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Explore the socio-political climate, slavery, and uprisings before the Civil War, with a focus on key figures and events such as Gabriel Prosser, Nat Turner, and abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.
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Before the war… • The period before the Civil War is known as the antebellum era. • President is Millard Fillmore in the 1850’s. • Many issues divide the North and South: • Sectionalism • Economic consideration • Cultural differences • Slavery (very controversial!)
Slavery • Slavery is involuntary servitude to another. • Slavery begins when Dutch bring Africans to Virginia to work in tobacco fields. • Not the only cause of Civil War. • In Georgia, slavery was originally forbidden in the Trustee’s charter. • By 1860, 11.6% of slave population in U.S. was in Georgia.
Slavery • Business was very profitable. • Invention of cotton gin created a demand for more people to help cultivate land. • Slave traders made an effort to group slaves with different languages to reduce threat of uprising. • Some chose suicide rather than slavery.
Slavery • Life is hard for slaves, both in the house and in the fields. • Lived in a poorly built one room hut with little furniture. • Clothing was rough and ill-fitting. • Spent hours during harvest season bent over to harvest cotton. • If a slave did not produce enough, he or she could be whipped.
Slavery • To manage slaves on a daily basis, and overseer would be hired to watch slaves. • An overseer was responsible for punishing slaves if they didn’t work. • However, he had to be careful not to damage a good worker. • An overseer would often use a driver to help during harvest. • A driver was usually an older slave who was loyal to the family and could talk with other slaves.
Slavery • Despite how hard life was, the slave community grew strong. • Masters encouraged intermarriage with other plantations. • The law didn’t recognize slave marriages, often times families were split up. • Changes in the master’s life could often mean changes for the slave.
Slavery • Religion is a great source of comfort for slaves. • Spiritual songs become part of slave life. • Educating slaves is against the law, even though some masters do it any way. • Fears of rebellion is source of law. • Not all slaves are on plantation. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at1DJH7YOIg
Free Blacks • 500,000 free blacks lived in North and South. • Faced restrictions owning property, voting, and traveling from one place to another. • Some free blacks actually owned black slaves. • Faced discrimination, when a person is denied rights because of prejudice.
Uprisings • When slaves outnumbered masters, some feared uprisings. • Overseers would count pitchforks and other potential weapon-like tools at the end of the day. • Slave codes took away all rights from slaves. It was against the law for a slave to: • testify against whites (remember Cherokee??) • show disrespect to a white person • make physical contact or hit a white person • carry a weapon
Rebellions • 1800 Gabriel Prosser organized several thousand slaves to revolt in Richmond. Prosser was betrayed and executed. • 1831 in Virginia Nat Turner led the bloodiest slave revolt America’s history. • During the attacks he and his followers killed 57-65 white men, women, and children. • Turner and 20 others were later killed.
Alternatives • Many wanted to get rid of slavery. Abolitionists advocated abolishing slavery. • Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a famous novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It described the horrors of slavery. • The book was a huge success and caused outrage against slavery.
Alternatives • The best known black abolitionist was Frederick Douglass, a former slave. • He traveled around the country giving speeches against slavery, and he published a newspaper called the North Star.
Alternatives • Harriet Tubman was the leader of the underground railroad. • The underground railroad helped slaves from the South escape to free North or Canada. • Slaves moved at night along a chain of homes or churches until reaching safety. • However, if caught along the way, the Fugitive Slave Law required slaves to be returned to their owners. Anyone harboring runaway slaves could be arrested.
National Matters • Only about 40% of Georgians owned slaves, but slaves were worth millions. • The first serious disagreement occurs over distribution of Congress—1819 there are 11 free states (no slavery) and 11 slave states (permit slavery). • Northern states are growing faster, South feels population growth threatens their power in Congress.
Missouri Compromise • When Missouri applied for statehood, the House required the state to abolish slavery. • The bill passed the house, the Senate rejected it. • The Missouri Compromise was produced to solve debate between slave states and free states. • Compromise stated that there would be no slavery north of 36 20’ latitude. • Missouri was admitted as a slave state, and Maine was readmitted as a free state.
Sectionalism • The second major cause of division in the U.S. • Sectionalism is when people in any given area believe their ideas and interests are correct and more important than those in the other part of the regions. • Most Northerners believe in federal government power. Most Southerners believe in states’ rights.
Compromise of 1850 • Gold is discovered in Sutter’s Mill, Ca in 1848. • Many move to California searching for gold, population soars. • California applied for statehood. The scales begin to tip—15 slave states and 15 free states. • California’s constitution does not allow slavery. Debate rages!
Compromise of 1850 • Kentucky Senator Henry Clay proposed a compromise. • The Compromise of 1850 was passed. • Three aspects pleased the North: • California is free state • Slave trade ends in D.C. • Texas wouldn’t annex New Mexico, so the area remained part of the slave state Texas
Compromise of 1850 • South gained three benefits as well: • New Mexico and Utah could decide for themselves whether to be slave or free. • Residents of D.C. could keep the slaves they already had. • Congress would pass a law stating that slaves who ran away to free states would be returned to owners.
Not over yet… • The growth in the territories meant that areas like Kansas and Nebraska needed government. • Stephen Douglas proposes Kansas-Nebraska Act which contained a clause on popular sovereignty. • Popular sovereignty meant that the people in territory could vote on whether to enter the Union as a slave state or free state. • This angered the North!
Not over yet… • Most in territories are either proslavery or free soilers. • Free soilers were against slavery and wanted land to be given to western settlers for farming. • Congress rejects Kansas’ bid for statehood, South knows now that the North is more powerful.
Dred Scott • 1834 a very complicated issue occurs. • Dred Scott was a slave who lived with his master in a free state. • When Scott and master returned to slave state of Missouri, Scott filed a lawsuit arguing that he was free. • Supreme Court ruled that Scott could not take case to court because he was not a citizen. This divides country further.
John Brown • White abolitionist John Brown wanted to help slaves. • Brown led a part of 21 men on a raid of the arsenal (arms storehouse) at Harper’s Ferry. • Killed the mayor, made 40 citizens prisoners. Robert E. Lee captures Brown, he is executed. • South thinks Brown is a traitor, North is sympathetic.
Economic Differences • Tariffs, taxes on goods, are source of argument • North wanted higher taxes on imported goods because they make their own products. • South has to buy imported goods, do not want higher tariffs. • South Carolina threatens to secede during Panic of 1857. • North’s economy is based on industry. • Factories • Mines • railroads • South’s economy is based on agriculture. • Cotton • Rice
Cultural Differences • Lifestyles are different in North and South. • People in North live in cities, people in South live in rural areas • Class structure, or position of social groups in relation to others, is different as well. • In the South, social structure is based on land and slaves.
Cultural Differences • Planters are at top of social class in South. • Yeomen farmers, those who owned less than 500 acres of lands, are next. • Blacks were at the bottom of social ladder. Divisions exist between this group too. • In North, class structure relates to wealth. • Structure is more flexible in North since a person can become wealthy.
Political Changes • 1840’s two major groups form in Georgia: Democrats and Whigs. • Democrats for state’s rights. • Whigs were members of upper class. Favor moderate tariffs, federal help for South. Most legislature members are Whigs. • Whig leaders were Toombs and Stephens– later encouraged Georgia to accept Compromise of 1850, or else Union was threatened. • Some who did not agree with Compromise of 1850 created the State’s Rights Party.
Political Changes • Toombs and Stephens, former Whigs, join Democrats. • Other Whigs join Know-Nothing Party, a party which did not want immigrants to become citizens or anyone born outside U.S. to hold political office. • The group was secret– answered questions with “I don’t know.” • Democrats become leading party.
More Divisions • 1860 is a very dynamic year. • Missouri Compromise and Kansas-Nebraska Act affects political parties. • Whig party breaks up, Republican party forms in free states. • Group attracts anti-slavery Whigs and some Democrats.
Election of 1860 • At a national convention, Democrats begin arguing over party platform (statement of principles and policies the party supports). • Northern Democrats like popular sovereignty, Southern Democrats support slavery in territory. This splits group. • Northern Democrats nominate Stephen Douglas for president. Southern Democrats nominate John Bell. • Republicans nominate Abraham Lincoln.
Election of 1860 • Republican Abraham Lincoln said he would: • not try to end slavery • support protective tariffs • proposed plan to give western land to settlers • call for construction of transcontinental railroad • None of these measure benefitted South! • For the first time, a party with votes from only one part of the country won the election. • The South did not give Lincoln a single electoral vote!
Secession • Georgia Democratic Governor Joseph Brown calls special legislative session to discuss secession, or pulling out of the Union. • Robert Toombs and Thomas Cobb support secession. Stephens does not. • Arguments erupt—Governor Brown calls for a Secession Convention.
Secession • Election of Lincoln infuriates South! • South Carolina had threatened to leave the Union if Lincoln were elected. • December 20th, 1860, South Carolina left the Union. • Most Georgians agree and want to follow suit. • A secession ordinance (bill) is proposed in January, 1861.
Confederate States of America • Georgia declares itself independent in 1861. • Joins the Confederate States of America, made up of South Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. • Jefferson Davis is elected president of Confederacy. • Robert Toombs of Georgia is secretary of state. • Alexander Stephens is elected vice president—he originally opposed secession!
