13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, Henry McNeal Turner, and Ku Klux Klan

The most important amendments pertaining to slavery are the 13th,14th, and 15th. Most importantly, the 13th forbids slavery forever in the United States. Next, the 14th grants citizenship and equal protection under law to all freedmen. Lastly, the 15th amendment grants the right to all men regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Therefore, with those laws blacks became free citizens that could vote. Additionally, black men legislators and politicians were elected. One of the most famous men, Henry McNeal Turner who was a minister was elected to theGeorgia General Assembly. However, shortly after he and other black legislators were removed from the assembly by the Democratic (white) legislature. The Federal government disagreed with the Democrats who stated that the right to vote did not mean blacks could hold office. After, the African Americans were given their spots back as legislatures. As blacks were gaining more rights and freedom many anti-blacks mobs formed. The most famous, the Ku Klux Klan or the KKK were considered America's first domestic terrorists. Using violence they tried to stop black people from voting and deprive them of any other rights. The first klan was started in 1866 in Pulaski,Tennessee by six Confederate veterans. These white terrorists mainly located in the South felt superior to African Americans and showed the discontent through unlawful ways. Lynching was one of their famous ways to kill blacks and they would even target white sympathizers. 4,743 people died (most of them black) between 1882 and 1968. Generally they were known to where white clothes to cover their faces and at night they would set off the kill, destroy, or hurt anybody they disagreed with. This group scared many Radical Republicans and other blacks who tried to start businesses. With groups like these it was very difficult for the African American population to thrive.

Pictures:
1.http://icplibrary.wordpress.com/2012/06/26/w-eugene-smiths-photographs-of-a-ku-klux-klan-kkk-meeting-in-south-carolina-in-1951/
2.http://theforgottenprophet.blogspot.com/
3.http://www.eddana.com/FAVORITES/US-constitution.htm
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:KKK.svg

Freedman's bureau, Sharecropping\tenant farming, and Reconstruction plans

The Freedman's Bureau was a group formed by Radical Republicans. Radical Republicans were the men who advocated equal rights for blacks. The goal of the Freedman's bureau was to help protect the rights of freed blacks. The former Union general Oliver Howard lead the group that lasted from 1865-1872. As a result of this organization, many historically black colleges were formed. In fact, missionaries part of the bureau started myriad schools with the assistance of Northern school professors and teachers. Also, African Americans were capable of creating their own churches using resources provided by the Bureau. Most freed blacks had little money and few ways to earn it so many began by Sharecropping. They would farm land that was owned by someone else. By having to pay the rent and a portion of their crops to the landlord the rarely had times to save or spend excess money. On the contrary, tenant farmers were considered "better" than sharecroppers. Most of them typically owned equipment and sometimes even farm animals. The landowner would provide him with a house and the land. Then tenant farmers paid the owner money of a share of the crops at the end of the year. Now, the reconstruction plans for the United States after the civil war will be analyzed. Lincoln, who was shot only a few days after the end of the war left some of his ideas of how to create a new nation. First, he stated that the South would be pardoned after taking an oath of allegiance and it would quickly return to the nation. Additionally, after 10% of voters took the oath the Confederate state would rejoin and form a state government. The vice-president, Johnson agreed with Lincoln and also ratified the 13th amendment and required rebel states to nullify the ordinances of secession. The 13th amendment forbid slavery in America. Congress attempted to reconstruct the country by requiring the ratification of the 14th amendment, which granted citizenship and equal protection to freedmen and prevented Confederate officials to hold office. Most importantly, rebel states were placed under military rule.

Pictures:
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Freedman_bureau_harpers_cartoon.jpg
2.http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/brown/photos.
3.http://stfm.astate.edu/tenant.html
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reconstruction_Era
5.http://whgbetc.com/mind/reconstruction1.html

Sherman's Atlanta Campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea

The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles in Northern Georgia that began on May 1864 when Union General Sherman attacked Confederate General Johnston. The Union wanted to capture Atlanta for two reasons: it was a major rail center and to guarantee Lincoln's reelection. Later Lee replaced Johnston with a more aggressive leader, General Hood. Once Sherman captured Atlanta he burned all the buildings and destroyed any supplies that could be used for the war. Additionally, he ruined the railroad tracks. The Atlanta Campaign mattered because the destruction was demoralizing, railroads were destroyed, Confederate military was weakened, and Lincoln gained support and was reelected. Then he began his march to Savannah. His march was risky because he would have no railroads for food supplies and no communication. On his way he stole crops and livestock from farmers to feed his soilders. Overall his army marched 650 miles in less than 100 marching days. His "total war" strategy was meant to make Georgians so weary of war that they would quit. During the march to sea he picked up some former slaves who were willing to fight.
Pictures:
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_Campaign
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman's_March_to_the_Sea

Andersonville

The Andersonville prison, used during the civil war is located in central Georgia. It served as one of the Confederates main prison bases designed for 10,000 but it held 30,000 inmates during the war. The site was chosen for the two reasons that it was a safe distance from coastal raids and because of its inland remoteness. It was one of the dirtiest prisons and the highest mortality rate of any civil war prison. The prisoners suffered from swarms of insects, filth, and disease caused by contaminated water. Additionally, 13,000 out of 45,000 men died of malnutrition. Some prisoners would substitute sand for soap to try to stay clean. Moreover, the prisoners only made the conditions more miserable. They would attack each other, bathe in their drinking water, dump trash into a marsh that would lead to the water stream, and they kept trying to escape out of water pipes so the pipes were destroyed. Without pipes they would have dirty and not fresh water. Also, they would live in "shebangs" that were crude dwellings made from various items. One of the main reasons the prison was poorly run was because the director, Henry Wirz was disliked by guards and prisoners. In 1864 the prison population declined because Sherman's March advanced closer. Once the infantry left the Georgia Militia took over and attempted to maintain control by a dead line. If the prisoners crossed this line they would be shot down by the militia men. Under these conditions it was very unlikely to escape. The prison lasted 14 months and today it is preserved as National Park. Henry Wirz was charged for war crimes and sentenced to death being the only person killed for war crimes during the entire Civil war.

Pictures:
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andersonville_National_Historic_Site
2.http://spotsylvaniacw.blogspot.com/2010/10/related-lands-andersonville-prison.html

Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and Union blockade of GA's coast

General Lee in charge of the Confederates decided to give up his defensive strategy and attack the Union. The Battle of Gettysburg took place on July 1 - July 3, 1863 in Pennsylvania. The Confederates attacked with 75,000 soldiers, while the Union defended their land with 85,000 men under General Meade's direction. This was also considered then largest battle of the Civil war and the largest battle ever fought in North America. After three long days the South retreated having lost about one-third of their army or 28,000 men. However, the Union lost only 23,000 men and could have ended the war, but Meade decided not to pursue the fleeing Confederates. This vital win and the win at Vicksburg were considered the turning point of the civil war. Only a few months later the Union decided to attack the Confederate in North Georgia. From September 19-20, 1863 the Battle of Chickamauga had the second highest number of casualties. Rosecran, the Union general was not an aggressive leader and at one point misinformed that there was a gap between his men. He tried to fix the gap by only creating a larger gap where Confederate general Braxton Bragg attacked. The Union had to retire to Chattanooga and the South could consider this battle one their first victories in a while. In the aftermath the North had 16,170 casualties and the South had 18,454 casualties. This battle and the battle of Chattanooga later lead to Sherman's March to Sea. The Union blockade of Georgia's coast ruined the economy of the South. To transport goods they had to use the rickety railroads because ships were stopped if they tried to leave the South by Union ships. Moreover, cotton exports decreased 95% and there was famine in the South. Most importantly Lee's army had few supplies and this caused many riots to break out.
Pictures:
1.http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Battle_of_Gettysburg.jpg
2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga
4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Scott-anaconda.jpg

Antietam and the Emancipation Proclamation

The Battle of Antietam or also known as Sharpsburg was one of the most gory battles. On the first day alone, with 22,000 combined casualties it became the bloodiest day of the Civil War. General Robert E. Lee lead the Confederacy and advanced his troops into Maryland. The Union was expected to crush the South because they not only had a 2-1 solider ratio, but also they had a copy of the battle plan. With the help of Joseph Hooker and Ambrose Burnside the North finally managed to repel the attempt of invasion from the Confederacy. However, Confederate generals, James Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson put up quite a fight. Additionally, since the Union technically won this battle European countries refused to aid the South. With this "win" Abraham Lincoln, the president was able to introduce the Emancipation Proclamation. Slaves were freed in rebel states, but slaves in border states were not freed. Since the Confederacy refused to oblige by this law the freedom of the slaves was depended on Union victory. The Emancipation Proclamation had two effects on the war. Now the Northern soldiers were fighting for equality, they had a moral reason to win the war. Moreover, black soldiers were allowed to fight in the war to help the North. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, beginning the third year of war.

Pictures:
1.http://www.npr.org/2012/09/15/160797217/antietam-death-studies-changed-how-we-saw-war
2.http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/antietam.html
3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Antietam

Election of 1860, Secession in G.A, and Alexander Stephen's Role

In the election of 1860 there was a split in the Democratic party, so Abraham Lincoln, a Republican candidate won. He was against slavery, but he didn't want to abolish it he just wanted for it not to expand. In his speech he states that a divided nation would not be able to stand on it's own. America would either need to be pro-slavery or against slavery to thrive. Lincoln's stand against slavery made him opposed by the South. Lead by South Carolina on December 20, 1860 Southern states reacted to the election by secession. They later would hold conventions to vote either to leave or stay with the Union. Georgia held a secession convention in 1861 in the capital, Milledgeville. There were two main groups at the meeting, secessionists who wanted to leave the Union immediately and cooperationists who were unsure about leaving because they didn't think G.A would be able to survive on it's own. In the end the cooperationists voted for secession and Georgia became part of the Confederacy. Alexander Stephens was one of the main cooperationists in Georgia and he was a key part in passing the Compromise of 1850. He was elected as vice president of the Confederacy and close friends with Jefferson Davis before the war became solely focused on military strategy. Once Stephens agreed to secession everyone in Georgia followed him because he had many supporters.

Alexander Stephens Bio
February 11, 1812 – March 4, 1883
50th governor of Georgia
Vice President of Confederacy
Lived on a farm Crawfordville, Taliaferro County, Georgia
His father died when he was 14 therefore he grew up in difficult circumstances
At first he called for the South to remain loyal

On March 21, 1861, Stephens gave his famous Cornerstone Speech in Savannah, Georgia. In it he declared that slavery was the natural condition of blacks and the foundation of the Confederacy. He declared, "Our new Government is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas; its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and normal condition."
Wikipedia: Alexander H. Stephens

Pictures:
1.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_H._Stephens
2.http://mrnussbaum.com/civil-war/election_of_1860/
3.http://georgiainfo.galileo.usg.edu/CivilWar/jan261.htm

Slavery as a Cause

As rice, corn, tobacco, and mainly cotton became major cash crops slaves became more needed in the South. Slaves would represent wealth and many non-slave owners strived to join the privileged ranks by buying slaves. Up to 100 slaves would work on one large plantation, as either field slaves who planted, tended, and harvested or as house servants who were butlers, coach men, or housekeepers. Field slaves worked all day and in danger of mosquitoes, infested water, and other hazards. The slaves lived in small, crowded cabins on the plantation and had very poor diets. They could not be married, however owners encouraged it because the children would increase the work force. Since most slaves couldn't read their masters would emphasize parts of the bible about obedience and use this to have more power. Slaves who disobeyed their masters could be whipped or killed depending on the crime. Some would steal food, work slow, and pretend to be sick as resistance but, if the master figured this out he could punish them in any way. There were high rewards for any fugitive slaves found and only few slaves ever managed to escape safely. Additionally, besides the harsh treatment Georgia had very strict slave codes. Some of the rules include not being able to teach a slave to read or write unless the owners pay money, all slave crimes are considered felonies, and only an owner can be found guilty for hurting a slave. Also, no slaves could testify in court. The bitter ways southern plantation owners treated their slaves caused some Northern people to realize and it unjust and they disagreed with slavery. This is how crude treatment of slaves caused controversy in between the North and South (which later lead to the civil war).

Pictures:
1.http://zmblackhistorymonth2012.blogspot.com/2012/02/underground-railroad-escape-to-freedom.html
2.http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/jan_feb11/columbia_forum
3.http://www.nps.gov/liho/historyculture/slavery.htm
4.http://www.understandingrace.org/history/society/resisting_slavery.html

Slave Spirituals

Slaves would recite traditional African songs and dances as a form of hope and belief. However, after a while these songs were banned by ministers because they saw it as a form of resistance. The procedure started by first gathering in a ring. Then after the music started they would move in a circle and start humming words. They would keep moving quickly repeating the same words for up to an hour.

I’M SO GLAD TROUBLE DON’T LAST ALWAYS

I’m so glad trouble don’t last always
O my Lord, O my Lord, what shall I do ?

Christ tol’ the blind man
To go to the pool and bathe
O my Lord, O my Lord, what shall I do ?

Christ tol’ Nicodemus
He must be born again
O my Lord, O my Lord, what shall I do ?

States rights, Nullification, Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, Georgia Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, and Dred Scott Case

During the Antebellum period there were a lot of disputes about new laws made and state's rights. The first law made to have fair representation was the Missouri Compromise of 1820. It guaranteed that there had to be a balanced number of slave states and free states. The South was mostly made of slave states, while the North was made of mostly free states. Additionally, Maine became a free state as part of the compromise and it prohibited slavery North of the parallel 36, 30 north. Then in 1828 a tariff during John Quincy Adam's presidency was placed on imported goods, which affected the South greatly because they relied on trade with England. This lead to the nullification crisis, lead by John C. Calhoun who stated South Carolina would not abide to the tax. The nation had been suffering from an economic downturn since the war of 1812 and South Carolina was especially not doing well. Moreover, these tensions lead states to considering their state rights. Then came the Compromise of 1850 made of five points which threatened the balance of free and slave states. The first part was that Texas joined the union and it's land becomes four new states. Slavery is "abolished" in D.C and California is declared a free state. Lastly the most controversial topic, the Fugitive Slave Act that states all citizens have to help slave catchers find slaves. The Georgia Platform had introduced and pushed for the fugitive slave act and this law angered the North and scared many slaves. They also tried making the new states: New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Nevada slave states. In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act made those new states slave states. This act repealed and ignored the Missouri Compromise because it unbalanced the slave and free states. It also deeply upset the North. Finally, the Dred Scott case made it clear that slaves had no rights. The ruling of this case made the Missouri Compromise void, angered the North, and declared slaves were property. Some slaves in fear of being caught moved to Canada for safety.

Pictures:
1.http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/DredScott.html
2.http://www.therightpoints.com/nullification-these-next-few-years-will-be-very-interesting/
3.http://www.ushistory.org/us/30d.asp
4.http://www.ushistory.org/us/30d.asp