1. The Road to the Civil War America 1850 - 1860

2. Setting the Scene
Immigration was bustling! It is estimated that between the years of 1840 and 1880, over 5 million people came to the United States.
In the beginning, most immigrants were from Ireland and England, however, more and more immigrants started coming from Germany and Italy (ever wondered why so many people have the last name Smith…)?
Most immigrants lived in cities, mainly New York City. However, an advancement had made it easier for citizens to move to the Midwest.

3. Railroads
Railroads were rapidly expanding in the 1850s and 1860s. Over 9,000 miles were laid during this time…wooden cars were replaced by stage coaches. In May 1869, the Transcontinental Railroad was completed at Promontory Point. This connected the entire US by railroad.

4. The last spike being driven…

5. One Issue….
There was one issue that was on the minds of many Americans. Citizens were becoming increasingly aware of this issue, yet no one could come up with a solution…

6. Slavery
The cotton gin was invented in It made producing cotton faster and easier. More land was needed to grow cotton, and as a result, more people were needed to pick the cotton.
Planters purchased slaves to work on the land.
In the beginning, all of the new US colonies allowed slavery. Over time, however, some northern states made slavery illegal. There was a bigger push to place a ban on slavery in our Constitution.

7. Why was the ban a problem?
Cotton became the South’s most important crop.
By 1860, there were over four million slaves!
Textile mills in the North and England would purchase the cotton from the south.
Many Southerners thought that slavery was needed for their economy.
In the North, many thought that slavery was wrong. This caused tension.

8. The Antebellum South Antebellum (adjective)
Belonging to the period before a war, especially the American Civil War
This is how the dictionary defines Antebellum. So when you hear the term Antebellum South, think of the South before the war.
A lot of times, it is used to describe the MYTH of what the South was like. What’s a myth?

9. The Myth of the Antebellum South…

10. The Myth of the Antebellum South
Most people think that the South was the land of prosperous plantations and happy slaves.
They imagine large white houses with windows.
The citizens could read and write and had an appreciation for music and literature.
Had a stable economy based on cotton.
Wealthy white landowners that lived extravagant lifestyles.

11. The Real South…
Slaves were treated poorly. As a matter of fact, if a slave was killed, the person responsible had to pay for the value of the slave and that’s it.
It was a felony to teach a slave how to read or write.
As a matter of fact, many of the whites in the south did not know how to read or write themselves!
The cities were really unhealthy. Diseases killed many citizens.

12. The Real South…
The big house that we imagine was usually unpainted. There were no windows, instead there was paper in the holes of where the window would go. Doors were badly hung.
Slaves lived in cabins that were in horrible shape.
Some whites had to live in these cabins too and raise hogs.
The land was becoming poor from years of misuse from farming.
As a matter of fact, the Southern economy was on the verge of collapse.