Master and Slave: Slave Resistance
From the time they leave Africa; slaves resist their captive state. Actual rebellions are rare, in part because the vast majority of the population is white and free. In a one-year time frame in the early 1830s two significant events occur: the init...
Master and Slave: Typical White Southerner, a Modest Farmer, The
The typical white Southerner is not a great planter and slaveholder but a modest farmer. No doubt some non-slaveowning whites resent the planter elite, but overt opposition is rare because of the financial assistance they get from plantation owners ...
House Divided: Realities Confronting North and South in the Second Year of Conflict
In the spring and summer of 1862, the Peninsular Campaign led by Union Army General George McClellan is driven back by the Confederates commanded by Robert E. Lee, then defeated once again at Bull Run (Manassas). Ulysses S. Grant's forces defeat the...
House Divided: United States Comes Apart, The
Bitterness marks aftermath of 1860 election. Southern states fear that the election of Abraham Lincoln and Republican dominance of Congress means that their way of life based on slavery will be violated. The legislature of South Carolina quickly cal...
House Divided: Strategies and Positions as War Begins
The first major battle of the Civil War, the Battle of Bull Run called Manassas in the South, is a major Confederate victory that for them confirms the legitimacy of their cause. Because Lincoln is convinced that a few U. S. victories will persuade ...
House Divided: Public Programs Promote Expanding Industrial Economy
Many of the public policy initiatives Lincoln had proposed during his campaign are enacted into law during the early days of his administration. The Republicans become the partners of industrial capitalism through higher tariffs--the Morrill Tariff ...
He Brought the People with Him: Jackson Splits With Vice-President Calhoun over Tariffs
Shortly after he takes office, Jackson finds himself embroiled in a controversy with his vice-president John C. Calhoun. As a South Carolinian, Calhoun's future political hopes may well depend on how effectively he can negotiate relief from the tari...
Final Stages: Bloody Battles Take Their Toll in Virginia, Summer and Fall, 1864
In Virginia, the Grant/Meade campaign against Lee during the summer and fall of 1864 is not making much headway. These are some of the bloodiest battles of the war, grinding day after day engagements with heavy casualties. When Jeb Stuart, Lee's tru...
Final Stages: Battles in the Deep South in 1864 and Their Impact on the Slave Population
William Sherman, commander of Union troops in the West, begins his infamous march to the sea in November and December of 1864 after defeating Confederate forces in Atlanta. With the presence of the Union army so deep within the South, slaves become ...
Final Stages: Contrast between North and South as 1864 Campaign Season Begins
The Confederate war experience is very different from the experience of the North simply because most of the battles are fought on Southern ground. Looking toward the campaigning season of 1864, the Confederates are desperate but determined. The moo...