Strategies in the Civil War

Strategies of the north and south in the civil war | Create infographics

The northern and southern states had incredibly different strategies during the Civil War, which affected the final outcome of the war.  In order to explore the different techniques used by the north and south, my history class looked at documents and statistics of certain aspects of the war.  Then, we used these statistics and the information we had learned to create an infographic.  I used a program called Infogram, an application that lets you make different kinds charts from statistics you have found, and that also lets you type around the charts to explain them.  While creating my infogram, I had to explain the strategies of the north and south, and how these affected them in the war.  The statistics I chose show why the north was more successful, and the differences in the ways of life of the northern and southern states.  I learned that the north won the war because it had better strategies, and had more people and resources.  The north had a much larger population than the south did, which made for bigger armies.  Also, they had more resources, such as corn and manufactured goods to feed and supply their armies.  Transportation was very important because it could be used to transport troops faster, and the north had 71% of the country's railroads.  The north had a lot going for them, except of the fact that the south had a better trained army because it housed most of America's military colleges. Making this infographic helped me learn that although the south was more motivated than the north, they lost the war because the north was better off from the start, and they had more helpful strategies.

The "Elephant in the Room"

An "elephant in the room" is a big issue that everyone knows about, but no one wants to talk about or address it in any way.  During the 19th century, and especially during the 1850s, slavery was a major "elephant in the room."  The government of the United States knew that slavery was a problem, but no one seemed to want to fix it.  However, as 1860 grew nearer, no one could seem to avoid talking about slavery any more, there were many outbreaks between the northern and southern states regarding it.  Recently in history class, we have studied these events leading up to the Civil War, and why slavery is now considered the "elephant in the room" during the 1850s.  As we learned about each event, we used it to create a timeline on an app by describing it and adding a picture and date.  My timeline of these events is pictured below, and it shows each event, along with the descriptions of each.  

These two images show a timeline of the events leading up to the Civil War.
I created this during class on the app "Timeline."

Some of the events leading to the Civil War were the Compromise of 1850, the Gadsden Purchase, the Caning of Charles Sumner, and the Dred Scott Decision.  The Compromise of 1850 consisted of 5 parts.  The goal of this compromise was to to even out the number of slave and free states so that there would be no arguing between the north and the south.  The new territories of Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah were organized without mention of slavery, while  California was made a red state.  Texas was made a slave state, and was given 10 million dollars to help pay off its debt to Mexico.  Slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia, although slavery was still permitted, and the Fugitive Slave Law was passed, which stated that all citizens must help recover fugitive slaves, and that the fugitives were denied the right to a jury trial.  Despite these many measures that were taken to prevent arguments between the slave and free states, peace did not last very long.  Another important event, the Gadsden Purchase (1853), helped pro-slavery supporters.  In this purchase, the U.S. government bought a small strip of land in southwestern United States for $10 million.  Soon after, they turned this land into a transcontinental railroad, which was used by the southern states to transport their slaves and goods out west.  The southern states hoped that by settling first in the unorganized territory created by the Compromise of 1850, these states would turn into slave states.  

http://www.edline.net/files/_BYIYQ_/0c8709831428126f3745a49013852ec4/Elephant_in_the_Room_Lesson.pdf

Later on in the 1850s, the Caning of Charles Sumner and the Dred Scott Decision occurred.  In 1856, Senator Charles Sumner, a powerful anti-slavery voice, gave a speech, which criticized the south for forcing slavery on Kansas territory.  During the speech, titled "The Crime Against Kansas," Preston Brooks approached Sumner and beat him with his cane, inflicting permanent injuries.  This incident proves that slavery caused the most civilized men to resort to violence.  The Dred Scott Decision of 1857 was a court case in which an enslaved man living in Missouri filed suit against his owner.  This man, Dred Scott claimed that him and his wife were free because they had once lived with their owner in states where slavery was illegal.  Unfortunatley, the jury ruled against the Scotts, claiming that "As Scott was a slave when taken into the State of Illinois by his owner, and was there held as such, and brought back in that charcter, his staus, as free or slave, depended on the laws of Missouri, and not of Illinois...."  The result of this case was not fair, and led to more tension between the north and the south.  Slavery was the "elephant in the room" in the 1850s because it was a major problem that was not being addressed, even as these horrible, violent events were taking place before citizens' eyes.

http://www.edline.net/files/_BYIYQ_/0c8709831428126f3745a49013852ec4/Elephant_in_the_Room_Lesson.pdf

Source of quotation:  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h2933t.html

Slavery: Destroying Human Rights

Recently in history class we have been studying the rise of slavery in the early to mid 19th century.  We learned that the amount of slaves in America increased dramatically from around 1790 to 1860, the start of the Civil War.  There are many flaws in the system of slavery, though the US government ignored these flaws and continued selling slaves to landowners.  The Civil War began after conflicts arose between the Northern and Southern states in which the states disagreed with the slavery system of the south.  In these couple of lessons, we discovered the answers to three essential questions through a variety of sources, activities, and documentaries.

http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-00.html

http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/US/US18-00.html

Slavery became economically entrenched in American society by the early 19th century mainly because of the invention of the cotton gin.  Slavery was decreasing at the end of the 18th century because people either began to listen to the mottos of the American and French Revolutions, and freed their slaves, or their slaves escaped.  However, in 1793, a man named Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which helped sort the seeds out of the cotton fibers.  This new machine sped up the cloth making process dramatically, and more slaves were needed in the south to handle these machines.  The price of slavery doubled, and the amount of available slaves increased.  In 1790, cotton was an economically insignificant crop, and slaves were fairly uncommon, with a population of 690,000, but by 1860, the slave population was 3,954,000 and cotton production had increased by 1.5 million pounds in 70 years.  The cotton produced by slaves in the south was used in industries in the north, so the northern states couldn't afford to lose slavery either.  Slavery was entrenched in society by the early 19th century because the slaves proceed cotton, which had become a crop that America had grown to depend on.

A system of slavery based on race, such as the one in America in the 19th century, destroys human dignity, and ignores certain human characteristics and traits.  The American system of slavery was far more brutal than slavery systems in other countries.  In countries such as Africa, slavery was beaded on religion, but there were hardly any differences between the slaves and free people.  In America, however, slavery was based on permanent bondage and racial distinction.  American slaves were expected to do hard, strenuous labor every day, and they lacked full control over their lives.  The life expectancy of a slave was much younger than the rest of the population of America.  One of the people we learned about in class who spoke out against slavery was a man called Frederick Douglass, a freed slave who gave speeches and editorials against slavery and racism.  In a speech he gave on the day after the fourth of July in 1852, he delivered a message to white people about the meaning of Independence Day.  In this speech he said the forth of July is "a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim."  Douglass explained that this holiday was pointless because it celebrated freedom, when in fact there were millions of slaves who weren't free and lived in America.  He correctly accused the people of America for celebrating a useless holiday, and encouraged them to abolish slavery.  Slavery in America abused human dignity and ignored traits such as freedom and the right to live a full life, and abolitionists rightly spoke out against this.

Primary source from:
Frederick Douglass, "The Meaning of July Forth for the Negro," a speech delivered in Rochester, New York, July 5, 1852.

Women's Rights Vs Men's Rights

Recently in history class we studied the women's reform movement of the 19th century, where women protested for more rights.  During this lesson, we compared women's rights to men's rights today, and in the 19th century.  We examined many documents and came to conclusions about how people reacted when women demanded for equality.  Despite the women's reform movement of the 19th century and other reform movements today, there are still differences between women's and men's rights.

“The Sphere of Woman” illustration from Godey's Lady's Book, March 1850http:// www.assumption.edu/ whw/workshop/ untitled1.html 

the 19th century, women were expected to take care of their children, keep the house tidy, cook, mend objects, and keep the house decorated, and yet they still had less rights than their husbands.  Many of the responsibilities of an upper-middle class woman are shown in this drawing (right) of a typical family home. During the day, the father would work, while the mother would stay at home to fulfill her requirements as housekeeper.  Men had more rights than women, but women deserved to have just as many. Women were not allowed to have their own property, vote, were paid less than men, and if their husband died, their children would be taken away from them.  Many women agreed that many of these restrictions were not fair, and began to protest for their equality with men.  Although the women's reform was completely justified, some groups of people didn't agree with the idea that women should have the same amount of rights as men.

In the Seneca Falls Convention, many public newspapers and associations reacted to the women's reform.  Some agreed that women should indeed have more rights, but other groups said that women were meant to be below men.  The Mechanics Advocate, Female Department stated in their article that women should never have as many rights as men.  The article says, "1st. Adam was made before Eve. 2nd. Eve sinned before Adam.  Now, there is no escape for women here, for if she is older than her husband, then of course she must be subject to him, because she must have sinned first.  If on the contrary she be younger, she must be subject to him because he was made first."  This newspaper was based on the Christian religion, and were against the women's reform because of the content of the Bible.  Adam came before Eve, and yet he sinned after her, so they believed that women must always be subject to men, specifically, their husbands.  On the other hand, the Oneida Whig newspaper stated that women definitely deserved to protest.  The article states, "The is the age of reform.  Our ideas of female excellence, formed from the study of such models as Lady Russell and Catherine of Arragon, are getting sadly out of fashion." This newspaper agreed with the women's reform, and knew that women deserved more rights and were just as able as men.  Some newspapers reacted positively to the Seneca Falls Convention, and others negatively, but the women involved in this movement didn't tsp protesting until they had most groups on their side.

Today, women have many more rights than they did in the 19th century, although there are still set differences between women and men.  The women's reform movement in the 1800s was highly successful, and laws were eventually changed so that women could vote.  Today, women are paid the same amount as men in most jobs, and it is more typical for a women to have a full-time job now than it was in the 19th century.  Despite these changes, there are still unjust differences between men and women.  Women's clothing are expected to dress much differently than men, and certain household jobs are considered more feminine than others, such as cooking and cleaning.  This commercial (above) is an accurate representation of a woman's place in society compared to a man's place in society.  There are a few issues that need to be changed in the future regarding women's rights. However, women already have very similar rights as men, and the women who protested during the 19th century women's reform movement were the first people to convince others that these changes needed to be made.

Reform Movement Primary Sourcing

Cleveland Marine Total Abstinence Society. Abstinence Pledge. Cleveland, 1845.

During the temperance movement in the early to mid 19th century, people all over America began to reform society from alcohol.  Many groups were formed that believed in abstinence from alcohol, and  they spread their beliefs all over the country.  In this primary source, a temperance society in Cleveland, Ohio made a pamphlet on which the members of the group signed their names to pledge their abstinence from alcohol.  This group, like many other groups of that time period, strongly believed that society would be more productive if people refrained from drinking alcohol.  This source was created for people to use if they thought they would live a better life without drink.  The people that signed this document wanted to be free from the troubles caused by alcohol, but some people wanted to continue drinking despite efforts from groups like this that wanted to take away alcohol entirely.  Amelia Bloomer and Neal Dow were two reformers during the temperance movement in the mid to late 19th century, and although they had many followers, thousands of people didn't believe in temperance and refused to take part in the reform movements.  The author of this primary source is trying to convince the people of Cleveland that abstinence from alcohol will help society as a whole because the behavior of citizens will be greatly improved.  The author says in this pamphlet that some "fruits of temperance" are "domestic comfort," and "peace and plenty."  Some "fruits of intemperance" are "ruin of families," and "poverty in its worst forms."  The Cleveland Marine Total Abstinence Society certainly believes in abstinence of alcohol, and wishes that all members of Cleveland would refrain from drink in order to have more enjoyable lives.

Was Andrew Jackson Really "The People's President?"

Andrew Jackson
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120817224533/althistory/images/8/8d/Andrew-jackson-1-.jpg

Recently in history class, we have been learning about Andrew Jackson, the 7th president of the United States, and whether or not he should be known as "the people's president,"  which was a nickname given to him by the people of the United States.  The essential question for this unit was "Is Andrew Jackson's long-standing reputation as "the people's president" deserved?  Why?  Why not?" To answer this question, my class divided into groups to study three major events of his presidency: the bank war, indian removal, and the spoils system.  After looking at sources and watching videos about our assigned event, the groups made creative projects, which demonstrated the success/ failure of the event.  My group wrote and performed a skit on the bank war, and watched the presentations from the other groups.  By learning about each event through the presentations, we were able to determine that Andrew Jackson tried his best to be "the people's president," but sometimes didn't live up to his expectations.

This is the script for the skit my group presented in class about Andrew Jackson and the Bank War.

The bank war, the spoils system, and indian removal prove that Andrew Jackson tried, but sometimes failed, to be "the people's president."  During the bank war, Andrew Jackson wrote a bank veto message to congress, which stated that he didn't approve of the high amount of rich stockholders in the bank.  Jackson didn't support the high amount of power the banks, especially the Second Bank of America, had, and thought that the banks were not beneficial to the poorer classes.  20 out of 25 of the bank directors at this time were chosen by the rich bank stockholders, and only 5 were chosen by the government.  The bank did not follow the system of checks and balances, and Jackson strongly believed that the middle and lower classes should have more power over the bank.  Andrew Jackson was definitely "the people's president" during the bank war, and he was determined to change the banks.  When Daniel Webster replied to his bank veto message, Webster said that the veto was close to absolute monarchy, and that Jackson was extending his grasp over every branch of government and setting the poor classes over the rich ones.  Despite this, Jackson succeeded and helped the majority of Americans by improving the bank system.

I watched presentations on the other two big events of Andrew Jackson's presidency, and used these presentations, as well as my own, to predict whether or not Jackson was "the people's president."  During the indian removal, Jackson tried to persuade the Indians living in areas such as Florida and Georgia to move out west.  He told the Indians to either move out west, or stay and obey American laws, and Congress declared his Indian Removal Act unconstitutional.  Around 100,000 Indians had to move, and many died on the Trail of Tears.  Jackson did not care for the Native Americans, because he let so many die, but was still "the people's president" because His intention when he made the Indians leave was to make everyone else happier.  In the spoils system, Andrew Jackson promised people good jobs if they voted for him as president.  "Spoiling" his followers was intended to keep himself in office as long as possible, which is a highly selfish act.  By initiating the spoils system, Andrew Jackson was trying to be "the people's president," but failed.  In all three events, Andrew Jackson was trying to live up to his expectations as "the people's president," and he succeeded during the bank war, but failed during the spoils system and indian removal.

The Early Failures of Democracy in the United States

This is my group's Glogster on Democracy in the United States.

This week in my honors history class, we have been studying the rise of democracy in the United States in the early 1800s.  In groups of five or six, we read documents and analyzed primary sources in order to answer the essential questions. My group answered the questions How should we define democracy? and How democratic was the United States in the early 1800s? by creating a Glogster, a type of digital poster.  We discovered that democracy is a type of government in which the entire population participates, and that the United States was not very democratic in the early 1800s and was struggling to run its states through a democratic government.  Our Glogster (link below) presents information on the rise of democracy well, and describes each document and event from this time period with images.

Link to my Glogster:  http://grouplmnop.edu.glogster.com/rise-of-democracy/