African Americans, every day life, and the war Chapter 7.4 and 7.5

Union troops meet enslaved African Americans Union officers didn’t know what to do with runaway slaves General Benjamin Butler put them to work doing manual labor, declaring them contraband under his protection General John C. Fremont declared them free Lincoln reversed Fremont’s order to keep border states from retaliating

Lincoln proposes plan for emancipation 1862 Lincoln has plan for emancipation of slaves in Confederate states He and Congress agree to wait until they had a major Union victory before announcing

Battle of Antietam Sept 1862, Lee leads troops into Maryland – a border state he wanted to inspire a pro-Confederate uprising Union soldiers found a copy of Lee’s battle plan at an abandoned campsite

Battle of Antietam Two armies converged at Sharpsburg, Maryland Union troops attacked Lee’s army in 3 phases End of the day, 20,000 casualties Bloodiest day of the Civil War Lincoln had victory he needed to move forward with emancipation

Emancipation proclamation Formally announced Sept. 22, 1862 Freed all slaves in Confederate states Did not free slaves in border states or places under Union military control Turning point in the war For northerners it redefined the war to being about slavery For southerners it ended the desire to negotiate an end to the war emancipation parody

African Americans join the fight Congress passed the Militia Act Mandated that African Americans be accepted into the military 70,000 died Massachusetts formed an all black regiment – the 54th Massachusetts Regiment Glory clip Led by Robert Gould Shaw They earned respect and honor through performance in battle Shaw and many of his men died during an unsuccessful battle at Fort Wagner in Charleston

Prejudice Still face prejudice Assigned menial tasks Served guard duty longer than whites Placed in exposed battle positions Took 3 years before they received equal pay

confederacy Considered drafting slaves and free African Americans in 1863 and 1864 Most southerners opposed

Daily life in north Industry boomed as demand for clothing, weapons, and other supplies increased Government introduced income tax to meet the economic challenges of supplying the military Also sold billions of dollars worth government bonds Congress passed the Legal Tender Act 1862 Increased the amount of cash in circulation for people to buy bonds Allowed treasury to print paper money known as “greenbacks”

War spurs expansion Congress passed the Homestead Act Made western land available at a low cost Pacific Railroad Act Granted land to companies to build railroads through Union territory

Northerners and the draft Union instituted the draft Any man 20-45 could be called into service African Americans could not be drafted at this time But could pay $300 to hire someone to take your place New York Draft Riot Poor white workers went on a 4 day riot, damaging factories and attacking African Americans

Civil liberties Peace Democrats opposed Lincoln’s conduct and demanded an end to the war Copperheads promoted violence against the Union to end the war Lincoln suspended habeas corpus which protects a person from being held in jail without being charged Supreme Court said this was unconstitutional but President ignored He empowered the military to arrest people suspected of disloyalty to Union and those who criticized the President

Daily life in south Union blockades of southern ports kept supplies from getting into the South Blockade runners were hired and were effective until about 1863 Had to depend upon their own farms and factories

Paying for war difficult Most of the South’s wealth invested in land and slaves War reduced value of these assets Confederates seized Union weapons, food, and supplies when possible Hard to collect taxes, southerners resisted Led to inflation as prices rose and Confederate money lost value

Wartime challenges unity Some states did not want to send troops outside of their borders Confederacy enacted the draft Seized private property Suspended habeas corpus Some called for Jefferson Davis’s impeachment Georgia talked about seceding from Confederacy

A soldier’s life Army life full of marching and drill broken up by brief periods of combat Soldier’s often homesick and bored Wrote letters, played cards, went to religious revivals Border states suffered divided loyalties with family members fighting on different sides

Death on and off battlefield New weapons created horrible wounds Amputation a common treatment Doctors did not know about infection Minor wounds could lead to death Poor drinking water or lack of sanitation spread illness For every soldier killed in battle, 2 died of disease

Prison camps Faced overcrowding and filth African American prisoners in Confederate camps killed Andersonville – most notorious (watch episode 7) In Georgia Prisoners had little food More than 12,000 out of 33,000 Union prisoners died of disease and malnutrition

Women’s roles Took over family businesses, farms, and plantations Women took over teaching profession by war’s end Hundreds masqueraded as men so they could fight in battle Served as spies or guides Served as nurses – Clara Barton – collected medical supplies and traveled with Union army ambulances Lincoln approved the formation of the United States Sanitary Commission allowed women to oversee hospitals and sanitation in military installations

Works cited Lapansky-Werner, Emma J. et al. United States History. Pearson Education. 2016. Print. Wood County Civil War Legacy Project. Historical Center and Museum of Wood County, Ohio. 13 Jan 2016. Web. 2014. United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) Lesson Plan. Saving America’s Battlefields. Civil War Trust. 13 Jan 2016. Web. 2014.