Antebellum AmericaOctober 1, 2013

Standard: SS8H6The student will analyze the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Georgia.

a. Explain the importance of key issues and events that led to the Civil War; include slavery, states’ rights, nullification Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, the Georgia Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott case, election of 1860, debate over secession in Georgia, and the role of Alexander Stephens

Antebellum America

Antebellum (the period before the Civil War) America was a time of great change in the United States

The population was growing, new states were added, new technology was being developed, and a new president was elected

All of these things, and more, would lead up to the American Civil War

New Technology – The Cotton Gin

In 1793, a man named Eli Whitney invented the cotton engine (shortened to cotton gin)

The purpose of the cotton gin was to separate the seed from the cotton itself

Prior to this invention, a worker might be able to separate 6 or 7 pounds a day by hand

Now workers could separate 50 pounds a day This led to more slaves being brought to cotton

plantations in the South because they could now grow more cotton

New Technology - Railroads

Prior to railroads, people would have to travel by horse, boat, or stagecoach

Farmers and manufacturers had to ship small amounts of goods at a time, and at a very slow pace

When the railroads were built, people and goods could move faster, speeding up production, which led to more slaves being needed in the South

Slavery

Since the cotton gin made producing cotton more cost effective, the numbers of slaves grew in the South

By 1860, there were 118,000 white families in Georgia Of these, 35% owned slaves

In 1860, there were 3,500 free blacks in Georgia

There were 4 million slaves in the country, and almost 12% lived in Georgia

Government in Antebellum America

The United States government was firmly divided between North and South by the early 1800s

There were many disagreements, not just over the issue of slavery

All of these helped lead to the American Civil War

States’ Rights

States’ Rights is the belief that the state’s interests should take precedence over the interests of the national government

The North believed that in order for the U.S. to function as a Union, then political decisions should affect the entire country

The South believed that the states had a right to govern themselves and decide what is best for their own needs

Nullification

Nullification (preventing the enforcement of a federal law) was an issue in 1832

South Carolina challenged the enforcement of a tariff (tax) and eventually nullified that tariff

South Carolina threatened to leave the U.S. if federal government would not compromise

Eventually, a compromise was reached and South Carolina repealed its nullification of the tariff

The Missouri Compromise

In 1819, there were 22 states 11 were slave states and 11 were free states

This meant there was an equal number of senators in Congress from slave states and free states

Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state This would mean there would be an uneven

number of slave and free states After much debate, the Missouri Compromise in

1820 allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter as a free state, so the balance of power would remain the same

Compromise of 1850

In 1849, California applied to become a free state

There were 15 slave states and 15 free states at the time

This would shift the balance of power Senator Henry Clay proposed the

Compromise of 1850 to please both the North and the South

Compromise of 1850

Benefits for North California is free state Slave trading ended in Washington D.C. (the national capital) Texas gave up the New Mexico territory, so Texas (a slave

state) was now smaller

Benefits for South New Mexico and Utah would decide to be free or slave states

on their own Residents of D.C. could keep the slaves they already had Congress would pass the Fugitive Slave Act, that guaranteed

that runaway slaves would be returned to their owners, even if they made it to a free state

The Georgia Platform

Many Georgians did not like the Compromise of 1850

Alexander Stephens, a Georgia politician, asked Georgians to accept it

“The Georgia Platform” was adopted that officially accepted the compromise for the people of Georgia

Many Georgians knew that if Georgia were to remain part of the U.S., they would need to accept the Compromise

Kansas-Nebraska Act

In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed which created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska

The act contained a clause on popular sovereignty, which means that people in that territory can vote to become a free state or slave state

After the act was passed, deadly fights broke out between proslavery and anti-slavery groups

When Kansas applied to become a slave state, they were rejected based on votes from Northern states This made southerners realize that northern votes alone could

keep slave states out of the Union

The Dred Scott Case

In 1834, Dred Scott, a slave, was taken by his owner from Missouri (slave state) to Illinois (free state), and later Wisconsin (free state)

When Scott’s owner died, he returned to Missouri and filed a lawsuit claiming he was free since he had lived in a free state

The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, and in 1857, the court ruled that Scott could not file a lawsuit since he was a slave, and therefore, not a citizen of the U.S.

This further divided the North and South and pushed them closer to war

The Presidential Election of 1860 - Democrats

Democrats met in South Carolina in 1860 to decide on a presidential nominee

After much arguing, Northern Democrats split from Southern Democrats

Northern Democrats nominated Stephen A. Douglas for President of the U.S.

Southern Democrats nominated John Breckinridge for President of the U.S.

Politicians from the border states met separately and nominated John Bell

The Presidential Election of 1860 - Republicans

Republicans met in Chicago and nominated Abraham Lincoln for President of the U.S.

Republicans, who said they would not actively try to end slavery, were proposing many measures that would not benefit the South

The party appeared to be against everything Southerners wanted

The Presidential Election of 1860 - Results

For the first time, a candidate who got votes from only one section of the country won the election

Abraham Lincoln received 1.9 million votes (a minority) and was elected president

However, the other candidates split the Southern vote, so none received enough to be elected

Election Results Map

~ Red – Lincoln~Dark Gray – Breckenridge~Light Gray – Douglas~Green – Bell~Tan – Territories (do not vote)

The Question of Secession

After Lincoln’s election, talk of secession (the act of leaving the Union) and war was all over the South

Georgia’s governor called a special legislative session to determine whether to secede

For the most part, Georgia citizens wanted to stay part of the Union, but they also wanted states’ rights and to support their lifestyle

The Role of Alexander Stephens

Alexander Stephens, a Georgia legislator, was against secession

He made several stirring speeches, calling for Georgians to wait to see what other states would do

He was, however, voted down, and on January 19, 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union

Ironically, Alexander Stephens would go on to become vice-president of the Confederacy

Questions…

1) What does “antebellum” mean? 2) What was the purpose of the cotton gin? 3) How did the invention of the cotton gin lead to the need for more

slaves? 4) How did the invention of railroads lead to the need for more slaves? 5) What is states’ rights? 6) What region was for states’ rights? What region was against states’

rights? 7) What is nullification? 8) What was the Missouri Compromise?

9) How did the Compromise of 1850 benefit the North? 10) How did the Compromise of 1850 benefit the South? 11) What did the Georgia Platform do? 12) What is popular sovereignty? 13) Who was Dred Scott? 14) What did the Dred Scott decision say? 15) Why was Abraham Lincoln elected in the election of 1860? 16) When did Georgia secede from the Union? 17) Who became vice president of the Confederacy?