Sectional Crisis of Civil War

Sectional Crisis of Civil War

1848-1877

Open Ended

What was the central cause of the Civil War and was it inevitable (Bound to Happen)?

Harriet Tubman. Little People Big Dreams

#1 SHE MADE A DARING ESCAPE FROM SLAVERY WHEN SHE WAS IN HER TWENTIES

#3 SHE SERVED AS A “CONDUCTOR” OF THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FOR 11 YEARS

Poll

What were the biggest reasons for Abraham Lincoln issuing the Emancipation Proclamation?

• Economic

• Political

• Social

• Socio-Cultural

Summary Objective

Students will analyze the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent decision that several slave states made to secede from the Union to ensure the preservation and expansion of slavery.

Key Concept

Slavery was the central cause of the Civil War.

Multiple Choice

The Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for what constitutional amendment that outlawed slavery in the United States?

• 1st Amendment

• 4th Amendment

• 13th Amendment

• 5th Amendment

Lincoln on Slavery

 Lincoln disliked slavery but believed that the Constitution protected the institution where it existed. He ran on the Republican platform of non-expansion of slavery into the territories.

The Confederacy

The first seven states to secede from the Union were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas. In their declarations to the world explaining why they seceded, slavery and the political conflict over slavery were the central factors.

The Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was established in February 1861 (but never recognized by any other government or nation). Its constitution legalized and protected slavery.

Native Nations

It is estimated that 20,000 Indigenous people participated in the Civil War on the Union and Confederate sides. Their reasons varied. The Confederacy, seeking to ally with enslaving peoples of the Southern nations, promised to protect slavery as well as Indigenous land.

Multiple Select

Select the states the succeeded from the Union to preserve the institution of slavery.

• Florida

• Alabama

• Georgia

• West Virginia

• Louisiana

The Union

The Union, meanwhile, declared that, to uphold existing treaties, Native nations had to side with them. Many Native nations initially tried to remain neutral but were drawn in once the war touched their territories.

Lincoln's First Address

In Lincoln’s “First Inaugural Address,” he reiterated, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists” and asked “dissatisfied fellow countrymen” to rethink their decision to destroy the government.

Multiple Choice

What did the Union do to convince (force) Native Nations to fight in the Civil War?

• To promise additional land

• To uphold existing treaties

• To promise a protection against slavery

Lincoln's Letter

In Lincoln’s December 22, 1860, letter to Alexander H. Stephens, the future Confederate vice president, he stated that slavery was safe where it existed and outlined the differences between enslavers and Republicans, namely, “You think slavery is right and ought to be extended; while we think it is wrong and ought to be restricted.”

The Confederacy's Distaste

States that left the Union created documents explaining why they did so. These documents cite Lincoln’s hostility to slavery as the key reason for secession.

Multiple Select

Select the events that lead to the South Succeeding from the Union.

• The election of Abraham Lincoln

• The abolition of the fugitive slave act

• Expansion of Slavery in Western territories

• The Emancipation Proclamation

South Carolina

South Carolina’s “Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union, December 1860” provides a useful example of Southern States trying to preserve slavery.

The Cherokee Nation

The Cherokee Nation, which was surrounded by Confederate territory and divided in its support of Union and Confederate causes, experienced great loss. The population of the Cherokee Nation declined from 21,000 to 15,000 people after the war.

Open Ended

In the past 30 years, scholars have pushed back against the idea that Abraham Lincoln, “The Great Emancipator,” was the primary force behind emancipation. Instead, some argue, enslaved people worked to free themselves. Describe some ways African Americans and Indigenous people worked to free themselves from slavery.