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The American Civil War explained in 3 minutes - mini history

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Do research!

Find out about the war's course.

Conduct research about at least 3 major battles!

When were they? Where were they? Was there a winner?

How did the map of the US change during the war?

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Present your results next week in a short presentation.

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Do research!

Find out more about the 4 people below!

Who were they before the war?

On whose side were they?

What was their role in the war/after the war?

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Do research!

What were the apparent roles of women in the Civil War?

How did women interact with the war secretly?

Name at least three important women and explain how they contributed to one or the other side? (Women's rights activists, spies, nurses etc.)

One of the three women has to be an African American person.

Add material such as your own posts, photos, videos and articles to your column. Give a short presentation about your results on Thursday, 09. November.

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Do research!

Find out about the main cause of the American Civil War.

Are there more causes?

How was the political and social climate at that time in America?

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Present your results next week in a short presentation.

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Do research!

Find out more about the changes in America after the Civil War.

What was the most important change after the Civil War?

Were there other changes worth mentioning?

Did the African American Community in America gain equal rights after the war?

Explain the term "Reconstruction"

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Present your results next week in a short presentation.

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Prelude to war

The secession of the Southern states (in chronological order, South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina) in 1860-61 and the ensuing outbreak of armed hostilities were the culmination of decades of growing sectional friction over slavery. Between 1815 and 1861 the economy of the Northern states was rapidly modernizing and diversifying. Although agriculture-mostly smaller farms that relied on free labour-remained the dominant sector in the North, industrialization had taken root there. Moreover, Northerners had invested heavily in an expansive and varied transportation system that included canals, roads, steamboats, and railroads; in financial industries such as banking and insurance; and in a large communications network that featured inexpensive, widely available newspapers, magazines, and books, along with the telegraph.

By contrast, the Southern economy was based principally on large farms (plantations) that produced commercial crops such as cotton and that relied on slaves as the main labour force. Rather than invest in factories or railroads as Northerners had done, Southerners invested their money in slaves-even more than in land; by 1860, 84 percent of the capital invested in manufacturing was invested in the free (nonslaveholding) states. Yet, to Southerners, as late as 1860, this appeared to be a sound business decision. The price of cotton, the South's defining crop, had skyrocketed in the 1850s, and the value of slaves-who were, after all, property-rose commensurately. By 1860 the per capita wealth of Southern whites was twice that of Northerners, and three-fifths of the wealthiest individuals in the country were Southerners.

The extension of slavery into new territories and states had been an issue as far back as the Northwest Ordinance of 1784. When the slave territory of Missouri sought statehood in 1818, Congress debated for two years before arriving upon the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This was the first of a series of political deals that resulted from arguments between pro-slavery and antislavery forces over the expansion of the "peculiar institution," as it was known, into the West. The end of the Mexican-American War in 1848 and the roughly 500,000 square miles (1.3 million square km) of new territory that the United States gained as a result of it added a new sense of urgency to the dispute. More and more Northerners, driven by a sense of morality or an interest in protecting free labour, came to believe, in the 1850s, that bondage needed to be eradicated. White Southerners feared that limiting the expansion of slavery would consign the institution to certain death. Over the course of the decade, the two sides became increasingly polarized and politicians less able to contain the dispute through compromise. When Abraham Lincoln, the candidate of the explicitly antislavery Republican Party, won the 1860 presidential election, seven Southern states (South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas) carried out their threat and seceded, organizing as the Confederate States of America.

In the early morning hours of April 12, 1861, rebels opened fire on Fort Sumter, at the entrance to the harbour of Charleston, South Carolina. Curiously, this first encounter of what would be the bloodiest war in the history of the United States claimed no victims. After a 34-hour bombardment, Maj. Robert Anderson surrendered his command of about 85 soldiers to some 5,500 besieging Confederate troops under P.G.T. Beauregard. Within weeks, four more Southern states (Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina) left the Union to join the Confederacy.

With war upon the land, President Lincoln called for 75,000 militiamen to serve for three months. He proclaimed a naval blockade of the Confederate states, although he insisted that they did not legally constitute a sovereign country but were instead states in rebellion. He also directed the secretary of the treasury to advance $2 million to assist in the raising of troops, and he suspended the writ of habeas corpus, first along the East Coast and ultimately throughout the country. The Confederate government had previously authorized a call for 100,000 soldiers for at least six months' service, and this figure was soon increased to 400,000.
Jennifer L. Weber

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American Civil War | History, Summary, Dates, Causes, Map, Timeline, Battles, Significance, & Facts

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American Civil War, four-year war (1861-65) fought between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America. It arose out of disputes over slavery and states' rights. When antislavery candidate Abraham Lincoln was elected president (1860), the Southern states seceded.

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Battles of the Civil War: Crash Course US History #19

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What Happened to Confederates After the Civil War? | Animated History

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Spring 1993, Vol. 25, No. 1 By DeAnne Blanton © 1993 by DeAnne Blanton Disguised as a man (left), Frances Clayton served many months in Missouri artillery and cavalry units. (By courtesy of the Trustees of the Boston Public Library) It is an accepted convention that the Civil War was a man’s fight…

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The majority of civil war women continued their traditional role of that of homemaker and mother, however, against great odds some women choose to become involved in the war effort.

Both the union and confederate sides of the war had female spies, nurses, and some even enlisted as soldiers disguised as men.

At the time of the civil war roles that we would view today as being heavily female dominated such as nursing were in fact carried out by men.

Out of necessity women were begrudgingly brought into these roles in a attempt to further the war effort.

Women were ordinarily expected to remain in the home, some historians have claimed that the involvement of women in the civil war put the women's movement ahead by some fifty years

Famous Women in the Civil War

Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and social activist (born Araminta Ross in March 1822; died March 10, 1913).

Despite having been born into slavery herself, Tubman was able to use the anti-slavery movement and its network of safe houses, known as the Underground Railroad, to rescue the lives of almost seventy slaves, including many of her own family and friends.

Also Read: Timeline of The Underground Railroad

She served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army during the American Civil War. Towards the end of her life, Tubman became an activist for women's suffrage.

After enlisting in the Union Army, Tubman took on many roles during the Civil War, including those of chef, nurse, scout, and spy. She was the first woman to command an armed expedition during the war when she attacked at Combahee Ferry and freed more than 700 slaves.
Also Read: Facts About Women's History Month
She acquired a house in Auburn, New York, in 1859, and after the war she moved back there to take care of her aging parents.

She fought for the right of women to vote and later helped build a home for elderly African Americans before falling ill. She became an icon of individualism and defiance.

2. Harriet Beecher Stowe

The American author and abolitionist Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, and died on July 1, 1896. She was raised in a Christian family and became famous for writing Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), which tells the story of a slave who survives the brutal conditions of his life.

The novel and subsequent play were seen by millions of people in the United States and Great Britain, where they had a tremendous impact on the anti-slavery movement in the North and provoked strong outrage in the South.

Stowe wrote a total of 30 publications, including fiction, collections of essays and correspondence, memoirs, and anthologies of her travel writing. She has made a huge difference with her writing and public speaking on important social concerns.

Activist for the abolition of slavery and women's rights in the United States New York Dutch ancestry can be traced back to Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree; died November 26, 1883)

Truth and her daughter were born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but by 1826, they had escaped to freedom. To get her kidnapped son back, she sued a white man and won in court in 1828, making history as the first black woman to do so.

Also Read: Sojourner Truth Facts

After moving from New York City to the countryside out of a sense of divine calling in 1843, she began using the name Sojourner Truth.

In the same year, at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in Akron, she gave an impromptu speech that would become her most renowned (1851).

A revised version of the statement with a stereotypical Southern accent became popular during the Civil War under the title "Ain't I a Woman?" But Sojourner Truth grew up in New York and spoke Dutch as her first language.

Truth attempted to win federal land grants for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, having helped recruit black soldiers for the Union Army during the war, but was eventually unsuccessful in his efforts. She dedicated her life to the cause of racial and gender equality.

4. Belle Boyd

Belle Boyd, or Isabella Maria Boyd, was a Confederate spy in the American Civil War. She lived from May 9, 1844, to June 11, 1900. She was also known as the "Cleopatra of the Secession."

In 1862, she helped Confederate General Stonewall Jackson with crucial intelligence from the hotel her father owned in Front Royal, Virginia.

Eliza Hopewell, one of her slaves, was entrusted with passing along the information to the Confederate officers in a hollowed-out watch case. Boyd was warned she faced the death penalty after being apprehended during her first spy mission.

Midway through the month of May in 1862, she spied on General James Shields and his staff as they convened in the hotel parlor. Boyd spied on them from within the room's closet, where she listened through a knothole she had widened.

Jackson promoted her to captain and made her an honorary aide-de-camp for her service, as well as awarding her the Southern Cross of Honor.

5. Rose O'Neal Greenhow

During the American Civil War, Rose O'Neal Greenhow (1813-October 1, 1864) was a well-known spy for the Confederacy.

She was a prominent Washington, D.C. socialite before the war who befriended politicians and military leaders including John C. Calhoun and James Buchanan.

She leveraged her network to provide the Confederacy with early-game military intelligence. Thomas Jordan, a captain in the Confederate Army, entrusted her with a pro-Southern espionage network in Washington, D.C., in the early months of 1861.

During the First Battle of Bull Run in late July 1861, she was instrumental in guaranteeing the South's triumph, according to Confederate president Jefferson Davis.

Her narrative, written in 1863 and published in London, was a big hit with readers there. Her returning ship had run aground off the coast of Wilmington, North Carolina in 1864, and she was trying to escape a Union gunboat in a rowboat when it capsized, killing her instantly. Her funeral was attended by members of the Confederate armed forces.

6. Sarah Rosetta Wakeman

In the American Civil War, Union soldier Sarah Rosetta Wakeman (January 16, 1843 - June 19, 1864) was known by her male alias, Lyons Wakeman.

Wakeman was a member of the 153rd New York Volunteer Infantry, Company H.

A relative's attic in 1976 yielded her letters, which documented her time spent serving in the military over a century after her death.

She was laid to rest at Chalmette National Cemetery in New Orleans with the highest level of military honors.

7. Sarah Emma Edmonds

Sarah Emma Edmonds (née Sarah Emma Evelyn Edmondson; died September 5, 1898; married name Seelye; alias Franklin Flint Thompson) was a Canadian woman who said she served as a male in the Union Army during the American Civil War.

Even though the United States government officially recognizes her service, some historians question the veracity of her statements because of inconsistencies and discrepancies in the evidence.

The men and women who served with Thompson spoke highly of her military service, and this was true even when they found her true identity. She was a fierce fighter who participated in every battle her regiment fought.

8. Elizabeth Van Lew

During the American Civil War, abolitionist and philanthropist Elizabeth Van Lew (October 12, 1818 - September 25, 1900) created and ran a large spy ring on behalf of the Union Army.

There are still numerous unfounded rumors circulating about her.

9. Pauline Cushman

American actress Pauline Cushman (real name: Harriet Wood; June 10, 1833-December 2, 1893) served as a Union Army spy during the American Civil War. She was one of the most effective spies during the Civil War.

There is a dearth of supporting evidence regarding her at the moment because of the secrecy surrounding her covert work for the government. However, after the war, she embarked on a tour highlighting her time as a Union spy, at one point teaming up with P. T. Barnum.

Pauline Fryer, her assumed name at death, passed away at age 60. Cushman was laid to rest with full military honors, and her funeral was organized by members of the Grand Army of the Republic, who recalled her time of prominence during the Civil War.

The grave of "Major" Cushman has been found in Officer's Circle in the National Cemetery in the Presidio. Her modest memorial marker honors her service and sacrifice on behalf of the Union. Pauline C. Fryer, Union Spy, is written on the inside.

10. Dorothea Dix

Advocate for the destitute mentally ill, Dorothea Lynde Dix (April 4, 1802-July 17, 1887) successfully petitioned state legislatures and the federal government to build the first American mental asylums.

During the Civil War, she served as a Union Army Nurses Superintendent.

Also Read: Famous Civil War Nurses

During the American Civil War, Dix served as the Union Army's Superintendent of Army Nurses instead of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell on June 10th, 1861.

Dix developed standards for aspiring nurses. Ages 35-50, nondescript looks required. They were restricted to wearing long, form-fitting dresses in either black or brown, with no jewelry or other embellishments allowed.

Dix feared that males would take advantage of young, attractive women if they were brought into hospitals (doctors as well as patients).

There was tension between Dix and Army physicians due to arguments about who should have the authority to employ and fire nurses and manage the medical facilities. Male doctors and surgeons were hesitant to fill nursing positions with women.

The War Department issued Order No. 351 in October 1863 to try to end the deadlock. In doing so, it gave the Surgeon General (Joseph K. Barnes) and the Superintendent of Army Nurses permission to hire women for nursing positions (Dix).

However, this did offer doctors the ability to select which institutions would be given employees and volunteers. This meant Dix didn't have to micromanage anything anymore.

Through Dix's leadership, the Federal army nursing program grew to include over 3,000 female participants.

11. Clara Barton

The American Red Cross was founded by nurse and humanitarian Clarissa Harlowe Barton (December 25, 1821 - April 12, 1912). She served in many capacities throughout the American Civil War, including as a patent clerk, a teacher, and a nurse.

Since nursing education was not heavily institutionalized at the time, she was able to provide self-taught nursing care.
Also Read: Accomplishments of Clara Barton
Since she lived during a time when women did not have the opportunity to vote, Barton is remembered for her humanitarian work and civil rights activism. She entered the Hall of Fame for American Women in 1973.

Barton became well-known across the country after she spoke publicly about her time in the war from 1865 to 1868. She connected with Susan B. Anthony and the women's suffrage movement during this time.

She met Frederick Douglass and went on to work in the civil rights movement. Her doctor had advised her to go somewhere far from her current employment because the cross-country flight had been taxing on both her mind and body. She left the Missing Soldiers Office in 1868 and went on a European tour.

After meeting Dr. Appia and learning about the Red Cross during a trip to Geneva, Switzerland in 1869, Barton offered her to serve as the organization's agent in the United States and helped her secure funding from generous donors.

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11 Most Famous Women in the Civil War - Have Fun With History

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The majority of civil war women continued their traditional role of that of homemaker and mother, however, against great odds some women choose to become involved in the war effort. Both the union and confederate sides of the war had female spies, nurses, and some even enlisted as soldiers disguised as men.

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Do research!

Find out more about the role of African Americans in the Civil War!

Were African Americans recruited into both Armies? How, if so?

What were major motivations for African Americans to fight on both sides?

Mention at least 2 important people or groups of African descent that contributed to the Civil War and explain their role. (e.g. 54th Massachussets regiment)

Find out about the impact of the Civil War on the African American experience after the war.

Add material such as your own posts, photos, videos and articles to your column. Give a short presentation about your results on Thursday, 09. November.

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Black Americans in the Civil War: Crash Course Black American History #18

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Reconstruction: Crash Course Black American History #19

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12-pdr. Napoleon, between 1860 and 1864
Civil War

In 1862, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation opened the door for African Americans to enlist in the Union Army. Although many had wanted to join the war effort earlier, they were prohibited from enlisting by a federal law dating back to 1792. President Lincoln had also feared that if he authorized their recruitment, border states would secede from the Union. By the end of the war, approximately 180,000 African-American soldiers had joined the fight.

In addition to the problems of war faced by all soldiers, African-American soldiers faced additional difficulties created by racial prejudice. Although many served in the infantry and artillery, discriminatory practices resulted in large numbers of African-American soldiers being assigned to perform non-combat, support duties as cooks, laborers, and teamsters. African-American soldiers were paid $10 per month, from which $3 was deducted for clothing. White soldiers were paid $13 per month, from which no clothing allowance was deducted. If captured by the Confederate Army, African-American soldiers confronted a much greater threat than did their white counterparts.

In spite of their many hardships, African-American soldiers served the Union Army well and distinguished themselves in many battles. Of their service to the nation Frederick Douglass said, "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right of citizenship in the United States." African-American soldiers comprised about 10 percent of the Union Army. It is estimated that one-third of all African Americans who enlisted lost their lives.

Documents

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African-American Soldiers During the Civil War | Civil War and Reconstruction, 1861-1877 | U.S. History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress

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In 1862, President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation opened the door for African Americans to enlist in the Union Army. Although many had wanted to join the war effort earlier, they were prohibited from enlisting by a federal law dating back to 1792.

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Greta, Paula, Hannah, Luisa, Lenia

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Norman, Jaron, Christian, Levi, Elias, Leo

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Norman, Jaron, Christian, Levi, Elias, Leo

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Omar, Niclas, Maik, Felix

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