Secession and War

The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set up the process to create territories and states on the western frontier of the U.S. Under the Northwest Ordinance, all states formed north of the Ohio River were required to be free states while those south of the Ohio River were required to be slave states.

The Louisiana Purchase In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the U.S. The main issue became whether the new states created from the area would be free or slave states.

Abolitionists 1. The abolitionists were people who wanted to abolish, or do away with, slavery. Most abolitionists lived in the north but there were some living in the south as well. The Mississippi Colonization Society was an example of an early abolitionist movement in MS.

Missouri In 1819, Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state. Missouri was north of the mouth of the Ohio River, which means it was supposed to be a free state. Whatever type of state Missouri became, it would upset the balance of power in Congress – there were 22 states, 11 free, 11 slave.

The Missouri Compromise Under the Missouri Compromise: Missouri entered the Union as a slave state. Maine entered the Union as a free state – this kept the balance of power in Congress. The southern border of Missouri became the new dividing line over slavery – states to the north would be free and states to the south would be slave.

The Missouri Compromise

The Mexican-American War Between 1846 – 1848, the U.S. went to war with Mexico over the border of Texas. In the process of the war, the U.S. gained the entire southwestern portion of the future U.S. Once again, the issue of slavery became a major controversy for the area and it came to a head when California wanted to enter the Union as a free state.

The Mexican – American War

The Compromise of 1850 California entered the Union as a free state. The rest of the western territories were allowed to vote for themselves on the issue of slavery – popular sovereignty. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed, giving the south more power in hunting down runaway slaves. Most people in the U.S. believed the Compromise of 1850 would solve the countries problems over slavery once and for all.

The Compromise of 1850

Bleeding Kansas In 1854, civil war broke out in Kansas as slavery and anti-slavery fought each other over control of the state.

The Dred Scott Case In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court heard the case of Dred Scott v. Sanford. Dred Scott was a slave who sued his owner for his freedom. The U.S. Supreme Court decided that slaves could not use the courts because they were property. This case lead to the Republican Party being formed.

John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia In 1859, John Brown lead a raid on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA. He was hoping to capture the arsenal and use the weapons to lead a slave rebellion. He was captured and executed by the U.S. Army. The south viewed his actions as what would happen if the Republicans were ever in power. John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia

Secession in MS As tensions rose between the north and the south, some Mississippians were in favor of secession – withdrawal from the Union. Those in favor of secession were known as fire-eaters while those opposed to secession were known as Unionists. During the early 1850’s, most Mississippians were Unionists.

Presidential Election of 1860 Candidates: Republican Party – Abraham Lincoln – Stop the spread of slavery. Northern Democrats – Stephen Douglas – Popular Sovereignty Southern Democrats – Preserve Slavery – John C. Breckinridge Constitutional Union Party – Preserve the Union – John Bell

1860 Presidential Candidates

Presidential Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln and Secession 1. When Abraham Lincoln wins the 1860 election, South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the Union (MS was second). Seven states had seceded before Lincoln was inaugurated as president. The formed the Confederate States of America and Jefferson Davis of MS was their president.

The Start of the War The Civil War began on April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter, South Carolina. When the war begins, most people don’t believe that it will last very long. For the First Battle of Bull Run, people will actually take picnics and go watch the battle.

Northern and Southern Advantages North: 1. More men. 2. More industry. 3. More railroads. 4. Already existing military. South: 1. Fighting to defend their homeland. 2. Knowledge of the terrain (landscape).

Northern and Southern Strategies North: 1. Capture Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy. 2. Divide and conquer – split the Confederacy into three sections. 3. Blockade the south – use their navy to close southern ports. South: 1. Hold their own until European countries come to their aid.

Civil War Battles in MS

The Civil War In Mississippi Mississippi was the location of several Civil War battles. Corinth, Meridian and Jackson, MS, were all captured because they were the locations of important railroad junctions. The most important Civil War battle in MS took place at Vicksburg.

Vicksburg, MS

The Importance of Vicksburg By 1863, the Union Army had taken all of the Mississippi River except for the town of Vicksburg. Vicksburg was located on a high bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. Vicksburg’s cannons made it difficult for Union ships to get up and down the Mississippi River.

The Vicksburg Campaign

The Siege of Vicksburg Vicksburg’s location made it extremely difficult to attack because it was up on the bluffs along the river and surrounded by a swampy area with very few roads going in. The Union tried the direct approach and failed. The Union also tried building a canal to bypass Vicksburg but that also failed. 4. Ulysses S. Grant, the leader of the Union forces, then decided to lay siege to Vicksburg – surround the city and cut off their supplies.

The Siege of Vicksburg

The Fall of Vicksburg The siege of Vicksburg lasted about a month and a half. 2. John C. Pemberton, the leader of the Confederate troops in Vicksburg, finally surrendered the city on July 4, 1863. 3. For many years after the war, residents of Vicksburg refused to celebrate Independence Day.

Ulysses S. Grant John C. Pemberton

Vicksburg Caves

The U.S.S. Cairo The U.S.S. Cairo was a Union ironclad - a wooden ship covered with metal plates. The Cairo was used to patrol the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers during the war. The Cairo was sunk in the Yazoo River during the war and later rediscovered in the late 1950’s.

The U.S.S. Cairo

The End of the War After the Siege of Vicksburg, Abraham Lincoln put Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union Army. Grant used his numerical superiority to win the war. On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered to Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

The Effects of the War in MS The Union blockade had severe effects on the economy of MS (and the rest of the south). MS’s government had difficulty financing its war effort because the state couldn’t get its cotton out to market. The people of MS faced severe shortages because manufactured goods into the state.

Slavery During the War During the war some slaves ran away or refused to work but many stayed where they were and continued to work. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the slaves in the Confederacy – he didn’t want to risk any of the border states seceding. At the end of the war, the 13th Amendment will be added to the U.S. Constitution, which will abolish slavery in the U.S.