery in the US) = Kansas was called “Bleeding Kansas” = it explains how explosive the question of slavery was at that time
1857
1857: Dred Scott VS Stanford = The Supreme Court (the highest court of the land) accepted in 1857 “Dred Scott VS Stanford” = people (Sandford = Dred’s Scott new Master)
The US Supreme Court decided that people can bring their slaves anywhere they wanted
-> Dred Scott was born in Missouri, move across the Mississippi river in Illinois (a free state) with his master for 2 years, then move again to Wisconsin, then his master died and he become free because he had been living in a free state (Illinois). But a slave should be always a slave. Unfortunately, he is no longer in Illinois (= importance of slaves’ property) = Slavery was there as a condition of America from the very beginning.
1858
Senatorial election for Illinois
Senator Stephen Douglass (Democrat)
-> Stephen D. became a Senator as well as Abraham Lincoln and he started a series of debates.
Lincoln failed the election of being a Senator but he became very famous (he was opposed to slavery)
Abraham Lincoln (Republican Party) → slavery shall not be allowed in the state Former Whigs, free sailors → he's against slavery. He became known as the candidate against slavery. Against popular sovereignty, prevent slavery in the West
1808
Slavery was abolished above Maxon-Dixon line in 1808/ slave trade was abolished in 1808.
Book 1852
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin → first bestseller, published in 1852 by a woman Harriet Beecher Stowe. She wrote about the fugitive slave act of 1850.
What she wrote:
Slave codes:
– Slave’s couldn’t travel (unless permit from the masters)
– Members of the family could be sold
– Slaves couldn’t read and write
More and more people in 1850 in the North began to understand the slavery; they were more and more abolitionists.
