The Old South and Manifest Destiny
The Old South relied on which cash crop?
Cotton
The Compromise of 1850 admitted which state to the Union in exchange for a stronger Fugitive Slave Act?
California
True or False: The Civil War was initially fought to end slavery.
False
What organization assisted emancipated slaves in adjusting to free life after the Civil War?
The Freedman's Bureau
The Narrative of the Life of ____________________, an American Slave
Frederick Douglass
How did the American Colonization Society differ from the American Anti-Slavery Society (the Abolitionists)?
American Colonization Society -- free blacks and move them to Africa
American Anti-Slavery Society -- free blacks and give them rights as American citizens
Name one event leading up to the Civil War for which John Brown was known.
Bleeding Kansas (Pottawatomie Creek Massacre), Raid on Harper's Ferry
What new war aim for the North did the Emancipation Proclamation add to the Civil War?
The abolition of slavery
Name the two Reconstruction presidents, and describe the positions of each on Reconstruction.
Andrew Johnson -- Democrat, lenient to South, not in favor of Black rights, notoriously unpopular
Ulysses S. Grant -- Radical Republican, used military force to secure Black rights in the South, elected partly off the Black vote
What was the significance of Uncle Tom's Cabin to the Abolitionist cause?
The novel was an immediate bestseller and led to public outrage against slavery in the North due to its sentimental portrayal of slavery's evils. This shift in Northern public opinion strongly polarized the nation.
Describe the difference between viewing slavery as a "necessary evil" as opposed to a "popular good."
BONUS: Name a person who held each view.
Necessary evil -- Slavery is wrong, but cannot be removed without totally altering Southern society; thus, it must be retained for now. (Thomas Jefferson)
Positive good -- Slavery is beneficial to the South/America in itself. It is preferable to other social organizations. (John Calhoun)
How did the North and the South react differently to the Brooks-Sumner affair?
North viewed Sumner as a martyr and the South as barbarians. South said "hit him again."
Name and describe three key battles of the Civil War (in order).
Battle of Fort Sumter, First Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Antietam, Battle of Chancellorsville, Battle of Gettysburg, Siege of Vicksburg, Sherman's March to the Sea, Battle of Appomattox Court House
What was the Compromise of 1877, and how did it end Reconstruction?
Rutherford B. Hayes (R) becomes president, in exchange for removing military force from the South and allowing Democratic regimes to take office there again. Meant Black rights could no longer be protected in the South.
In the First Inaugural Address, what argument does Lincoln make against Southern secession?
BONUS: What does he say about slavery in this speech?
Secession is illegal, as the Southern states did not seek the approval of the other states before seceding. Thus the Union is still unbroken, and he has a responsibility to ensure it remains that way. Instead, the South ought to respect majority rule as the ruling force in a democracy, and put their faith in the American people.
How did proponents of Manifest Destiny conceive of America?
America as the "nation of futurity," who was destined by God to expand across North America "from sea to shining sea" as an exemplar of freedom and progress.
Summarize why Manifest Destiny led to the Civil War.
Expansion brought up the question of how to organize the new territories, which heightened tensions over the slavery question to a breaking point.
From the Southern perspective, why was secession justified?
Since Lincoln was elected without a single Southern vote, they felt that they had no say in the American government, which per the principles of the Declaration of Independence permitted them to rebel and form a new government.
Explain how the Fourteenth Amendment reversed the Dred Scott Decision.
The Dred Scott Decision stated that African-Americans could not be citizens because they were not considered citizens in the purview of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution when they were written. The Fourteenth Amendment explicitly gave citizenship rights to all born in the United States, and ensured equal protection of the laws for all citizens.
Based on the Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural Address, why does Lincoln suggest the Civil War will bring about "a new birth of freedom" for America?
Gettysburg Address -- Connects Civil War to the Declaration of Independence, sees it as fulfilling the promise made at America's founding.
Second Inaugural Address -- Sees Civil War as the embodiment of divine justice; having been punished for her sin and purged by blood, America can now humbly work towards "a just and lasting peace."
How did the social structure of the Old South compare to that of the rest of America? Why was this social arrangement ironic given the ideals of America?
It was hierarchical, with the plantation owner acting as a feudal "lord" over the poor white laborers and black slaves on his plantation. It came with the attendant expectations of labor by the lower classes, and care-taking by the higher.
Name and describe the four positions on the expansion of slavery, and explain the appeal of each one based on American ideas.
BONUS: Name a historical figure who corresponds with each position.
Abolitionism (Frederick Douglass), Free-Soil (Abraham Lincoln), Popular Sovereignty (Stephen Douglass), and Pro-Slavery (John Calhoun)
Make an argument that the Civil War was a just war.
Answers will vary. See Douglass and Lincoln readings.
To what extent did Reconstruction successfully give freed African-Americans civil and political rights? Describe both its successes and its failures.
Successes - Constitutional amendments passed. First Black leaders/legislators elected. For a period, African-Americans possessed legitimate political power.
Failures - Southern Democratic governments ended up retaking the South; public support for Reconstruction ended before more significant equality could be achieved, leaving African-Americans stuck under Jim Crow laws.
Based on Douglass's Narrative, explain (a) how slavery erodes the humanity of the slave and (b) what is required for a slave to become a man.
(a) Slavery removes a person's power of free thought, shackling them instead to mental darkness and complacency in enslavement. Thus slaveowners seek to make slaves feel like they deserve to be slaves.
(b) The primary path out of slavery for Douglass is that of education, which grants a slave a broader and higher view of their nature, giving them dignity and making them discontented with slavery. By freeing their mind, they become only a "slave in form" instead of a "slave in fact."