Lesson 1

Alabama at War: Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 PAGES 140-141 About the time Alabama became a state (1819), the differences between the northern and southern states increased. Most of the issues between the North and South involved politics and slavery. The South depended on agriculture (farming). Manufacturing (making) and commerce (buying and selling) were important to the North. These differences were called sectionalism. After the American Revolution ended in 1783, northern states had abolished (ended) slavery. North- commerce and manufacturing was based on wages (money paid). Free workers received money for their labor, even though they were paid very little. South- commercial agriculture relied on slavery. Planters believed that only slavery could provide enough labor to make agriculture a money making business. They did not believe a wage system would work. Those who opposed (didn’t agree with) slavery were called abolitionists. Ministers were very active in opposing slavery.

When goods were shipped into the United States from Europe, a tariff (tax) had to be paid. The North and South also disagreed on this issue: ▪South-opposed (didn’t agree with) the tariff because they feared it would raise the cost of imported goods. They also feared that the North would begin to tax their exported goods, especially cotton. The North and South also disagreed on the issue of states’ rights: ▪South-believed that the Constitution gave each state the right to decide issues for itself. Southern states couldn’t decide if they wanted slavery or not. ▪North-believed that all U.S. citizens should all obey the same federal laws. The North and South became more and more divided. Southern states began to think about seceding, or leaving the Union and forming their own nation. Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States in 1860. He opposed slavery. After his election, South Carolina voted to leave the Union (secede). Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861. Alabama at War: Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 PAGES 141-142

THE CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT On February 4, 1861, delegates from southern states met in Montgomery to organize a new nation. Alabama’s capital became the 1st capital of the Confederate States of America. 11 states were eventually part of the Confederacy The delegates wrote a constitution and elected Mississippi senator, Jefferson Davis, as president. Davis was inaugurated on the steps of the Alabama capitol. Today there is a large bronze star where he stood to be sworn in as president of the Confederacy. Today the house where Davis and his wife Varina lived is located across from the capitol. It was moved from its original location near the Alabama River. Alabama at War: Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 PAGES 142-143

Montgomery: Capital of the Confederacy The Confederate states decided to meet in Montgomery because it was a central location. It was also a center of strong support for the South and the Confederacy. Montgomery’s population doubled after the Confederate government came to town. The new Confederate government wanted to fly a flag over the Alabama capitol before Lincoln became president, so they created a committee to select a new flag. They selected a design known as “the Stars and Bars”. It was made of wool and sewn in Montgomery.. It had only 7 stars because at that time there were only 7 states in the CSA (Confederate States of America). This was not the same flag as the famous Confederate battle flag we know of today. When Virginia seceded, some people wanted the capital moved there because it was near Washington D.C. and had good railroads. It was also the home of the nation’s founding father, George Washington. Secretly, the Confederate congress met and voted to make Richmond, Virginia, the capital, and voted to meet there on July 21, 1861. Alabama at War: Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 PAGE 144

Lesson Review Questions (page 145) Why did most southerners believe that slavery was necessary? Why did southern states oppose a tariff? Why did northern states disagree with the idea of states’ rights? Where was Abraham Lincoln born? Who was the 1st president of the Confederacy? What was the 1st capital of the Confederacy? Alabama at War: Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 PAGE 145

ANSWERS (pages 141-145) Most southerners believed that slavery was necessary because planters felt that only slavery could provide enough labor to make agriculture profitable. Southern states opposed a tariff because they feared it would raise the cost of imported goods and worried that the North would begin to tax their exported products, especially cotton. Northern states disagreed with the idea of states’ rights because they believed that all U.S. citizens had to obey federal laws. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, which was a slave state. The 1st president of the Confederacy was Jefferson Davis. The 1st capital of the Confederacy was Montgomery Alabama. Alabama at War: Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 PAGE 145

Alabama at War : Conflict between the North and South Chapter 5 Lesson 1 ACTIVITY Imagine that you were on the committee to design a new flag for the Confederate States of America and discuss with your group all the ideas and beliefs of the southern states. Your group will be given a piece of paper. Fold it in half (hamburger style) and label the left side “The Confederate Flag” and the right side “Symbols and Explanation”. Complete the left side by using all space given to design a confederate flag. This must be original and creative. On the right side, explain what each symbol and color means. Your explanation must be specific and demonstrate your group’s knowledge of what southerners actually believed during this time period.