Understanding the connection between the Civil War and Slavery and the men who fought both battles

Hero (Good)  Courage  Loyalty  Wisdom  Responsibility  Perseverance Villain (Evil)  Amoral  Wicked  Cruel  Malicious in actions

 Abolition  States Rights vs. Federal authority  Economic and social differences between the North and the South  The fight between Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents  The election of Abraham Lincoln

Southern View  It is a natural state of mankind; slavery has existed throughout history.  The institution was divine, it brought Christianity to the “heathen” from across the ocean  Slaves were well cared for by their masters  Slavery maintained the South’s economy Northern View  It was morally wrong and, as a Christian country, America should not be involved  Slavery (and especially race based slavery) denied that all men were created equal as stated in the Declaration of Independence. Thus, slavery was anti-American  The institution of slavery put unlimited power into the hands of the slave- holder. There were no laws protecting the slave. A master could treat his ‘property’ with as much cruelty or benevolence as he saw fit.

States Rights  The Confederacy identified with the colonies in 1776 emphasizing liberty, local self-determination, and independence  The states are connected but independent  Self governance  Nullification Federal Authority  The United States stressed not the results of the Revolution—a legacy of nationhood and founding ideals of equality.  Supersedes the states  Law If the states had thought that they could not secede, they likely would never Have agreed to the constitution or joined the Union

South  Agricultural economy  Plantation system dictated social status  Rigid social caste system  People identified strongly with their state: "If Virginia stands by the old Union, so will I. But, if she secedes…then I will still follow my native State with my sword, and if need be with my life.” ~Robert E Lee North  Industrial economy  City/Urban life dictated social status  Cultural assimilation  People identified as “American:” “I have served my country under the flag of the Union for more than fifty years, and as long as God permits me to live, I will defend that flag with my sword, even if my native state assails it.” ~Winfield Scott, 1861

 As the nation grew and new territories were added to the Union as states, the debate over slavery increased based on whether or not new states should be slave or free  Popular Sovereignty  Compromise of 1850  Fugitive Slave Act  Dred Scott Decision

 There were four political parties, each with their own candidate:  Republicans: Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery’s expansion  Southern Democrats: John C. Breckenridge supported southern rights  Constitutional Union: John Bell who remained silent on slavery  Northern Democrats: Steven A. Douglas who supported “popular sovereignty”  With four candidates in the field, the voters were very divided and Lincoln received only 40% of the popular vote and 180 electoral votes. But it was enough to narrowly win the election.  When Lincoln won the election, Southern fears that the Republicans would abolish slavery reached a new peak

Booth “My love (as things stand today) is for the South alone. Nor do I deem it a dishonor in attempting to make for her a prisoner of this man, to whom she owes so much of misery” Lincoln “A house divided against itself cannot stand...I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided.”  Each man is a hero to some and a villain to others  Each man has been alternately revered and reviled  How we choose to see them depends on where we stand

 a diary entry from Booths diary  an account of Booth’s arrest & death  Images  letter-john-wilkes-booth-proof-that-he.html Letters written by Booth letter-john-wilkes-booth-proof-that-he.html  