SS8H6 The 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 and the Georgia Platform, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott case,
election of 1860, the debate over secession in Georgia, and the role of
Alexander Stephens.
Events
That Caused the Civil War
Slavery
-
See PowerPoint
notes
State’s Rights
-
belief that a
right belonged to the state and not the federal government
o
Ex. Southern
states that it was their right to abolish or keep slavery, not the federal
government.
-
Think of it as a
power struggle (like tug-o’-war) between the states and the federal government
Nullification
·
This was the
belief that states could choose not to follow a federal law they did not agree
with
o
Ex. Southern
states did not like the Tariff of Abominations – a tax on European goods that
was designed to make southerners buy more northern goods
Compromises
·
For the
compromises, keep in mind what each side (free state or slave state) wants.
Here, the issue is the balance of national power (the senate and house of
representatives). Each side wants total control, but that’s not going to
happen. So if they can’t get total control, they at least want to keep the
other side from getting more powerful.
o
The slave states
want all new states to be ____________states, and the free states want all new
states to be ________________ states.
o
What might the
free states try to do if they had a majority of power? Slave states?
Missouri Compromise (1820)
·
Balance of power:
11 free states and 11 slave states
·
The problem?
Residents of the Missouri territory asked to join the union (the United States)
as a slave state
·
The solution: The
Missouri Compromise
o
Proposed by Henry
Clay
o
1) Allowed
Missouri to enter as a slave state, Maine to enter as a free state, and 2)
prohibited slavery above the 36 30’ line of latitude
§ More territory was available for free states above the
line than was available for slave states below the line
Compromise of 1850 and the Georgia
Platform
·
Balance of power:
15 free states and 15 slave states
·
The problem?
California quickly met the criteria for statehood (because of the gold rush)
and applied to become part of the union as a free state.
·
The Solution: The
compromise of 1850 – proposed by Henry Clay
o
Admitted
California as a free state
o
Abolished slavery
in the District of Columbia
o
Created a
stronger fugitive slave law
o
Let the
territories of New Mexico and Utah make their own decisions about slavery
§ What would the free state supporters say about the
above? The slave state supporters?
o
The Georgia Platform
o
A convention of
Georgians to discuss the Compromise of 1850
o
Decided that
secession was not the best way to preserve slavery and protect states’ rights
o
Georgians
outlined their support of compromise and the Union
Kansas-Nebraska Act (May 30, 1854)
·
Balance of Power:
·
The problem? –
The Kansas-Nebraska act allowed the Kansas and Nebraska territories to vote on
whether they wanted to be free or slave
o
Popular
sovereignty – the people have the power; allowing residents to decide for
themselves
o
A vote was taken
in Kansas – the proslavery forces won
§ Antislavery side said the proslavery side cheated
·
Two capitols were
established, one free, and one slave
o
Violence erupted
(a mini civil war), called “Bleeding Kansas”
Dred Scott case (Supreme Court 1857)
·
Dred Scott – a
slave who sued for freedom in a Missouri court
o
Scott felt that
since he and his family lived in free territory for a while, that they were now
free citizens
o
The Supreme Court
said Scott was not a citizen and couldn’t sue in U.S. courts
§ Court said slaves were never meant to be included in
the word “citizens” in the constitution
§ Southern
slaveholders saw this case as a victory. WHY?
Election of 1860
·
Four candidates:
Lincoln, Douglas, Breckenridge, and Bell
|
|
Electoral
Vote
|
Popular
Vote
|
GA Popular
Vote
|
|
Lincoln (Republican)
|
180
|
1,865,593
|
0
|
|
Douglas (N. Democrat)
|
12
|
1,382,713
|
51,893
|
|
Breckenridge (S. Democrat)
|
72
|
848,356
|
42,866
|
|
Bell
|
39
|
592,906
|
11,580
|
·
Abraham Lincoln
(red)- member of the Republican Party – founded in 1854 on a platform to stop
the spread of slavery
·
Douglas and
Breckenridge (blue) – both were democrats – both of them running for president
split the Democrat vote
o
What would happen
if only one Democrat candidate ran? (hint: add up the blue popular vote and
compare it to the popular vote in the red)
Debate Over Secession in Georgia
·
The question is
whether to stay part of the United
States or separate into a new nation?
·
Stay with the
U.S. = an eventual end to slavery
·
Break away
(secede) from U.S. = uncharted territory? – providing for your own defense, all
alone, many other factors
·
After Lincoln’s
election, before he actually took office, seven states left the union
·
Georgia:
o
Most Georgia
leaders supported secession, however not all wanted to secede immediately
§ GA leaders met in Milledgeville (the 4th
capital) to discuss secession
§ Alexander H. Stephens, Benjamin H. Hill, and Herschel
V. Johnson – wanted the North and South to compromise, but supported Georgia’s
right to secede
§ All counties sent delegates (representatives) to the
Milledgeville to discuss secession
·
Delegates voted
208 to 89 for immediate secession
·
“Unionist”
counties – opposed secession – these were counties with few slaves
·
Many “Unionist”
counties came to support secession over time
o
Overall, the
decision to secede in GA was never unanimous (not all agreed)
