Civil War IDs

Southern Redemption

(1869) Democrat's return to power in Republican-controlled Southern states. Move to restore Home Rule; Redeemers sought to "undo" reforms. "New Departure Platform"- restore voting rights of ex-CSA, reduction of taxes and state expenditures. By 1870s, more overt forms of racial discrimination: legal segregation in schools and public transportation, poll taxes.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

A "super patriot" of Italy, he helped unify southern Italy with the help of his Red Shirts. He was relevant to the Civil War b/c the Union flirted with the idea of him leading troops. Had demonstrated prowess at guerilla-style freedom fighting and would have been a good way to get overseas support for the Union. However, didn't join Union. Wanted full control of U.S. forces and assurances that the Union was fighting to end slavery - slavery was the main factor in his not joining. Significance - Garibaldi was one of Union's most vocal supporters abroad. Praised Lincoln after the Emancipation proc. - Represented the importance of foreign acceptance of Union and the integral role slavery played in gaining that acceptance

1913 Gettysburg Reunion

A Gettysburg Battlefield encampment of American Civil War veterans for the Battle of Gettysburg's 50th anniversary. At the time, the largest ever Civil War veteran reunion (~53,400 people). All honorably discharged veterans in the Grand Army of the Republic and the United Confederate Veterans were invited. Despite concerns, the peaceful reunion was repeatedly marked by events of Union-Confederate camaraderie.

Compromise of 1877

Ended Reconstruction. Republicans promise 1) Remove military from South, 2) Appoint Democrat to cabinet (David Key postmaster general), 3) Federal money for railroad construction and levees on Mississippi river

Siege of Atlanta July-Sept, 1864

Essentially the precursor to Sherman's March to the Sea. Sherman laid siege to Atlanta in July - early Sept 1864. - His forces surrounded Atlanta and cut off supplies and railroad tracks. - The city surrendered in early September Sherman considered himself to be fighting a political war, to win the war by killing Southern morale. He ordered troops to destroy buildings, commit chaos.

Sharecropping

Freed slaves in the South entered into a labor system dependent on tenancy -- paying for land and dwelling through crops, not wages -- often falling into debt -- making it nearly impossible to leave the South. when: 1865 onwards why?: The emergence of the sharecropping system established a new social and economic order in the South. Many freed slaves expected that the federal government was going to commit to a project of land distribution; many freedmen refused to leave plantations, insisting that the land belonged to them. But that didn't happen, and most emerged from slavery unable to purchase land. Ninety percent of Black people stay in the South. significance: Freed slaves needed education, literacy, training, mobility — basic human rights. Black economic freedom was largely at the mercy of a structure created by the defeated, angry Southern white population that wanted to keep black people as a dependent agricultural labor force. Sharecropping became a way to keep a black labor force controlled, on land, and dependent on white people.

Battle of Shiloh (April 1862)

The Battle of Shiloh in April 1862 marked the escalation of the war in the west and was the deadliest day in U.S. history until Antietam. Battle was on the TN-MS border & resulted in 23,000+ deaths. Ended in a marginal Union victory. Lacking accurate military intelligence, half of General Grant's army in Tennessee moved deeper into the state along the Tennessee River until a surprise Confederate attack drove them back and inflicted tremendous casualties. On the 2nd day, Grant received reinforcements and counterattacked—Confed General Johnston was killed and his army driven back to Corinth Mississippi. Confed defeat ended hopes of blocking Union advance into N. Mississippi. Grant: "After seeing that battle...I gave up all idea of saving the Union except by conquest...I saw an open field...so covered with dead that it would have been possible to cross the field without a food touching the ground." Significance - Bloodiest point in U.S. history thus far - represented what was to come in the war - Turning point in Grant's/Union's expectations of the war - knew it would have to be a bloody conquest

Pearl

Character in The March by Doctorow; daughter of a white master and a black slave. Was enslaved and became free on the military line during Sherman's March to the Sea when plantation owners fled and the Union Army freed slaves. During Sherman's March, Sherman's army is ransacking/destroying cities, and enslaved people are joining and becomng refugees. Gender dynamics of the march Her story reflects the hopes and fears of formerly enslaved people trying to navigate their way through the war -- and into freedom.

Election of 1856

Democrat James Buchanan WON against both Republican John C. Frémont & Whig/former president Millard Fillmore, who ran on the Know-Nothing ticket (anti-immigration/anti-catholic). - Question of slavery in the new territories was the main issue. Republicans & know-nothings were competing to replace old Whig party. - Buchanan won due to his support of popular sovereignty Significance: - 1st presidential election with Republican on the ballot. Indicated possibility of Republican presidential victory in the future (know-nothings virtually collapsed afterwards/got absorbed by GOP) - Reflected debate about pop. sovereignty, what to do about slavery in new territories

John Washington

(one of the two authors of slave narratives in A Slave No More ) Former urban slave from Fredericksburg, Virginia, who escaped in 1862, at the age of 24, into Union army lines. Had a white father and a black mother. Taught himself how to read with the help of his literate mother and white friends. Married a free black girl. Deeply valued free labor ideology and wished to find a way to work for his own wages. Felt a sense of belonging with his church community and his Christianity. As the Union army approached Fredericksburg, Washington left his job and approached the Union army, who took him as a camp servant and a guide. Eventually, he left the army and brought some of his family to Washington D.C., where he was a member of its vibrant black and religious communities. Though faced with hardship, he worked to reassemble his family and educate his children. when: 1838-1918 why?: When Union troops occupied Fredericksburg in April 1862, he was at the Shakespeare Hotel and he used the opportunity to escape Union lines. greater significance: An example of the experience of slaves who escaped North during the chaos of the Civil War, their pursuit of freedom.

William Tecumseh Sherman

- 2nd most important Union General who waged TOTAL WARFARE on the South in his 6-week "March to the Sea" (late 1864) - Believed that to defeat Confed, had to destroy South's material and psychological will to wage war - "We are not fighting hostile armies; we are fighting hostile people." - "We cannot change the hearts of the people of the South, but we can make war so terrible" that they won't ever want to make war - Totally destroyed crops, towns, and farms on path from Atlanta to Savannah Significance: - March to the Sea presented a turning point in the war, esp. for Lincoln's 1864 re-election - 25,000 freed slaves (refugees) followed him

Slave Society

- A society where slave labor/slavery affected everything about society - Definition of labor & the relationship between ownership and labor - is defined by slavery (cradle to grave human bondage). - Whites and blacks grew up, were socialized by, married, reared children, worked, invested in, and conceived of the idea of property, and honed their most basic habits and values under the influence of a system that said it was just to own people as property. - American slavery became an expansionary capitalist system - only slave society where slaves naturally reproduced themselves, and the only slave society to exist within a Republic where half of the population did not depend on slaves and developed a moral world view that was not even tolerant of owning slaves Significance - Fundamental part of southern societal structure / belief system; "Old South" - Southern economy extremely dependent on slavery to be profitable

Free labor ideology

- An egalitarian vision of individual human potential; anyone could climb the ladder of success with hard work and dedication. - Belief that Northern free labor was superior to Southern slave labor and that slave labor was a threat to white male economic independence. Central to Republican ideology. Resulted from as the expanding / industrializing northern economy 1800s. - This ideology did not draw specific class distinctions and allowed for most to gain both independence and property. Northerners believed this would lead to a more equal distribution of wealth and social mobility. It was the idea that America's dream of the 19th century could be the dream for an immigrant, a small farmer. Not just for the elite, but for the common man. Significance - Basis of GOP - The free labor vs. pro‐slavery argument was one of the definite causes of the tensions in the 1850s, and eventually, secession and the Civil War.

Slave Power Conspiracy ("slavocracy")

- Idea held by northern Republicans that slaveholding interests held disproportionate and corrupt amounts of power in the federal government and used this power to grow and protect the institution of slavery in the United States. GOP used this idea as a theme as they rose in the 1850s, claiming that slaveowners had seized control of most of the national government and were using that power to achieve their personal goals. Republicans used this "conspiracy" to argue that the Southerners were therefore violating basic American/Constitutional values of freedom. - Lincoln uses slave power conspiracy rhetoric in "House Divided" speech: passage of the KS-NE Act, the repeal of the MO Comp, and the Dred Scott court ruling = premeditated Democratic plan to gradually legalize slavery in the United States. Significance: - Sowed northern distrust in south, bolstered anti-slavery/anti-south feelings - Major tactic by Republican party because it didn't need to be "proven" to be accepted as true - Roused abolitionists & GOP to action - Contributed to Bleeding KS/John Brown; influenced by Caning of Sumnmer

Popular Sovereignty (1850s)

- Idea that whether or not slavery was permitted in a given territory/new state should be decided by popular vote by the people in that territory. - Supported by antebellum democrats, notably Stephen Douglas. - Opposed the notion that Congress should decide the legality of slavery in individual states as it had with the MO Compromise. - Pop. Sovereignty was at the center of the KS‐NE Act of 1854 which repealed the MO Compromise Eventually, the institution of popular sovereignty in these two territories led to a convergence of pro and anti‐slavery people in Kansas anxious to vote on the issue of slavery. The violence that ensued is referred to as Bleeding Kansas. Significance - Violence, sectionalism in antebellum period

Stephen Douglas (1813-1861)

- Illinois democrat, senator, orator. Known as "The Little Giant" for his short stature & powerful oration. - Guided passage of the Compromise of 1850 & was responsible for the KS-NE Act (1854) - As a northern democrat, argued in favor of popular sovereignty. - His Freeport Doctrine, which he explained during the Lincoln-Douglas debates (1858), argued that states could effectively circumvent Dred Scott decision by failing to enforce laws of the rights of slave owners to their slaves. This angered southern dems who were in favor of slavery and led to the splitting of the dem party during 1860 election. 1860 Election: - Because Douglas refused to accept Dred Scott (i.e. that western territories could never be free states), southern delegates withdrew from the convention and created their own - nominated John C. Breckenridge - VP from KY) - Douglas nominated as northern dem. 2nd in popular vote, last in electoral vote.

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896)

- In 1852, she published Uncle Tom's Cabin. Instantly became HUGELY controversial + popular novel that had enormous influence on popular views of slavery, both in north and south. Uncle Tom's Cabin portrayed the cruelty and injustice of slavery in the wake of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The immense popularity of the book (second in readership only to the Bible) not only paved the way of American literature, but made it possible for the reality of slavery to be exported beyond the borders of the South. Abolitionists would use this novel for political means in supporting their cause. Recognized by Lincoln as "the little lady who wrote the book that made this great war."

William H. Seward

- Lincoln's Sec. of State from 1861‐1869. Important figure in northern/Repub. politics and close advisor to Lincoln - strong abolitionist (believed in "higher law" over constitution re: slavery) Critical in foreign war diplomacy/keeping Europe out of war. His aims: (1) Do whatever it takes to stop Britain/anyone from recognizing Confed's legitimacy ("belligerent status") (2) Neutrality Acts Null + Void: Argued that European countries couldn't declare neutrality between one nation + a piece of its people - framed secession as a civil issue + not one that Europe had the authority to declare positions on. Confed wasn't a nation-state and secession was constitutionally impossible. (3) Naval Blockade: After Sumter, Lincoln announces naval blockade of entire South. Brits recognized it as official (so couldn't run it) but looked the other way when their merchants would. Significance: - Very important in keeping foreign powers uninvolved in the Civil War / from recognizing Confederacy - Notable Republican and abolitionist

Harper's Ferry Raid (1859)

- October 16, 1859 John Brown & ~16 men left their farmhouse hide‐out en route to Harpers Ferry (largest federal weapons arsenal) - Brown and his men captured prominent citizens and seized the federal armory and arsenal - Brown hoped that the local slave population would join the raid, but that didn't happen... - Combined state and federal troops came; US Marines under Colonel Robert E. Lee arrived and stormed the engine house, killing many of the raiders and capturing Brown - Brown was placed on trial and charged with treason against the state of VA, murder, and slave insurrection = sentenced to death for his crimes and hanged on December 2, 1859 Significance - Most celebrated trial of U.S. history to that point. - John Brown became a martyr to antislavery cause (white and black) - use/justify revolutionary violence - Fomented southern fears of slave insurrections + convinced slaveholders that abolitionists would stop at nothing to eradicate slavery

Antietam 1862

- Robert E. Lee, commander of Confed. army after Johnston's death, decided to take the offensive and invade the North. Crosses Potomac into MD - hoped to get people to join his cause (didn't work - when people saw how meager the Confed army was, they weren't interested lol) - Union, led by McClellan, finds Lost Order 191 - which detailed that Lee's army was split up + its plan to go North. McClellan pursues Lee's army & they clash at Antietam. - Battle lasted only 1 day - single bloodiest day in U.S. history. - Union victory - repelled Southern invasion from North and saved D.C. Subsided terror across North of Confed. invasion. Significance - Convinced the British not to recognize the Confed or intervene militarily on their behalf - that would have been BAD for the Union. - Led Lincoln to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, which broadened purpose of war from preserving the Union to ending slavery. Gave Union the moral high ground. - Single bloodiest day in U.S. history - Convinced Lincoln to fire McClellan for moving too slow

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

- Series of 7 debates between Lincoln and Douglas during the Illinois senatorial race of 1858. Main issue of debates was slavery + its extension into territories. - Douglas repeatedly tried to brand Lincoln as a dangerous radical who advocated racial equality and disruption of the Union. Lincoln emphasized the moral iniquity of slavery and attacked popular sovereignty for the bloody results it had produced in Kansas. Douglas established his "Freeport Doctrine" which angered Southern Dems. - Lincoln lost election to Douglas but became known across the country b/c of the debates. Significance: - Established Lincoln as well-known Republican and set him up for electoral success in presidential race of 1860. On other hand, reduced Douglas's success b/c split his party on Freeport Doctrine

Pro-Slavery Ideology

- This ideology was contemptuous of the enlightenment principles that free labor ideology was based on. Calhoun was notable proponent. - Pro‐slavery supporters believed that there was a natural right to things like property but no natural right to freedom or equality, that the world is built on dependency, and not on individualism or autonomy. They believed that slavery was the way that countries progressed from barbarism to civilization and defended it biblically, racially, with the idea of white supremacy, and economically. - Slavery as a positive good for everyone b/c slaveholders took better care of their slaves tahn the North did with their factory workers. Slavery as the economic backbone of the south - king cotton Significance - Defense of Old South, southern way of life, slave labor system The free labor vs. pro‐slavery argument was one of the definite causes of the tensions in the 1850s, and eventually, secession and the Civil War.

Lincoln's 10% Plan (1863)

-lincoln believed that seceded states should be restored to the union quickly and easily, with "malice toward none, with charity for all" Lincoln's plan for reinstatement of Southern states back into the Union by allowing 10% of the voting men to pledge oath of loyalty to the Union and Emancipation. Once the states reached this 10% threshold, they would draft new states constitutions. Some Republicans opposed this plan, as they believed it was too lenient on the Confederates states, and would allow slavery to possibly return. Lincoln thought this plan would end the war more quickly, but Congress did not like this plan, and instead proposed the Wade‐Davis Bill. Significance - Lincoln wanted to restart simply, quickly, leniently - wanted RESTORATION as much as RECONSTRUCTION - Lincoln's constitutional view was that secession was impossible, the states never formally left the union, and so under executive power, he could readmit them to the US.

Free black communities

1. After the war, free black communities with their own churches, schools, and leaders came into existence. 2. In all states except Virginia, South Carolina, and Georgia, free black men who met taxpaying or property qualifications were "citizens of color" who could vote. 3. Despite the rhetoric of freedom, the war did not end slavery for blacks.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

1863 presidential proclamation & executive order issued by Lincoln. "All persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free." Had the practical effect that as soon as a slave escaped the control of the Confederate government, by running away or through advances of federal troops, the slave became legally free Ordered that suitable persons among those freed could be enrolled into the paid service of United States' forces, and ordered the Union Army The Proclamation did not compensate the owners, did not outlaw slavery, and did not grant citizenship to the ex‐slaves The Emancipation Proclamation outraged white Southerners angered some Northern Democrats, energized anti‐slavery forces and led many slaves to escape from their masters Significance Although it didn't end slavery in the nation, EP captured the hearts and imagination of millions of Americans and fundamentally transformed the character of the war. After January 1, 1863, every advance of federal troops expanded the domain of freedom. Announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy, enabling the liberated to become liberators. By the end of the war, almost 200,000 black soldiers and sailors had fought for the Union and freedom. The Proclamation made freeing the slaves an explicit goal of the Union war effort, and was a step toward abolishing slavery and conferring full citizenship upon ex‐slaves Focus on ending slavery / emancipation kept Britain/Europe out of war

First Decoration Day

1st memorial day on May 1, 1865 in Charleston, SC. During the final year of the war, the Confederates had converted the planters' horse track, the Washington Race Course and Jockey Club, into an outdoor prison. Union soldiers were kept in horrible conditions in the interior of the track. Some twenty-eight black workmen went to the site, re-buried the Union dead properly, and built a high fence around the cemetery. They whitewashed the fence and built an archway over an entrance on which they inscribed the words, "Martyrs of the Race Course." Then, black Charlestonians in cooperation with white missionaries and teachers, staged an unforgettable parade of 10,000 people on the slaveholders' race course. The symbolic power of the low-country planter aristocracy's horse track (where they had displayed their wealth, leisure, and influence) was not lost on the freedpeople. Then they had a picnic!! SIGNIFICANCE The war was over, and Decoration Day had been founded by African Americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration. The war, they had boldly announced, had been all about the triumph of their emancipation over a slaveholders' republic, and not about state rights, defense of home, nor merely soldiers' valor and sacrifice.

Election of 1860

4-Party Election: Lincoln (WON) vs. Douglas (N. Dem), Breckenridge (Southern Democrat), & John Bell (Constitutional Union). Dem party split over slavery (Freeport Doctrine) - Lincoln campaigns on idea of putting slavery on path of "ultimate extinction." South fears a GOP presidency b/c they believe he could actually do this. Significance - Demonstrates DEEP sectional divides - Lincoln didn't get any votes in any state that would form confederacy (except VA where he got 1%). - After election, secession begins - states declare secession to preserve slavery. SC is first, 20 days after election. - Post-election, GOP and Dem party become 2 big parties in political system

Ulysses S. Grant (1869-1877)

A West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican American War, Grant rejoined the US military in 1861 when the Civil War began. He achieved important victories in the western river battles, including Shiloh and Vicksburg, with offensive tactics, attacking armies instead of just capturing territories. Lincoln promoted him to Commanding General of the US Army in March 1864. Grant was elected president in 1868 and re‐elected in 1872. a series of corruption scandals during the Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant (1869‐1877) within seven different federal departments. They sparked reform movements in both the Democratic and Republican parties—the later being the Liberal Republicans who split from the Republican party in 1872 in response to the corruption. They were caused in part by political patronage and nepotism, as Grant appointed members of his family an friends from his military service who had little experience in politics, and also by his choice to run his cabinet in a military rather than civilian style. These scandals meant the administration ineffectively responded to the Panic of 1873 and also led to years of civil service reform, especially in the Hayes Administration. They possibly contributed to the end of Reconstruction.

Civil Rights Bill of 1866

A bill passed by Congress in March 1866 as a measure against the Black Codes to reinforce black rights to citizenship. It was vetoed by Johnson and was later passed as the 14th Amendment. Created by Senator Lyman Trumbull - believed that it was necessary to do more than just free the slaves: the US had to figure out who they were, what rights they had, who would enforce those rights, etc. The first ever Civil Rights act (and in some ways, the enforcement power went even further than the 1964 Civil Rights Act). The Act would pass both houses of Congress. The Act gave rights and granted citizenship to all people in America except for Native Americans and was the first attempt to give meaning to the 14th Amendment; left most enforcement to the states. Lyman Trumbull wanted to "destroy all these discriminations"

Confederate "soldiers' wives"

A collective political identity that poor white southern women created/adopted during the Civil War described by Stephanie McCurry in Confederate Reckoning. Poor, white southern women created the identity of "soldiers' wives" in the absence of their husbands in order to make a "legitimate claim on the state's protection and resources. Significance - Influence of the war on the southern homefront - need to establish this identity illustrates the harshness of day-to-day life in the CSA (many families living on the brink of starvation) - Gendered aspects of the war - women's suffering, agency. Use of gendered tropes to both reinforce female victimhood and overturn it by asserting unprecedented agency

Carpetbaggers

A derogatory term applied to Northerners who migrated south during the Reconstruction to take advantage of opportunities to advance their own fortunes by buying up land from desperate Southerners and by manipulating new black voters to obtain lucrative government contracts.

Trent Affair (1861)

A diplomatic incident during the Civil War that threatened a secondary war between the U.S. & U.K. - The Navy illegally captured two Confederate diplomats from a British ship, causing the UK to protest until the US released the diplomats. While the public wanted to celebrate the capture and threaten war against Britain, this was soon realized to be too dangerous. The Confederacy hoped that the Trent Affair would lead to war or at least diplomatic recognition by Britain. Mason and Slidell resumed their voyage to Britain but failed in their goal of achieving diplomatic recognition. - Lincoln did not want to risk war against Britain over this issue, so his Administration released the envoys and disavowed the Navy's action, although without a formal apology.

Fort Sumter, 1861

A federal fort on an island in the harbor of Charleston, SC (which had been the 1st state to secede). During secession, the confed. govt. had been occupying/assembling federal property and demanding it be turned over to states. Lincoln didn't want to provoke armed conflict but refused to surrender any federal property - just resupplied federal forts with food/survival goods when needed. At Fort Sumter, Maj. Anderson (the federal commander) needed food - Lincoln sent provisions and informed SC that he was sending a humanitarian, not military, expedition. However, the Confed. opened fire on Sumter for 34 hours (no casualties on either side), but Anderson was forced to surrender. Significance: - MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR - Confederacy fired first shots - what Lincoln had wanted all along

Secession Commissioners

A group of Southern figures (not necessarily prominent ones; included judges, lawyers, doctors, etc.). Appointed by Southern governors of five slave states (SC, GA, AL, MS, LA) in the wake of Lincoln's election to advocate for secession in other slave states. Detailed in Dew "Apostles of Disunion" Arguments for secession rooted in racism and white supremacy, not states rights. Feared end of white supremacist societal order and sexual amalgamation. To allow Republicans control of the White House meant the inevitable realization of racial amalgamation and the loss of white power. Suggests that the former proved most influential in the coming of the Civil War.

John Brown (1800-1859)

A militant, religious, and arguably insane abolitionist. Believed in God's law above human law. Believed that slavery was so entrenched in the U.S. that it required revolutionary violence + action to overcome. - In 1855, he and 5 sons went to Bleeding KS to assist antislavery forces struggling for control. - Massacre at Potowatamee Creek (May 1856): Brown + a group of men dragged 5 men in a pro-slavery area out of their homes at midnight + hacked them to death. In response to the sacking of Lawrence, KS and reports of Sumner's Caning. - 1858 Chatham, Ontario Convention: Announced intention to establish a stronghold for escaped slaves in VA and MD mountains that he'd create after raid on Harper's Ferry. - Planned 1859 attack on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, VA - largest federal arsenal. He wanted to foment a slave insurrection using the weapons & using the Appalachians as a base. - Tried to get support of many prominent abolitionists including Frederick Douglass as well as freed black men in Canada. When they all realized the insanity of his plan, however, most backed out. - Did the raid with a small band, but captured, put on trial and executed. Significance - Most celebrated trial of U.S. history to that point. - Attempt to use/justify revolutionary violence is IMPORTANT. Martyr or terrorist or both? - Human law vs. higher law in abolitionism - 1st big transracial hero - white man who killed white people to free black people - Demonized and feared by the South as a terrorist and symbol of Northern attacks on slavery

King Cotton (1858)

A phrase frequently used by Southern politicians & authors prior to the American Civil War, indicating the economic and political importance of cotton production. - After the invention of the cotton gin (1793), cotton surpassed tobacco as the dominant cash crop in the agricultural economy of the South, soon comprising more than half the total U.S. exports.Du - Convinced of the supremacy of its commodity at home and abroad, the South was confident of success if secession from the Union should lead to war. Senator James H. Hammond declared (March 4, 1858): "You dare not make war upon cotton! No power on earth dares make war upon it. Cotton is king." Significance - South believed cotton would protect it economically after secession - basically that its prosperity was guaranteed b/c the whole world was dependent on its cotton. This was proved wrong - Great Britain was already diversifying their cotton imports from colonies (i.e. India). G.B. didn't intervene in the war on the Confederacy's behalf like the Confed. had hoped - During the war, the Confed. ordered farmers to stop cotton exports as a strategy to influence foreign powers to intervene, but it didn't work and just had a negative impact on southern economy

Wallace Turnage

A slave born to a white man and black slave, was born in North Carolina and worked as a field hand in Alabama. Runs away 5 times as a teenager between 1860 and 1864 Describes harsh life on the plantation in Alabama and his constant active defiance of the slave masters In contrast to John Washington's life as a slave in an urban town Representative of some of the ideas of self-emancipation. Significance Gives a vivid narrative of how slaves actually experienced and thought about the emancipation process and how they had to actively fight for it

contraband

A term commonly used to describe a new status for certain escaped slaves or those who affiliated with Union forces Army and Congress determined that the US would not return escaped slaves who went to Union lines and classified them as "contraband," or captured enemy property. Union used many as laborers to support war efforts and soon began to pay them wages. The former slaves set up camps near Union forces, and the Army helped support and educate both adults and children among the refugees. Thousands of men from these camps enlisted in the United States Colored Troops when recruitment started in 1863. At war's end, more than 100 contraband camps existed in the South, including the Freedmen's Colony of Roanoke Island, where 3,500 former slaves worked to develop a self-sufficient community.

The "shrinking south"

A theory/fear of Southerners who believed that if slavery could not expand to the West, the economic and political power of the South would shrink relative to the rest of the country, and the system of slavery might also shrivel and die. This theory was a crucial part of the rhetoric in the secession debates in 1860. Also crucial in the decision of many southern states to secede; fear of being surrounded by anti-slavery states and not able to expand their economy. Fear that slavery would move into the deeper and deeper south and become even more of a "racial powder keg." States faced the decision whether to secede in 1860-61 or wait 4 years for the next election to maybe save slavery (in which time the south may have shrunk in size/power even more)

Compromise of 1850

After the Mexican war, questions: 1. Would Cali become a free or slave state? 2. Southerners angry about fugitive slaves - want a fugitive slave law with more teeth 3. How would land gained from the Mexican war be divided/settled? Compromise of 1850 determined: (1) California = free state (2) Utah and New Mexico established as territories & slavery determined by popular sovereignty (3) TX boundary moved back ~300 mi + TX compensated (to create NM) (4) Abolish slave trade in DC (5) Fugitive Slave Act passed - super controversial; heightened Northern fears of "slave power conspiracy". Required that all escaped slaves, upon capture, be returned to their masters and that officials and citizens of free states had to cooperate Compromise was a response to fears that the union was going to split. Sen. Henry Clay (the great compromiser, KY whig/repub) proposed the terms to Sen. Daniel Webster (moderate, anti-slavery northerner from MA). Clay convinces Webster and they advocate for it as a measure for "the preservation of the union." Stephen Douglas also becomes big advocate. Significance: demonstrates fears of union splitting; last "great hurrah" of Clay/Webster/Douglas, passage of Fugitive Slave Act radicalized abolitionists; basically overruled Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing pop. sovereignty in NM/UT; also entrenched south - Calhoun opposed. Basically allowed Congress to postpone dealing with slavery/sectional issues for a couple years.

Sectional reconciliation

After the war, the federal government pursued a program of political, social, and economic restructuring across the South-including an attempt to accord legal equality and political power to former slaves. Reconstruction became a struggle over the meaning of freedom, with former slaves, former slaveholders and Northerners adopting different definitions. Eventually, faced with increasing opposition by white Southerners and some Northerners, the government abandoned efforts for black equality in favor of sectional reconciliation between whites.

Virginia Campaign of 1864

Aka the Overland Campaigns. General Grant launched in 1864 an offensive through Virginia, a campaign including the battles of the Wilderness and Cold Harbor. The nature of the battles forewarned the Civil War's evolution into a war of attrition. Lee suffered a higher proportion of casualties and the campaign culminated in the siege of Petersburg who/what: The Overland Campaign, a series of battles fought in Virginia during May and June 1864 — Grant suffered several losses but it was a strategic Union victory. when: May-June 1864 why?: Six weeks of constant marching and fighting in Virginia. Grant's goal was to totally destroy Lee's army. greater significance: Grant surprised Lee by stealthily crossing the James River, threatening to capture the city of Petersburg (the Confederate capital) — the resulting Siege of PEtersburg (June 1864-March 1865) led to the eventual surrender of Lee's army in April 1865 and the effective end of the Civil War.

Charles Sumner (1811-1874)

An antislavery Massachusetts senator (abolitionist whig) elected to Senate in 1848. Known for his dedication to human equality and abolition of slavery. Most famous for his "Crime Against Kansas" speech in May 1856: - Denounced southern efforts to extend slavery into new states/territories. - Worked thru history of KS-NE act, repeal of MO line, and used idea/language of slave power conspiracy - Started naming southern Senators (Sen. Butler) and played out accusation of rape - most southern senators had black mistresses ("taking slavery as their harlot") Afterwards, Congressman Preston Brooks - Sen. Butler's nephew - beat Sumner bloody (the Caning of Charles Sumner) while other dem senators watched. - Switched to Repub. party in 1855 and helped Lincoln keep the peace with Britain due to his close ties with prominent Englishmen. - During reconstruction, Sumner led the radical reconstruction efforts to assert freedmen's rights and to keep ex‐confederates out of power. Significance: - The Caning of Charles Sumner became a symbol to republicans of the violence/slave power conspiracy. Slavery could only be defended by violence - The "slave power conspiracy" to kill a member of Congress over slavery - Mounting tensions of discussing slavery in Congress during 1850s - Antebellum tension before the Civil War - One of the first examples of political violence (John Brown)

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895)

An escaped slave, pre‐eminent abolitionist, and famous autobiographer. First black citizen to hold high rank in U.S. govt. Wrote his first autobiography "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave" in 1845 detailing his time spent in slavery and his escape. - Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. - Sent to Hugh Auld's home in Baltimore where Sophia Auld taught him to read. After she was forbidden from teaching Douglass, Douglass continued his education alone on the streets of Baltimore. - After his time in Baltimore, he was sent to work for notorious slave‐breaker Edward Covey. After several unsuccessful attempts, Douglass managed to escape slavery in 1838. - Fled to the north, where he published his autobiography and became a well‐respected leader of the abolitionist movement. - Fled to Europe for 2 years after the publishing of book to avoid recapture by Covey - 1847-1860, published The North Star, an abolitionist paper. - At first, collaborated with William Lloyd Garrison, but split over issues of need for black press + need for political action to supplement moral-suasion. - Served as an advisor to Lincoln during the Civil War. Advocated that former slaves be armed for the North and that the war be a direct attack against slavery. - During reconstruction, fought for full civil rights for freedmen and women's rights movement. - Later served in many diplomatic positions

Appomattox

April 9, 1865 Famous as the site of the surrender of the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee to Union commander Ulysses S. Grant. Was not a treaty or political deal - JUST surrender

Confederate Nationalism

Confederate Nationalism was a belief in the cause of the Confederacy that compelled many southern men to join the ranks of the Confederate Army, and many on the home front—both women and men alike—to at least initially subscribe to the war effort and sustain heavy losses. Confederate Nationalism, accompanied with war fever, initially swept the south during the period of secession and mobilization, and was fomented by the heated rhetoric of the southern secession commissioners. However, the south was in no way monolithic and significant populations of Union sympathizers existed within the south throughout the war. Confederate Nationalism began to wane during the end of the war as casualties increased and poverty and destruction began to permeate the south. This disillusionment with the Confederate cause was manifested by the mass desertions of the Confederate Army following the long sieges and losses at Atlanta and Petersburg.

The narrow view of impeachment

Constitution allows for impeachment in cases of treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Yet narrow view only views this in cases of one breaking criminal statue. While impeachment passed in the House did not in the senate-- as 9 of the 11 articles had to do with the violation of the Tenure of Office act). Republicans understood the gravity of impeachment never done before, and many believed that this offense was not worthy of impeachment Did not want to impeach right before election

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Dred Scott, a former slave, sued for his freedom on the grounds that he had lived in a free state (IL) and a free territory (MN) Many supporters of slavery eager for a SC ruling on the subject, believed it would permanently establish the institution of slavery in the territories Three main questions: (1) Was Scott a citizen? (2) Could black men sue in federal court? (3) Had Scott's time in a free state/territory made him free? Majority opinion written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney: (1) Black men are not citizens and therefore have no right to sue (2) Law of MO (state of enslavement) takes precedence over living on free soil (3) Congress had no authority to exclude slavery from any territory b/c it violates 5th Amend. right to property (so the MO Comp line was never constitutional) (4) Scott's time in a free state/territory did not make him free Significance: - Congress has no power to prohibit slavery in a territory bc 5th Amend protects property - Destroyed the middle/moderate on slavery debate - contributed to sectional differences and Civil War outbreak. POWERFUL negative public reaction everywhere except slave states - Republicans refused to recognize the decision as anything but a dictum - Superseded by 13th amend (abolish slavery) & 14th (black citizenship)

Whiskey Ring 1875

During the Grant administration, a group of officials were importing whiskey and using their offices to avoid paying the taxes on it, cheating the treasury out of millions of dollars. Exposed in 1875

Bloody Shirt

During the election of 1876, the Republicans backed Rutherford Hayes against the Democratic candidate, Samuel Tilden. They resorted to a tactic known as "waving the bloody shirt," which was used in the last two elections. The tactic emphasized wartime animosities by urging northern voters to vote the way they shot.

Jefferson Davis

First and only president of the confed - 1861-65. Born in KY and raised in Mississippi. Went to West Point, served well in Mexican War, and was a senator. - Believed in importance of institution of slavery for the south - Appointment as president was political; compromise candidate chosen to appease moderates & radical factions in CSA - Initially popular with the public, but popularity quickly declined. As war fervor died down during the war, he didn't have the personality to maintain popularity. Impatient with people who disagreed with him & had the unfortunate habit of awarding prominent posts to leaders who appeared unsuccessful.

Panic of 1873 (1873-1879)

Following the Civil War and wartime boom in the economy, specifically in the expansion of the railroad industry, post‐war inflation came about and coupled with a large trade deficit and European economic problems, the economy went into a deep depression. Bank reserves went into deep trouble, and by September 1873, the stock exchange had plummeted. - By 1876, HALF of the nation's railroads had defaulted on their bonds - By 1874, HALF of iron forges had closed in 1 year - Depression reached a bottom in 1877, right when reconstruction was happening. BIG REASON WHY RECONSTRUCTION FELL APART.

Bleeding Kansas (1854-1859)

Following the KS-NE Act (1854), which determined that slavery in new states would be determined by popular sovereignty, pro‐ and anti‐slavery settlers flooded into Kansas, all attempting to tip the popular vote in their favor. KS admitted as a free state in 1861. Violence erupted, politically as well as between civilians. Eventually degenerated into brutal gang violence and paramilitary guerrilla warfare (including John Brown's Potowatamee Creek Massacre in May 1856). LeCompton Constitution was suggested as a pro-slavery constitution but eventually rejected Significance - The violence fueled an intense debate in Congress Republicans used the situation particularly effectively to accuse the Democratic Party of endorsing attacks by pro‐slavery settlers. - Provided anti-slavery fodder for Repubs for 1860 election - Stoked national animosity about slavery

Ku Klux Klan

Formed in Pulsaki, TN in 1866. A vehicle for Southern white underground resistance to Radical Reconstruction. The KKK sought to restore white supremacy across the South through intimidation and violence directed at the newly enfranchised black freemen. In response to their violence, Congress passed the Force Act in 1870 and the Ku Klux Klan Act in 1871, which allowed the president to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, suppress disturbances using force, and impose strong penalties on terrorist organizations. Goals: (1) Target politics/republicans: wanted to drive GOP out of existence, fueled by myth of carpetbaggers (2) Disrupt/destroy black communities: econ, political power. burned black churches + schools (3) Labor discipline: wanted to terrorize/intimidate black community so that white people could keep labor force Signifiance - Southern backlash against radical reconstruction - HUGE impact on story of southern redemption (dem south taking back control of states) = a counterrevolution won by violence - Devastated local GOP orgs

William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879)

Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist , journalist, and social reformer during the antebellum period until after the Civil War. Best known as the editor of the radical abolitionist newspaper, The Liberator, which gained prominence as a beacon for the abolitionist movement from 1831-1865. Also one of the founders of the American Anti‐Slavery Society , which garnered about 250,000 members by 1838. Promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United States. Significance: Represented use of moral-suasion as an anti-slavery argument; end of abolitionist belief in gradualism by 1830s-40s due to southern intransigence; enlightenment idea that people can change/improve; evangelical Christian abolitionism; professional abolitionist Tenets of Garrisonianism: 1. Moral perfectionism: abolitionists remove themselves from corruption of secular institutions and seek perfection 2. Pacifism: rejected all coercive acts/institutions/laws as restraints on individual freedom of conscience 3. Anti-clericalism: rejected pro-slavery American churches 4. Disunionism: advocated Northern withdrawal from Union - didn't want north to be "complicit with slaveholders" 5. Non-voting: saw voting as complicity w/ American system; becomes a big divide between political abolitionism in 1850s 6. Women's civil rights: Stern believer in women's suffrage/civil rights 7. Black civil & political rights

Sherman's March to the Sea (1864)

General William Tecumseh Sherman led Union troops through Georgia Sherman and Union Commander, Ulysses S. Grant, believed in a "total war" that would break the South's psychological capacity to fight; Sherman's army sought to eliminate civilian support to Southern troops Sherman captured and burned Atlanta in September of 1864 The purpose of destroying Georgia was to lower Southern morale and diminish supplies Sherman led troops to Savannah, then on to South and North Carolina

14th Amendment (1868)

Grants citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the US"; it forbids any state to deny any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of its laws." Most important law ever passed besides original Constitution and Bill of Rights. It has been the vehicle for the expansion of civil rights, women's rights, gay rights among other movements. It also allowed for the "incorporation doctrine" which means the application of the national Bill of Rights to the states. - Finally got rid of 3/5 clause - Says that states who deny the right to vote to citizens will get their congressional representation thus reduced - Fed. will not pay debts of any confed. state from the war

New York City Draft Riots (1863)

In 1863, New York City faced high rates of inflation, disease, and crime, and had a large Irish population and significant Democratic presence. The draft caused these problems to culminate into a massive demonstration of anti‐draft, anti‐Protestant, and anti‐Negro violence. Didn't want to fight a war on behalf of slaves who, once freed, would compete with them for jobs. In July 1863, (after Battle at Gettysburg) on the second day of the draft, New York City erupted into a four‐day riot, in which over 100 people were killed. Buildings that were affiliated with the draft, blacks, Republicans, abolitionists, and Protestants were burned, and these groups were the targets of rioters' violence. The riots were ended by the occupation of 20,000 federal troops. By the end of the draft, the city council had raised money to pay the commutation fees of every drafted man.

Caning of Charles Sumner

In May 1856 Charles Sumner gave his "Crime Against Kansas" Speech - openly attacking Andrew Butler of South Carolina as "taking slavery as his harlot". - 2 days later, Preston Brooks (Butler's nephew) brutally attacked Sumner with a cane while Sumner was working at his desk. Significance - Northerners horrified; Southerners rejoiced (put him in his place) - illustrates growing sectional differences and foreshadowed rising antebellum violence in 1850s. - The Caning became a symbol to republicans of the violence/slave power conspiracy. Slavery could only be defended by violence - The "slave power conspiracy" to kill a member of Congress over slavery - One of the first examples of political violence (John Brown)

"Swing Around the Circle" 1866

In anticipation of the congressional elections of 1866, President Johnson went on a tour of giving speeches denouncing the radical Republicans in Congress. super unpopular Over 2/3 of the ballots cast in the congressional elections of 1866 went to the Republicans. 1866: Andrew Johnson's campaign trail in 1866, went from Washington all across the East coast, to the Midwest, and then back to Washington, in an attempt to take his case to the people. His stump speaking did not necessarily register well with the people of Midwest and the East Coast; nevertheless, he defended his vetoes of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Likened himself to Jesus on the Cross. "If you need to crucify someone to save the Union, then I am your victim!" For Union veterans, seeing Johnson and his supporters distributing American flags with the 11 Confederate states' stars back on it was extremely insulting.

Davis Bend

Jefferson and Joseph Davis' plantation in Mississippi. Joseph Davis sold it to his former slaves in in 1865. Despite the beliefs of many white Americans, both northerners and southerners, that blacks could not run a business successfully because they were allegedly inferior to whites, the former slaves organized the plantation and ran it at a profit that exceeded that which Davis had earned until 1879.

Impeachment and Acquittal of Andrew Johnson

Johnson was from E. Tennessee, Lincoln's VP who becomes president after Lincoln's assassination. Chosen by Lincoln because he was a Southerner who did not secede from the Senate; a white supremacist, Supported States' Rights but also a Unionist, hated the Freedmen's Bureau. "The Constitution as it is and the Union as it was." During his time in office (or at least 1866 and 1867), Johnson would veto 15 different acts of Congress (essentially Reconstruction). His own plans of Reconstruction included taking Lincoln's 10% plan and changing it to "that portion of the people who were loyal" Johnson really clashed with the Republicans (at this point, the Republican Party had a ⅔ majority in Congress) and was impeached (3 separate occasions/phases/attempts to impeach him) ‐ more for his personality and ideology clashes and behavior; ends up being acquitted though because it was so close to election time that the Republicans were worried that the whole impeachment process would lessen Grant's chances of being elected president (in 1868)

Black Codes (1865-1866)

Laws passed in southern states to restrict the rights of former slaves. Limited the rights of freedmen - required them to work, stopped them from voting and serving on juries in south, limited travel, etc - all encouraged segregation. To nullify the codes, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and the Fourteenth Amendment.

"state suicide"

MA senator Charles Sumner, believed southern states committed suicide when they seceded, therefore, treated as new states. "State suicide" theory was the Radical Republican position on secession's legality. Lincoln throughout the war had maintained that secession was unconstitutional, and, therefore, that the Confederate states were still legally part of the Union. His plan for readmission was quite lenient; through his executive power, he would readmit any state in which 10% of resident swore loyalty to the Union. Congressional Republicans like Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner wanted a stricter formula for readmission; they held that secession had been legally binding, and that Confederate states should be treated like conquered territories. Of course, territorial administration was a legislative duty, conveniently giving Congress control over the Reconstruction effort. The "state suicide" theory was significant, then, in that it gave congressional Republicans legal justification for spearheading the Reconstruction movement themselves. As a result, Reconstruction was a much more elongated process, more closely supervised by the federal government, and often, much more vindictive towards the conquered South.

George B. McClellan

McClellan was the leader of the Army of the Potomac and for a time the General‐in‐Chief of the Union Army. McPhearson characterizes him as self‐important and overly cautious. He spent all his time drilling and preparing his army instead of attacking. This inaction frustrated Lincoln, who removed him from his position of General‐in‐Chief in 1862. His Peninsula Campaign in 1862 was a failure as his cautious advance allowed the enemy to tactically retreat despite his numerical superiority. At Antietam, he allowed Lee to escape with a draw, again despite numerical superiority. He felt at times that Lincoln was against him as a Democrat, but Lincoln was simply frustrated with his tactical incompetence. Lost to Lincoln in 1864 election

15th Amendment (1870)

States cannot deny any person the right to vote because of race.

Federal Naval Blockade

Naval strategy by the US to prevent the Confederacy from trading. Proclaimed by Lincoln in 1861 and basically covered the entire Southern coastline + major ports like NOLA + Mobile. Part of the Anaconda plan - to squeeze CSA from all sides until it collapsed in on itself. Lincoln wanted to stop CSA from trading especially with Great Britain. Significance: - Had HUGE impacts on Southern economy. Almost totally choked off Southern cotton exports, which the Confederacy depended on for hard currency. Also largely reduced imports of food, medicine, war materials, manufactured goods, and luxury items, resulting in severe shortages and inflation. - Had big impact in Union winning the war but had very few Union casualties - Blockade led to the foreign recognition of the CSA as a "belligerent party" which gave CSA warships the same rights as US ones in foreign ports

John C. Calhoun (1782-1850)

One of the most influential Southern politicians in Antebellum America: senator, VP, sec. of war + state. Champion of states' rights & slavery and a symbol of the Old South. While he started out as a nationalist, by the 1830s he became a major supporter of states' rights and strict construction of the Constitution. The major issue he became concerned with was disunion and he recognized the primary role the question of slavery played in this issue. He believed in the Constitution's 5th amendment (right to property -- including slaves) and he believed it a state's right to have protection of its property (slaves) no matter where the property ended up. Significance - Old South, pro-slavery, states' rights - Beliefs later upheld in Dred Scott

Fugitive Slave Law of 1850

Part of the Compromise of 1850 that was a major component in getting Southerners to agree to the passing of the compromise. Required: - All escaped slaves, upon capture, were to be returned to their masters - Denied fugitives the right to jury by trial or ability to testify on own behalf - All citizens of the US assist in the recovery of fugitives - heavy penalties to those who helped slaves escape. - Held federal official accountable for enforcing the law. As the most stringent fugitive slave law seen to-date, northerners were now being held accountable for enforcing slavery, which heightened/radicalized abolitionist sentiment in the north. This act also brought the existence of slavery to the forefront of the nation's political issues, since northerners now had to take an active stance on the issue whether they helped enforce the law or not. GREATLY increased sectionalism between north and south.

Second Confiscation Act (1862)

Passed in July 1862, the Second Confiscation Act was part of a series of congressional acts that were designed to liberate slaves in seceded states. 2nd Confiscation act was virtually an emancipation proclamation. Said that slaves of civilian and military Confederate officials "shall be forever free," but was enforceable only in areas of the South occupied by the Union Army. Lincoln was concerned about the effect of an antislavery measure on the border states and urged these states to begin gradual compensated emancipation. Significance Indicative of the war's turn towards an attack on southern social order/slave society, rather than just an attack on the southern army. Example of the Union viewing emancipation as a means to victory. Also an example of the extending executive power.

First Reconstruction Act of 1867

Passed in March 1867 over Pres. Johnson's veto, the First Reconstruction Act (of four) divided the rebel states into five military districts, each of which would be governed by a general who would act as acting governor. The First Reconstruction Act was meant to guarantee Black suffrage through the continued occupation of the South. The Act also required the Federal Army to oversee the process of registering eligible voters and supervising the process of Southern states re‐writing their constitutions and ratifying the 14th Amendment. - State would be readmitted by Congress once the state accepted the 14th amendment and the majority of voters ratified the Constitution Significance - Put reconstruction into action! - Radical approach to reconstruction creates a blacklash (KKK, white supremacy, etc.)

Rutherford B. Hayes (1877-1881)

Rutherford B. Hayes had been huge in Ohio state politics and was a staunch Republican, though a moderate. He felt the need to clean the system of anyone related to the Grant Administration, to distance himself from all the scandals. He wanted to end Reconstruction. Not fond of the Federal Civil Rights bill, Hayes didn't believe in forcing blacks and white together, which became known as his "Let Alone Policy." He makes use of bloody shirt rhetoric to get votes in the North. For the South, he offered his policy of "trust, peace, and to put aside the bayonet."

Lyman Trumbull

Senator of Illinois who publicly stated that he did not support the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. Proposed the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and wrote bill to extend Freedmen's Bureau for 3 more years. Created the Civil Rights Act of 1866 as he believed that it was necessary to do more than just free the slaves: the US had to figure out who they were, what rights they had, who would enforce those rights, etc. This was the first ever Civil Rights act (and in some ways, the enforcement power went even further than the 1964 Civil Rights Act). The Act would pass both houses of Congress. The Act gave rights and granted citizenship to all people in America except for Native Americans (they would be excluded until the 20th c) and was the first attempt to give meaning to the 14th Amendment; left most enforcement to the states Lyman Trumbull wanted to "destroy all these discriminations"

Border states

Slave states bordering the North that didn't secede: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. West Virginia also kind of considered a border state but created during the war. Border states' support for the Union was split. In some cases, i.e. MO and WV, support for Union/Confed. was fairly evenly split. Thousands of soldiers from the border states headed south and joined the Confederate Army. There were also politicians in these states who fought hard for secession. Even if they didn't want secession, many of the people of the border states thought the war against the Confederacy was wrong. They felt that the states should be able to leave the country if they wanted. Significance Union control of the border states played an important role in victory. These states gave the Union the advantage in troops, factories, and money. Border states played a role in Lincoln's wait to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. Abolitionists in the North were demanding that he free the slaves. However, Lincoln knew he needed to win the war. He was stuck between wanting to free the slaves and needing the border states to win the war. He knew he had to win the war to truly free the slaves.

Activist, interventionist government

The Civil War allowed the newly empowered Republican Party to transform the role and scope of the federal government in the United States. The Republicans created a government that took active roles in economic affairs, driving the growth of wartime industries with Washington's help. The monetary system was revolutionized, an income tax was introduced, and conscription brought the federal government into folks' homes. The general idea of an activist federal government persists as an integral component of American governance, most evidently in the immediate aftermath of the war in which Republicans pursued the enforcement of civil rights with new constitutional amendments and federal laws Econ: Federal bonds, greenbacks, income tax, taxes on commodities/services Ag: homestead act (10 mi piece of land was yours if you improved upon it); Morrell Act (land grant colleges) Railroads, expanded role of the federal government Confederacy: confiscation of property for the war effort, conscription greater significance: Fundamental shift between citizen and the federal government Irony of the Confederacy

Compromise of 1877

The Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction & resolved the disputed 1876 presidential election between Democratic candidate Samuel Tilden and Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes. Democrats agreed that Hayes would become president in exchange for the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and the granting of home rule in the South. President Hayes' withdrawal of federal troops from LA and SC marked a major turning point in American political history, effectively ending the Reconstruction Era and issuing in the system of Jim Crow. Republicans promised to: (1) Remove their military from the South (2) Appoint a Democrat to the Cabinet (3) Allocate federal money for railroad construction and levees for the Mississippi River.

Robert E. Lee

The Confederate States general‐in‐chief and the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee was the most prominent military figure in the C.S.A. Despite early defeats in present‐day West Virginia, Lee rose to prominence with victories in the Seven Days battles, but suffered setbacks in two attempted invasions of the United States—first at Antietam and again at Gettysburg. Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War. He remains an enduring figure in Southern mythology.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the territories of KS & NE and EXPLICITLY repealed the MO Compromise. Drafted by Stephen Douglas & Pres. Pierce. As Americans sought to expand westward, the territory west of Missouri/Iowa became appealing to farmers with its fertile soil. However, Southerners were in no rush to settle the territory, as it lay in its entirety north of the 36-30 line drawn by the Missouri Compromise. Stephen Douglas, an Illinois Democrat who strongly believed in manifest destiny, sought to compromise with the South so as to admit the two new states. He first proposed a bill that contained the same language as seen in the Compromise of 1850 with Utah and New Mexico ("admitted with or without slavery, as their constitutions may prescribe"). This was not enough for Southerners, so Douglas rewrote the bill to include a repeal of the Missouri Compromise. The proposed bill saw strong disapproval from northern Whigs, but Democrats managed to push it through Congress by a vote of 115‐104 and it became law in 1854. Led to huge pushback from northerners Significance: - EXPLICITLY repealed MO Compromise, which bolstered the northern idea of the "slave power conspiracy" (slaveocracy had infiltrated govt) and led to rise of GOP - Established pop. sovereignty - Fomented political sectionalism - Led to a flood of people trying to settle in KS to make it a slave/non-slave state --> Bleeding KS - The repeal of the Missouri Compromise paved the way for further conflict in the future about the existence of slavery in Western territories.

Election of 1868

The Republicans nominated General Grant for the presidency in 1868. The Republican Party supported the continuation of the Reconstruction of the South, while Grant stood on the platform of "just having peace."The Democrats nominated Horatio Seymour. Grant won the election of 1868.

Wilmot Proviso (1846)

The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful 1846 congressional proposal to ban slavery in the territories gained after the Mexican War (a basic plank upon which the Republican Party was subsequently built). Soon after the Mexican War, Pres. James K. Polk asked Congress for $2 million to negotiate peace and settle the boundary with Mexico. On behalf of anti-slavery forces throughout the country, Dem. congressman from PA, David Wilmot, offered an amendment to the bill forbidding slavery in the new territory. Precipitated bitter national debate in an atmosphere of heightening sectional conflict. Significance - Major event leading up to the Civil War. Illustrated growing conflict about slavery in new territories and how it would be decided. - Republican party (founded 1854) specifically supported the Wilmot principle

Vicksburg 1863

The last major Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. Ulysses S. Grant besieged the city as part of the Anaconda Plan for 40 days (squeeze the confed from all sides until it dies from within). The city surrendered July 4, 1863. The Union's victory severely degraded the confed's ability to maintain the war effort. Significance: Was a major turning point of the war. Cut off Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas from the rest of the confed. Along with successful campaigns in New Orleans and the surrender of Port Hudson, Vicksburg gave control of the Mississippi River to the Union for the remainder of the war.

Election of 1864

The main issue of the Election of 1864 was the war itself, and how it should be ended. Lincoln vs. McClellan. Lincoln won w/ 55% of popular vote. Super racist lead-up to election, and dems used emancipation as a "wedge issue" (13th amend. had passed house but not senate) Southern victories in 1864 had weakened Northern resolve for an uncompromising war. Democrats argued that Lincoln's insistence on emancipation as a condition for peace was preventing reunion. Lincoln expected to lose the election to Democratic candidate McClellan, who argued for immediate peace. Sherman's capture of Atlanta + the fall of Mobile, AL changed the tide of the election. Northerners started to believe that Union victory would come soon. Republicans denounced Democrats as disloyal, and Democrats fought back with blatant racism. Soldiers were allowed to vote in the field in almost every state. 78% of soldiers voted Lincoln, compared to 55% of the civilian vote. Lincoln had a popular‐vote majority of half a million and an electoral majority of 212 to 21. Significance Lincoln's victory meant that his policy of an uncompromising Union victory had prevailed. - Lincoln's popularity on the frontlines w/ soldiers

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address 1865

The speech Lincoln delivered after being re-elected president -- delivered during the final days of the Civil War. A month before he was assassinated. "With malice toward none; with charity for all" when: March 4, 1865 why?: Not a victory speech — rejected triumphalism — but also brought a sword: "Both parties deprecated war; but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive; and the other would accept war rather than let it perish. And the war came." Says that everyone knew that slavery was somehow the cause of war -- and that the war would be prosecuted to its end - whatever it takes - and end slavery. greater significance: - Established slavery as the cause of the war - Blames slaveholders but says not to judge them - Frederick Douglass to Lincoln after the speech: "Mr. President, that was a sacred effort"

Southern Bread Riots (1863)

Things were rough in the South with many of the working-class men at war. Poor white women had basically no way to produce food (no one to harvest, mill, etc.) Issue exacerbated by inflation, refugee influxes, drought (1862), and destruction of supply lines. Food was extremely scarce for poor/working-class people. In Virginia (Richmond) and Georgia (Columbus, Macon, Atlanta, and Augusta) armed mobs of mostly women attacked stores and warehouses. In North Carolina, mobs destroyed grocery and dry goods stores. Significance: - Demonstrates the impact of the war on the homefront and the difficulties women had, particularly in the confederacy, in maintaining day-to-day life.

Domestic slave trade

Trade of slaves within the U.S. that reallocated slaves across states during the antebellum period. - Most significant in the early to mid-1800s - Historians estimate 1 million slaves were taken in a forced migration from the Upper South (Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and D.C.), to the territories and newly admitted states of the Deep South and the West Territories: (Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Texas).

Union Leagues (1865)

Union Leagues were men's club founded on loyalty to the Republican Party and Lincoln. Union Leagues aggressively supported Republican policies, most significantly, the enfranchisement of black males in the South. Union Leagues were set up all over the country as extensions of the Republican Party, and were also social settings for men to get together and discuss issues.

Self-Emancipation

When Lincoln was elected slaves began to act on their beliefs that they should be free by fleeing their owners and seeking sanctuary with Union forces The Fugitive Slave Act was still the law and the Lincoln respected the law Yet then the war broke out soon after... The first to flee were impetuous slaves convinced that since their owners and other white Southerners regarded the Lincoln administration as a mortal threat to slavery's future → Abraham Lincoln meant to give them their freedom Small number fled to Fort Sumter in South Carolina or Fort Pickens in Florida in March 1861 and were rebuffed broke out and overnight things changed → Union leaders quickly realized slaves had military value and that their owners' rebellion justified seizing them = contraband camps set up

Colfax Massacre, April 1873

who/what: The murder of 75-150 Black people in Louisiana. In 1872, there was a contested election for the governor of Louisiana -- as the election approached, white paramilitary mobs began to arrive to crush Reconstruction and Black voting. Set the courthouse where voting was taking place on fire, killing many inside. Dozens of Black people executed by firing squad. The Democrats claimed victory even though there were more Republican votes. when: 1873 why?: Background: William Calhoun, a prominent planter and scalawag (white Southerner who supported Reconstruction) in the area brought free Black laborers to work on his land, tried to encourage black voting. But the white supremacist militias were much stronger. greater significance: The worst incident of racial violence during Reconstruction and the largest massacre in political violence in American history. Foner argues the Colfax massacre demonstrated the lengths to which white southerners would go to crush Reconstruction.

Election of 1876

who/what: Presidential election between Rutherford B Hayes (Republican, Ohio) and Samuel Tilden (Democrat, New York). when: November, 1876 why?: Ulysses S. Grant was expected to seek a third term but didn't. Hayes was a "third rate" candidate — "Some are born great, some become great, and some just come from Ohio" — denounced Democrats' white supremacy but had a limited vision of Black freedom -- not fond of the new Civil Rights Act -- wanted to let the South alone. Tilden ran on a reform ticket on the background of the Grant administration corruption. In the election, Tilden won the popular vote but Hayes won the electoral college by ONE VOTE (the narrowest electoral college victory margin in history: 185-184). greater significance: One of the most contentious and controversial elections in US history. Seen as one of the catalysts for the end of Reconstruction.

"Let Alone Policy"

also known as "home rule," ‐ the policy that Rutherford B. Hayes ran his campaign on that gave state governments the right to run without federal intervention; in part, contributed to the end of Reconstruction

Andrew Johnson's Veto of 1866

from East Tennessee, Lincoln's VP who becomes president after Lincoln's assassination ‐ chosen by Lincoln because he was a Southerner who did not secede from the Senate; often times a white supremacist, Supported States' Rights but also a Unionist, hated the Freedmen's Bureau. "The Constitution as it is and the Union as it was." During his time in office (or at least 1866 and 1867), Johnson would veto 15 different acts of Congress (essentially Reconstruction). His own plans of Reconstruction included taking Lincoln's 10% plan and changing it to "that portion of the people who were loyal"; Johnson really clashed with the Republicans (at this point, the Republican Party had a ⅔ majority in Congress) and was impeached (3 separate occasions/phases/attempts to impeach him) ‐ more for his personality and ideology clashes and behavior; ends up being acquitted though because it was so close to election time that the Republicans were worried that the whole impeachment process would lessen Grant's chances of being elected president (in 1868) why? (1) Personal behavior - rude, talking shit, etc. (2) Conflict over state + fed ---> constitutional conflict (3) Radical "partisan plot" thesis; idea that if you get him out of power, maj. leader of the senate (Wade) would have become president (4) AJ's white supremacy - people feared he'd return US to antebellum

Freedmen's Bureau (1865-1872)

when: March 3, 1865 First federal social welfare agency in the U.S. Based on tax $$ to bring provisions, jobs, courts, and order bck to the South --> social refomrm by military force. Goals (1) Aid refugees and displaced peoples (white + black) (2) Provide supplies, food, provisions (3) Shelter (4) Create schools - prob. greatest achievement (5) Supervise contracts between former slaves and employees/owners (6) Manage confiscated + abandoned lands Accomplishments (1) Distributed food (2) Settled ~30,000 displaced people (3) 40 hospitals (4) Redstributed abandoned lands mostly to confeds (5) Created courts where there were none (although most judges were judges before) (6) Created edu institutions - earliest of the great black colleges. GREATEST accomplishment was literacy of black people! Created by Lincoln as a solution to what to do about all the abandoned land, refugees and freedmen. It engaged in an unprecedented amount of federal power and so all kinds of democrats in the North (and then Southerners once in Congress) are going to claim this is unconstitutional. Johnson HATED it and vetoed it every year - it survived for 4 years. Blight says about the Bureau that "making peace so much harder than making war." There was a lot of racial violence against it that made things difficult.

Thaddeus Stevens

who/what: (1792-1868) One of the leaders of the Radical Republicans (a political faction of the Republican Party that arose around 1854 and lasted through the end of Reconstruction in 1877 — other leaders included Sen. John Fremont and Sen. Charles Sumner). when: At his height in the 1850s-1860s why?: Stevens was a fierce abolitionist and fought to secure rights for Black people during Reconstruction. During the Civil War, Radical Republicans called for the permanent eradication of slavery and secession. During Reconstruction, they pushed for the 14th Amendment, civil and voting rights for former slaves, initiated the Reconstruction Acts, and tried to impeach Andrew Johnson. Significance: After Lincoln's assassination, Thaddeus Stevens came into conflict with Johnson, who wanted to restore the Southern states without guarantees for freedmen. Stevens' last great battle was securing the articles of impeachment against Johnson.

John Bingham

who/what: A Radical Republican, a Republican Representative from Ohio; prosecutor in the trial of the Lincoln assassination and the impeachment trials of Andrew Johnson; principal framer of the 14th Amendment. when: 1866 (14th Amendment passed in June) why?: Appointed to the Joint Committee on Reconstruction, which was tasked with considering proposals for Black suffrage. His submission for the amendment was accepted: "No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Passed by both houses of Congress in June 1866. greater significance: Bingham's amendment vastly expanded the rights of citizenship, though it was curtailed in later Supreme Court cases like U.S. v. Cruikshank and the Slaughter-House Cases

Wade-Davis Bill (1864)

who/what: A bill proposed for Reconstruction of the South drafted by two Radical Republicans -- Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio and Rep. Henry Winter Davis of Maryland. when: 1864 why?: Wade and Davis believed that Lincoln's 10% plan for Reconstruction was too mild. The Wade-Davis Bill required that 50 percent of a state's white males take a loyalty oath to be readmitted to the Union. In addition, states were required to give blacks the right to vote. - Steven's "conquered province" theory - southerners/south are a conquered, foreign province that had to be remade as sates by Congress - Longer, harsher, congress-driven process that was a direct challenge to Lincoln's 10% plan greater significance: Congress passed the Wade-Davis Bill but President Lincoln chose not to sign it, though it was too extreme, would lead to wounds that the nation could never heal from —killed the bill with a pocket veto, outraging Radical Republicans. They issued the Wade-Davis Manifesto, an unprecedented attack on a president. This bill was also implausible, as it would have been impossible for every Southern state to have a majority of citizens who had never supported the Confederacy. Radical republicans knew that getting 50% of population to take "ironclad oath" was basically impossible - they wanted to slow the reconstruction process, make sure Congress had the power.

United States v. Cruikshank

who/what: A major Supreme Court case which arose from the contested 1872 Louisiana gubernatorial election and the Colfax massacre. Federal charges were brought against several members of the white insurgents under the Enforcement Act of 1870 (prohibited 2+ people from conspiring to deprive anyone of their constitutional rights). Convictions were appealed to the Supreme Court and the Court sided with the defendants, overturning the convictions. when: 1876 why?: The white men were charged with hindering the freedmen's First Amendment right to freely assemble and their Second Amendment right to bear arms. The Supreme Court advanced a very restrictive interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment (citizenship, equal protection of the laws), arguing that the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses only apply to state actions, not the actions of the individuals. greater significance: Left Black people increasingly at the mercy of state governments; encouraged white supremacist terror. After this, white violence against Blacks was seldom prosecuted. - REALLY reaffirmed states' rights

Radical Reconstruction

who/what: The period of Reconstruction that began with the Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and ended with the last Southern Republican govts in 1877. when: 1867-1877 why?: In the 1866 congressional elections, Northern voters overwhelmingly repudiated Johnson's policies — The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into five military districts and outlined how new gov'ts, based on male suffrage without regard to race, would be established. By 1870, all the former Confederate states had been re-admitted to the Union; in every state, Black voters formed the majority of Southern Republican voters. greater significance: During this period, Reconstruction govts established the South's first state-funded public school systems, etc. But KKK violence and other forms of backlash were widespread. By the 1870s, many Republicans were retreating from racial egalitarianism and the broad view of federal power.

Southern women on the homefront

women. on the homefront. they had no bread. most likely starving #helpme