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