Civil War

1. Civil War Presentation by Michelle Alcorn Questions by Pam Duncan

2. Two different ways of life… • The south depended on agriculture – cotton, and the north depended on manufacturing. • Some people thought slavery was ok because slaves were better off than workers in the north. • Other people thought slavery was cruel. Some slaves were punished severely.

3. Rebellion • Some slaves rebelled. • Nat Turner killed nearly 60 men, women, and children. This revolt terrified whites. • It became a crime to teach slaves to read and write, but Frederick Douglas learned how to read and write anyways. He gave speeches against slavery all over America.

4. The Underground Railroad • Many slaves tried to escape by getting help from the Underground Railroad. • This was not a real railroad. It was a system of secret routes that escaping slaves followed north. • Slaves = passengers • Guides = conductors • Places to hide = stations • People who helped them hide = stationmasters

5. Songs • Songs were used to entertain and/or signal a slave’s plan to escape. • “Follow the Drinking Gourd” gives directions for escaping to the north in code. The drinking gourd stood for the Big Dipper. The Big Dipper points to the Little Dipper. The North Star can be found on the handle of the Little Dipper. • The North Star was used to guide many slaves to the north.

6. Harriet Tubman • She was one slave who successfully escaped to the north. • She returned to help over 300 others escape. • Her nickname was “Moses.”

7. The Civil War Begins…. • Abraham Lincoln firmly opposed slavery spreading to any new territories that joined the Union. • Some southern states vowed to leave the Union if Lincoln became president. They knew free states would soon become a majority in congress. • When Lincoln was elected South Carolina voted to secede. Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas joined them. • They formed the Confederate States of America, and Jefferson Davis was their president.

8. Fort Sumter • Confederate guns opened fire on Fort Sumter. • After 34 hours of cannon blasts, the Union troops surrendered. • No one had been killed in the first battle.

9. Who was better? Union or Confederate? • Confederate – well-trained officers, southerners grew up riding horses and shooting guns, home field advantage, reason to fight because they were protecting their homes and their way of life. • Union – larger population, more resources, factories in the north made weapons and uniforms, more food, railroads for moving soldiers and supplies.

10. The Anaconda Plan • Cut off the southern seaports so the south could not buy the weapons and supplies it needed. • Control the Mississippi River to divide the south in half and stop the south from moving supplies down the river. • The Union would invade the south from the east and the west. Answer: The Union cut off supply routes and invaded from both sides like an anaconda squeezes its prey.

11. Civil War Facts • Richmond, Virginia was the capital of the Confederacy. • Confederates were the Gray, and Union soldiers were the blue. • Robert E. Lee was the commander of the Confederate army. • Ulysses S. Grant was the commander of the Union army. • Spies like Harriet Tubman and Rose Greenhow were used to report on enemy battle positions.

12. Fighting during the Civil War • Bull Run – A battle at a muddy stream. T.J. “Stone Wall” Jackson stood his ground. The south won this one. • Antietam – One of the bloodiest battles. Over 23,000 men on both sides died. • Vicksburg, Mississippi – Grant needed this victory, and he got it. It took 48 days, but the Confederates who were out of supplies surrendered. • Total War – Sherman wanted to destroy the will and ability of the Confederacy to continue fighting. His troops destroyed nearly everything in their path.

13. The Emancipation Proclamation • This was an inspiring speech Lincoln gave his troops. • It ended slavery in the Confederacy. • It allowed slaves to serve in the Union Army. • Some African Americans fought in the Confederate army as well. They were offered their freedom.

14. Women • They worked in fields, factories, and stores. They filled the roles of the missing men. • Some disguised themselves as men so they could fight in the war. • Some were nurses. • Clara Barton was called, “The Angel of the Battlefield” because she passed out food and supplies to the troops. After the war she founded the American Red Cross. • Sally Tompkins ran a hospital in Richmond.

15. The Battle of Gettysburg • General George Meade Vs. General Robert E. Lee • Over 28,000 Confederate soldiers were killed. • The Union army won. • Lincoln declared the battlefield a national cemetery for Union soldiers. • He gave one of the greatest speeches ever given in Gettysburg – Gettysburg Address. • Lincoln made it clear that democracy, a united country and the abolition of slavery were causes worth fighting for.

16. The End • Grant’s 125,000 men surrounded Lee’s 35,000 starving men. • Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia. • The war was over on April 9, 1865. It lasted about 4 years. • About 620,000 people died during the war. • Slaves were free, but they still had to struggle to be treated equally.

17. Lincoln’s Death • About a week after the end of the Civil War he was watching a play at Ford’s Theater. • John Wilkes Booth shot him. • Vice President Andrew Johnson became the new president.

18. Reconstruction • Lincoln’s plan to rebuild the south. He wanted to put away bad feelings. • The 13th Amendment abolished slavery. • Some people in Congress wanted to punish the south and others did not.

19. The Treatment of African Americans • Black Codes – described the rights and duties of the freed African Americans (where to live and what jobs to have). • Hunger, homelessness • The Freedmen’s Bureau provided food, clothing, shelter, medical care, jobs, and legal help to both blacks and whites. It also set up 4,000 schools. • Most were poor • The 14th amendment made blacks citizens have the same legal rights as whites. • After the First Reconstruction Act in 1867, more than 600 African Americans were elected to state offices.

20. Treatment continued…. • Many people would not accept African Americans as equals. • Six former Confederate officers formed the Klu Klux Klan. They robbed, whipped, degraded, and killed black people. They also destroyed their property and kept blacks from voting. • Southern states passed Jim Crow Laws. These segregated black and white people. Blacks couldn’t use the same schools, restaurants, trains, hotels, or parks as whites. Segregate – separate blacks and whites Integrate – mix blacks and whites