Americas Civil War A HOUSE DIVIDED Essential Questions

America’s Civil War A HOUSE DIVIDED

Essential Questions � 1. Analyze – What were they fighting for? � 2. Compare/Contrast – 1863 A turning point? � 3. Summarize – 1864 -1865 What were the costs of war? � 4. Synthesize – How do the issues of the past impact the present?

“A house divided against itself cannot stand. ”

Where does the phrase, “A House Divided”, come from? � http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=123 H GT 8 Pa 0 I � June 16, 1858 � Springfield, Illinois � Republican State Convention

The Civil War � In November 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Within two months of his election, six Southern states seceded from the Union; within six moths, fighting had begun. � Lincoln’s election triggered the Civil War. But tensions between the North and the South had been building for decades.

Federal vs. State Authority � Could the president or a majority in Congress force a state to accept laws that went against its interests?

Protective Tariff � The South, mostly agrarian, depended on inexpensive machinery imported from Europe, while in the North the young agrarian industry wished to be protected from European, in particular British, competition.

US Banks vs State Banks � President Jackson favored the common people over wealthy Northern indulstrialists and felt that the US Bank had become too powerful. He broke it up in 1836 and, as a result, state banks began to flourish which led to a fluctuating paper currency that favored farmers.

Should Congress build national roads to help settlements in the west? � Federal support and action for internal improvements had diminished during Jackson’s presidency, but railroads became successful. Soon plans for a transcontinental railroad were underway with two routes being discussed, one in the North and one in the South.

The Problem of free land in the west vs its sale for revenue purposes � Congressional policy had been to sell the land of the Western territories to settlers in small lots – or in large lots to speculators – first for $2. 00, then $1. 25 per acre. These prices were too steep for poor farmers and city workers, so many asked that the land, in 160 acre lots, be given away for free. Southern farmers opposed this as it would establish a supremacy of the slave-free states.

The Institution of Slavery � Slavery had existed in the colonies since 1619. � By 1770, about 1/6 of the population consisted of blacks. � Northern climate, soil and type of agriculture made slavery unprofitable. � Northwest Ordinance of 1787 forbade slavery in the Northwest territory.

The Institution of Slavery cont. � The U. S. Constitution prohibited slave trade after January 1, 1808 � The introduction of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin in 1793 allowed the South to switch to large-scale cotton production which required a larger number of slaves. � Laws regarding the recovery of fugitive slaves were rarely enforced and became a source of irritation for all.