1. The Coming of the Civil War

2. Historians and the Civil War Some historians suggest the Civil War could have been avoided If the US had elected better leaders, and est. stronger political institutions, they believe, the extremists would not have forced the nation into war

3. Historians and the Civil War This view is based on the fact the North and South were similar – Both regions supported democracy and free enterprise Other historians do not accept that idea – They tend to feel the North and South were not similar in belief – They emphasize geographic regions, racial groups and social classes

4. The Case against Slavery By 1850s white Northerners had come to believe that slavery violated not only the basic principles of the US, but also the Christian religion Most white opponents of slavery were members of the Protestant faith that had been on the rise since the Second Great Awakening

5. The Case against Slavery Many people from this group were prejudice – Prejudice: an unreasonable, unfavorable opinion of another group NOT based on fact They felt slavery was evil

6. Harriet Beecher Stowe Author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, 1852 Instant best seller Story is set in pre Civil War South – In the novel, a slave escapes from her plantation when her child is to be sold. She eludes her catchers with the help of the Underground Railroad. Another slave, Tom, is sold and killed by his slave owner, Simon Legree. – Stowe’s fictional account of Uncle Tom made a strong case against slavery. Simon Legree, the slave owner, is anti-Christian, an alcoholic and a brute. – This novel made a large impact on people’s perspective of slavery. Many northerners were moved to oppose slavery.

7. Southerner Views on Slavery The South felt offended by Stowe’s novel White Southerners felt plantation households were like large and happy families Southerners began to attack the evils of the North. Southerners felt north industrialists treated factory workers poorly.

8. Differences b/n the North & South The North was more urban and industrial The North had a larger population and more diversity The North had benefited from the railroad boom The North possessed the telegraph. The telegraph was a communication revolution in the North