Excerpt from The American Apocalypse speech by Frederick Douglass
Slavery, like all other gross and powerful forms of wrong which appear directly to human pride and selfishness, when once admitted into the framework of society, has the ability and tendency to beget a character in the whole network of society surrounding it, favorable to its continuance. The very law of its existence is growth and dominion. Natural and harmonious relations easily repose in their own rectitude, while all such as are false and unnatural are conscious of their own weakness, and...
Henry McNeal Turner
Excerpt from I Claim the Rights of a Man Speech before the Georgia State Legislature, September 3, 1868 An expelled black senator defends his right to hold office The North's victory in the Civil War in 1865 settled two important issues. First, it established that states were not allowed to leave, or secede from, the United States. Second, it put an end to slavery throughout the country. But the end of the war also raised a whole new set of issues. For example, federal lawmakers had to decide...
Contents
Advisory Board viii Reader's Guide ix American Civil War Timeline xiii Research and Activity Ideas xxix Chapter 1 Harriet Beecher Stowe Excerpt from Uncle Tom's Cabin A novel about the evils of slavery 1 Excerpt from Journal of Theodore Upson A family's reaction to the start of the Civil War 15 Excerpt from The American Apocalypse An abolitionist argues that a Union with slavery is not worth saving 29 Excerpt from How Does One Feel Under Fire A soldier writes about his fears on the battlefield...
What happened next Meu
During much of 1864, it seemed that Patterson's wish to see Lincoln defeated in the 1864 elections might actually come true. Early in the year, strong Union armies under the command of Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman 1820-1891 marched into Southern territory in order to destroy the major rebel armies still in existence. They pursued smaller Confederate armies under the command of Robert E. Lee and Joseph Johnston 1807-1891 all over the South, but they could never quite catch them. Grant...
William Willis Blackford
Excerpt from War Years with Jeb Stuart Written in 1862 first published in 1945 A Confederate officer describes a daring cavalry raid Both the Union and the Confederate militaries organized their armies into three major combat units. The largest and most important of these units was the infantry. The infantry consisted of soldiers who were trained to fight on foot. Most men who fought in the Civil War fit under this category. The Union's larger population and its superior ability to produce...
A Black Soldiers Letter to President Abraham Lincoln
Your Excellency will pardon the presumption of an humble individual like myself, in addressing you, but the earnest Solicitation of my Comrades in Arms beside the genuine interest felt by myself in the matter is my excuse, for placing before the Executive head of the Nation our Common Grievance.On the 6th of the last Month, the Paymaster of the department informed us, that if we would decide to receive the sum of 10 ten dollars per month, he would come and pay us that sum, but that, on the...
James Henry Gooding
A Black Soldier's Letter to President Abraham Lincoln An appeal for equal pay for black soldiers From the earliest days of the Civil War, free black men from the North tried to join the Union Army as soldiers. They cited two main reasons for wanting to fight. First, they wanted to help put an end to slavery. Second, they believed that proving their patriotism and courage on the field of battle would help improve their position in American society. But Federal law prohibited black men from...
Excerpt from Journal of Theodore Upson
Father and I were husking out some corn. . . . When William Cory came across the field he had been down after the mail he was excited and said, Jonathan the Rebs have fired upon and taken Fort Sumpter sic . Father got white and couldn't say a word. William said, The President will fix them. He has called for 75,000 men and is going to blocade their ports, and just as soon as those fellows find out that the North means business they will get down off their high horse. Father said little. We did...
What happened next Fmx
Shortly after Turner and the other black representatives were expelled from the Georgia legislature, the remaining Republican members asked the Georgia Supreme Court to decide whether blacks were eligible to hold public office under the constitution. The Supreme Court said that blacks were entitled to hold office. But the state legislature refused to accept the court's decision. In October 1868, Turner and several other black legislators protested to the U.S. Congress's Committee on...
Abraham Lincoln 1
Delivered November 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania The president mourns fallen soldiers The Battle of Gettysburg was a major turning point in the Civil War. It took place during the first few days of July 1863 on the outskirts of a small town in Pennsylvania. In the hills and fields surrounding Gettysburg, seventy-five thousand Confederate soldiers under General Robert E. Lee 1807-1870 faced off against ninety thousand Union troops under Major General George Meade 1815-1872 . Both sides...
Frank Holsinger
Excerpt from How Does One Feel Under Fire Covering events from 1862 first published in 1898 A soldier writes about his fears on the battlefield During the course of the American Civil War, approximately 620,000 soldiers 360,000 Union and 260,000 Confederate lost their lives. As these troops died, surviving soldiers struggled to conquer their fears and conduct themselves with honor. Most soldiers believed in the cause for which they were fighting, and many entered the war in order to prove their...
Theodore Upson
Excerpt from Journal of Theodore Upson Written in April 1861 originally published in 1943 A family's reaction to the start of the Civil War The Confederate attack on the Federal stronghold of Fort Sumter in April 1861 marked the beginning of the Civil War. The Confederate capture of Sumter made it clear that, after years of dark threats and bitter debate, the differences between the North and South would be settled on the battlefield. At first, many people in both regions expressed great...