CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR
Students need to be able to:
a. Identify Uncle Tom's Cabin and John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry and explain how each of these events was related to the Civil War.
b. Discuss how the issue of states' rights and slavery increased tensions between the North and South.
a. Identify Uncle Tom's Cabin and John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry and explain how each of these events was related to the Civil War.
b. Discuss how the issue of states' rights and slavery increased tensions between the North and South.
STATES' RIGHTS
The Civil War was about states rights. The southern states wanted to be able to choose what their laws would be. The law or the "right" most southerners were most concerned about was slavery. Many Southerners felt that the states themselves should have the right to choose if it should be a slave state or a free state, not have the National Government tell them what the states should be.
UNCLE TOM'S CABIN BY HARRIETT BEECHER STOWE
This classic book, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe gave readers a glimpse into slavery. The book was originally published in 1852. When Abraham Lincoln met Ms. Stowe he said, "So you're the little lady who started this big war." Uncle Tom's Cabin was one of the many causes of the Civil War because it outraged people about the horrors of slavery. Y You can also click here to access an .MP3 file, which will read the story to you (this version cuts out much of the dialect).
JOHN BROWN'S RAID ON HARPER'S FERRY
John Brown took a different route to ending slavery than Harriet Beecher Stowe. His plan was to raid a military armory at Harper's Ferry in Virginia, and then take the weapons and give them to slaves, so they could fight for their freedom. He and his whole raiding party were captured. He was convicted of treason and hanged on December 2, 1859. At first people thought he was crazy, but it got people talking about the horrors of slavery. For more details about John Brown's Raid click here. There was an old folk song which Civil War soldiers sang about John Brown, which eventually became part of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic." To learn more about the song and hear it sung, click here.
THE ELECTION OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
The final straw in the abolitionist movement was the election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860. The southern states, led by South Carolina, succeeded or left the United States and formed their own country (Confederate States of America) because they feared Lincoln would make slavery illegal and they did not have enough votes in congress to stop any such law from passing. You can learn more about the election of Lincoln and its effects by watching the video to the right.
emancipation Proclamation - January 1, 1863
In 1863 Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves. While slavery had been a major issue that led to the war, Lincoln's only mission at the start of the war was to maintain the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation makes the war about slavery and ends slavery in the Confederate States.
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