Chapter 6 Notes - Part 1

Chapter 6 Notes - Part 1

The Buildup to War and Secession (1860-1861)

Throughout the antebellum period, many issues caused divisions among the people of the United States.​

The Northern economy was built on industry and manufacturing and was experiencing population growth due to immigration from Europe.

Abolitionists were people, primarily in the North, who opposed the practice of slavery.

a. Slave labor to support agriculture

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​b. the rights of individual states to make their own decisions

Because of Arkansas' geography, about 80% of Arkansas families never owned any slaves at all.

The majority of plantation owners, people likely to own large numbers of slaves, lived primarily in the Gulf Coastal Plain and Delta.

Oftentimes, these wealthy planters who owned plantations and many slaves also became powerful politically in the state as well, arguing maybe it was time to secede from the Union.

Not all Arkansans wanted to secede, because the federal government provided them critical support.

Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, even though he wasn’t even included on the ballot in Arkansas

Tyranny of the majority is a phrase that refers to people being forced to do things they don’t want to do because the majority of people believe in it.

Many southerners feared the tyranny of the majority, the North did have a much larger population, would lead to laws being passed which threatened slavery and their way of life.

The Arsenal Incident in Little Rock took place in 1861, where secessionists took over the military arsenal in Little Rock and was the final straw leading up to Arkansas’ convention to decide about secession.

Even though many Arkansans did not want to leave the Union, many Southern states, South Carolina was first, had already decided to form the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as President.

The first battle of the Civil War was at Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

This battle led to growing support for the war in Arkansas, and ultimately Arkansas joined the Confederate States of America on May 6, 1861

Arkansas sent soldiers in units or companies to battles all over the country fighting for the South.

There as incredible pressure on men to fight in the war, and often entire small towns would lose a whole generation of men to the war

Some Arkansas citizens, particularly in North Arkansas, fought for the Union instead of the Confederacy, sometimes leading to members of the same family fighting on different sides.

Before fighting in the war, soldiers were sent to drill camps where many died before even fighting due to disease

Eventually, the first big battle of the war took place at Bull Run in Virginia, a Confederate victory.