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Class Date: October 14th
Location: Your couch! See your weekly e-mail for Zoom link!
The Civil War
The Civil War
This week we skim over the Civil War and look at its aftermath. On the surface ending slavery was a major achievement, but integrating a society with newly freed people and traitors was a difficult task, at best. Here is a brief overview of the events of the time:
1799 - Eli Whitney invents the American System of Manufacturing
Though he is best known as the inventor of the cotton gin, the invention of which fueled the southern economy and tied it even more heavily to enslaved labor, Eli Whitney applied his techniques of production to things beyond his invented machine. Observing a fear of a war with France, he turned to mass producing arms. The Manufacturing System used semi-skilled labor, machine tools, and jigs to make interchangeable, standard parts to aid assembly line labor. The system first manufactured 10,000 muskets for the US Government. To read more about Whitney, click here: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/theymadeamerica/whomade/whitney_hi.html
January 1, 1808 - Abolishment of slave importation
In an effort to curb slavery, Congress abolishes the international importation of enslaved people. In 1807, Great Britain had abolished the slave trade altogether. As Northern states in the U.S. began to end slavery, instead of ending in the South, the practice only solidified as cotton production exploded. Though enslaved people cannot be imported from overseas, a bustling trade continues within the United States as Northern states sell their enslaved people to Southern plantation owners.
1852 - Uncle Tom’s Cabin published
Harriet Beecher Stowe published her literary masterpiece on slavery, further fanning the flames of abolitionist passions. Readers in the South denounced the book for its vivid depictions of slavery, but the novel continued to gain acclaim in the North and in Great Britain. It was adapted for the theater multiple times, beginning soon after the book was published, playing for sold-out audiences.
June 29, 1852 - Henry Clay died
A giant among American political leaders, Henry Clay had put together many of the compromises that held the Union together, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. Clay’s focus on compromise and economic expansion left a legacy of American politics that rippled for generations. His loss was felt by many as the nation continued to navigate the choppy waters surrounding slavery.
1856 - The first railroad train crosses the Mississippi River
Crowds gathered and bands played in Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa, as a train crossed the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River. The bridge would actually foreshadow many political adversaries in the months to come: Jefferson Davis attempted to halt construction of the bridge in Illinois, arguing that a more southern route through St. Louis would be more beneficial. Davis failed to stop construction, but shortly after the bridge was completed, a steamboat owner crashed his steamboat into a bridge piling, setting his boat and the bridge on fire. Though the crash was almost certainly deliberate, as steamboat owners fought railroad expansion, the steamboat owners sued the railroad for damages. The railroads brought in railroad attorney Abraham Lincoln to successfully argue that the bridge did not impede boat traffic and railroad bridges were needed to settle the West.
1856 - The first railroad train crosses the Mississippi River
Crowds gathered and bands played in Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa, as a train crossed the first railroad bridge to span the Mississippi River. The bridge would actually foreshadow many political adversaries in the months to come: Jefferson Davis attempted to halt construction of the bridge in Illinois, arguing that a more southern route through St. Louis would be more beneficial. Davis failed to stop construction, but shortly after the bridge was completed, a steamboat owner crashed his steamboat into a bridge piling, setting his boat and the bridge on fire. Though the crash was almost certainly deliberate, as steamboat owners fought railroad expansion, the steamboat owners sued the railroad for damages. The railroads brought in railroad attorney Abraham Lincoln to successfully argue that the bridge did not impede boat traffic and railroad bridges were needed to settle the West.
1857 - Dred Scott decision
A landmark slavery case, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that an enslaved person did not become free once transported into a free state. Furthermore, the Court ruled that slavery could not be banned by Congress in the territories and that Black people were not eligible for citizenship. This dealt a devastating blow to the plight of Black people throughout the country, but further galvanized the anti-slavery movement.
1861 - April 12 - Battle of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
After creating the Confederate States of America, rebellious forces fire upon Fort Sumter, officially beginning the Civil War.
For a great 2.5 minute overview of this pivotal moment, check out this History Channel video here.
For an overview of the Civil War in general (since we skipped over it rather quickly, check out the Crash Course review of the Civil War here!
And here is part 2!
May 12, 1862 - Robert Smalls escape
On the night of May 12, Robert Smalls put into action his carefully plotted escape plan by sailing The Planter out of Charleston Harbor and into the hands of the Union Navy.
1862 - September 17 - Battle of Antietam, Maryland
The single bloodiest day of the Civil War, General Lee’s first invasion into the North comes to an end. After the Union victory, President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people located in the Confederate States. The Proclamation did not free enslaved persons in bordering Union States, so slavery was still not officially ended until after the war.
1863 - Emancipation Proclamation
President Lincoln declares that all enslaved people in rebellious states are freed forever. While it does not officially end all slavery in the United States, it paves the way for outlawing slavery permanently.
1863 - Confederate Retaliatory Act
In response to the Emancipation Proclamation, the Confederate Congress proclaimed that any enlistment of black troops would be considered servile rebellion. White officers of black troops were to be executed and black troops taken prisoner to be sent South to either be executed or re-enslaved. This act meant that any black soldiers fighting for the Union were assuming an extra layer of danger in loss or capture.
February 9, 1864 - Escape from Libby Prison
Those who were captured in battle were held in some truly horrible prison conditions, including in Libby Prison in Richmond, Virginia. Prisoners dug for weeks, finally allowing 109 U.S. officers to escape in the largest prison break of the war. Of those that escaped, 48 were later recaptured, 2 drowned, but 59 made it back to U.S. territory. To read a more detailed account of the prison break, click here:
1865 - April 9 - Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender
After an early morning defeat, Lee seeks to meet with General Grant to discuss terms of surrender. In the afternoon, in Wilmer McLean’s parlor, Lee signs documents surrendering and ending the Civil War.
1865 - 13th Amendment is ratified
The Civil War ended in April of 1865, when Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse. The 13th Amendment was passed in January of 1865, ending slavery, but it was not ratified until December of that year, after Lincoln had been assassinated. Section 1 of the 13th Amendment states:
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2 of the Amendment gives Congress the power to “enforce this article by appropriate legislation”, setting up the ability for Congress to pass future legislation to reshape the South without slavery.
1865 - The Ku Klux Klan beings
A group of former Confederate veterans founded a ‘social club’ in Pulaski, Tennessee. This newly formed terrorist organization was meant to establish an ‘Invisible Empire of the South’. They selected former Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest as their first leader. Klan membership peaked in the 1920s, with more than 4 million members of the hate group.
1866 - White mob attacks Louisiana Constitutional Convention
Frustrated that the Louisiana Constitution did not extend voting rights to Black people, Progressive Republicans, with a mix of Black and white men, convened a convention to discuss reform. After the meeting, they met a group of Black marchers with a band. An armed group of whites set on the group, ultimately killing approximately 50 people, almost all of them Black.
1869 - John Willis Menard is the first Black man elected to Congress, but he is never seated
John Willis Menard ran in a special election to succeed the late James Mann, who represented New Orleans in the House of Representatives. Though Menard received 64% of the vote, his opponent, Caleb Hunt, contested the election. The House deemed that neither candidate was qualified and left the seat vacant for the remainder of the session.
That is where our timeline leaves us for this week! Check below for additional reading resources!
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
To read more about this period, here are some great books to get you started:
For kids:
Do You Know Them? by Shana Keller
A moving and triumphant picture book inspired by the printed newspaper ads placed by African Americans who were separated from family members by the Civil War, enslavement, and emancipation.
After the war’s end, everyone is missing someone. Lettie’s missing her family. They had been sold and lost long before enslavement was abolished. Every week, she reads the advertisements in the newspapers to her congregation. “Do you know them? I would like to find my people. My mother’s name was Charlotte King, and when I was sold, I had five brothers.”
Lettie is determined to find her loved ones, too. She saves every penny she earns, but not to buy candy or toys. She saves for something better—something that could bring her whole family together.
Every ad depicted in this poignant tale is authentically historical, bringing the heart-wrenching past to life.
Heart and Soul: The Story of America and African-Americans by Kadir Nelson
Perfect for ages 8 and up, this illustrated 108-page book outlines the societal contributions of African Americans throughout history, from ancestors arriving on slave ships to voting for the nation’s first black president.
For adults:
Recommended historical fiction reading:
The American Queen by Vanessa Miller
Transformative and breathtakingly honest, The American Queen is based on actual events that occurred between 1865 - 1889 and shares the unsung history of a Black woman who built a kingdom in Appalachia as a refuge for the courageous people who dared to dream of a different way of life.
Over the twenty-four years she was enslaved on the Montgomery Plantation, Louella learned to feel one thing: hate. Hate for the man who sold her mother. Hate for the overseer who left her daddy to hang from a noose. Hate so powerful there's no room in her heart for love, not even for the honorable Reverend William, whom she likes and respects enough to marry.
But when William finally listens to Louella's pleas and leads the formerly enslaved people off the plantation, Louella begins to replace her hate with hope. Hope that they will find a place where they can live free from fear. Hope that despite her many unanswered prayers, she can learn to trust for new miracles.
Soon, William and Louella become the appointed king and queen of their self-proclaimed Kingdom of the Happy Land. And though they are still surrounded by opposition, they continue to share a message of joy and goodness--and fight for the freedom and dignity of all.
The American Queen weaves together themes of love, hate, hope, trust, and resilience in the face of great turmoil. With every turn of the page, you will be transported to a pivotal period in American history, where oppressed people become extraordinary heroes.
The Death of Reconstruction by Heather Cox Richardson
Historians overwhelmingly have blamed the demise of Reconstruction on Southerners' persistent racism. Heather Cox Richardson argues instead that class, along with race, was critical to Reconstruction's end. Northern support for freed blacks and Reconstruction weakened in the wake of growing critiques of the economy and calls for a redistribution of wealth.
Using newspapers, public speeches, popular tracts, Congressional reports, and private correspondence, Richardson traces the changing Northern attitudes toward African-Americans from the Republicans' idealized image of black workers in 1861 through the 1901 publication of Booker T. Washington's Up from Slavery. She examines such issues as black suffrage, disenfranchisement, taxation, westward migration, lynching, and civil rights to detect the trajectory of Northern disenchantment with Reconstruction. She reveals a growing backlash from Northerners against those who believed that inequalities should be addressed through working-class action, and the emergence of an American middle class that championed individual productivity and saw African-Americans as a threat to their prosperity.
The Death of Reconstruction offers a new perspective on American race and labor and demonstrates the importance of class in the post-Civil War struggle to integrate African-Americans into a progressive and prospering nation.
Works Cited
Works Cited
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