5.7-5.8 Civil War

• When was the Civil War?

  1861-65
• • Union (northern states):

  -> New York

  -> Ohio

  -> Kansas

  -> California

  • Confederacy

  -> Mississippi

  -> Texas

  -> Alabama
• What were some reasons for the Civil War?

  • in 1850 - Northern population was increasing

  -> meaning more political power

  • 1850 Compromise

  -> law meant that non-slave states had to return escaped slaves to owners in return of California being non-slave state

  • Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854 - meant states could decide if they were a non-slave or slave state - overrode Missouri Compromise

  • in 1857, Supreme Court - enslaved people have no rights

  • 1860 - Abraham Lincoln elected, republican - anti-slavery
• How did Lincoln's election trigger war?

  • South Carolina voted to leave USA in protest to election

  • Other states followed: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas

  -> formed the Confederacy

  • 4th of March 1861 Licoln said the Confederacy was illegal

  • 12 April Davis (Confederacy president) opened fire on Fort Sumter - a union fort in South Carolina

  • 15th April Lincoln declared war - would defend Union
• Black American jobs during the Civil War:

  • North

  -> could get jobs

  -> not equal pay

  -> not allowed to be in charge of white workers

  -> few in professional jobs (lawyers/doctors)

  • South

  -> enslaved - could not get job or earn money

  -> very few had jobs
• Black American housing during the Civil War:

  • North

  -> lived in poorer areas of cities

  -> higher rent

  -> professional Black Americans had better living conditions

  • South

  -> plantation housing was small and cramped

  -> disease spread easily - medical care non-existant
• Black American education during the civil war:

  • North

  -> most schools segregated

  -> black students had access to education

  -> few universities for blacks but hard to get jobs afterwards

  • South

  -> most southern states it was illegal for blacks to learn to read or write
• What happened for Black Americans in the period 1861-63?

  • Positive changes:

  -> South Carolina slaves freed and they set up regiments

  -> Sea Islands (off coast of South Carolina) given to formerly enslaved people

  -> Sea Island Experiments - missionaries taught formerly enslaved people how to read and write

  • Limitations

  -> Union refused to end slavery across USA

  -> some enslaved people used for hard labour for amry

  -> oppression to having black regiments
• What happened for Black Americans in the period 1863-65?

  • Positive changes:

  -> in 1863 emancipation proclamation - freed slaves in Confederate states

  -> over 200,000 could read and write by 1865

  -> former slaved became mechanics, barbers and earned money

  -> hundreds of thousands joined Union army

  -> black woman as cooks or nurses

  • Limitations:

  -> some enslaved continued to work on plantations

  -> black soldiers given worst jobs - night shifts, cleaning and ditch digging

  -> emancipation proclamation not a full constitutional ammendment
• How were Black Americans treated in the Civil War?

  • in 1861 black tried to join the Union - not allowed

  • Lincoln claimed - slavery nothing to do with Civil War

  -> solution to send black Americans 'back to Africa'

  • Race riots were white Americans forced into army - blamed black

  • after 1863 black soldiers allowed to join army - not allowed to be officers or equal pay

  • many black did not volunteer - get work more easily when white soldiers away fighting - led to a huge riot in New York in 1863

  • in 1864 black soliders fought and won equal pay in army - still cannot be officers