Abraham Lincoln is
often lauded as the president who freed the slaves, but just how much
impact did his Emancipation Proclamation have? As it turns out, not
much. Lincoln's initial goal was not emancipation, but the preservation
of the Union - and freeing the slaves was a strategic means to that
end. It was an action forced by slave riots that reminded the country
that the American Civil War began as a conflict over slavery, not
secession.
So,
if it wasn't Honest Abe, who did give freedom to the slaves? It was
actually primarily the slaves themselves. They rioted, revolted against
their owners, and basically did their best to remind the Union that the
South had seceded because of contentions over slavery. After the
Emancipation Proclamation, southern slaves were far from free - the
proclamation only served to anger Confederates. Because all of the law
enforcement in the south was fighting for slavery and the South now
considered itself separate, none of the slaves were actually freed by
Lincoln's declaration.
Lincoln
claimed to have a personal belief that all men should be free, but was
originally apathetic about freeing the slaves. His purpose was to keep
the Union together, saying, 'If I could save the Union without freeing
any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the
slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and
leaving others alone, I would also do that.' Throughout the course of
the war, however, his mind began to change and he became more passionate
about emancipation. He was reminded of the slaves' plight by riots and
stories of escapees. In the end, the Emancipation Proclamation didn't
do much practically - but the gesture was nice.
Sources
http://www.edline.net/files/_DMF17_/2238431140fb386a3745a49013852ec4/Freedom_from_Above_or_Below_Documents.pdf
http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/film/episode3.html#
http://www.edline.net/files/_DMF2g_/25617cd6768f5fcd3745a49013852ec4/Docs_XY_Above__Below.pdf
http://www.edline.net/files/_DMF3y_/abfc09536fdb31443745a49013852ec4/Freedom_to_the_Slaves.jpg
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Sunday, May 3, 2015
A Different Kind of Theatre
We've been learning about the individual battles of the American Civil War lately, and we created a scavenger hunt in class to learn more about each battle. Each person was assigned a battle and had to research it and create a Google Doc about the battle. We made QR codes for the documents and hung them up on the walls all over the school with directions to get to the next station, and ran around the school finding each QR code and taking notes on the battles of the Civil War. We then used Padlet to collaborate on answers to the essential questions.
Ultimately, the Union was victorious in each of the three theatres of war (East, West, and Naval), though their victory in the western theatre was less complete than in the eastern and naval theatres. The north had an established navy before the war, which automatically gave them the upper hand on the naval front. At the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson, the Union used their superior navy to their advantage. In the western theatre, in battles such as Vicksburg and Shiloh, the Union used their larger population and factories to their advantage. The North's economy was based on factory work instead of agriculture, so people flocked to Northern cities to work in the factories. This gave the Union more soldiers and more necessary supplies such as clothing and weapons. Many military academies were located in the South, however, and this allowed the Confederacy to win some battles in the western theatre. In battles such as those of Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg, the North dominated the eastern theatre as well. Their victory in this theatre was again caused by their larger, more well-supplied armies.
Most of the victories of the north were the result of bigger armies, greater resources, and often better strategising. In the beginning of the war, the north had a greater population than the south and an economy based on manufacture. This allowed the north to have more men available to fight and places to make the supplies they needed. They also had more railroads, allowing troops and supplies to move faster. All of these things enabled the union to successfully lay siege to many confederate cities and to cut off southern supply routes.
Ultimately, the Union was victorious in each of the three theatres of war (East, West, and Naval), though their victory in the western theatre was less complete than in the eastern and naval theatres. The north had an established navy before the war, which automatically gave them the upper hand on the naval front. At the battles of Forts Henry and Donelson, the Union used their superior navy to their advantage. In the western theatre, in battles such as Vicksburg and Shiloh, the Union used their larger population and factories to their advantage. The North's economy was based on factory work instead of agriculture, so people flocked to Northern cities to work in the factories. This gave the Union more soldiers and more necessary supplies such as clothing and weapons. Many military academies were located in the South, however, and this allowed the Confederacy to win some battles in the western theatre. In battles such as those of Bull Run, Antietam, and Gettysburg, the North dominated the eastern theatre as well. Their victory in this theatre was again caused by their larger, more well-supplied armies.
Most of the victories of the north were the result of bigger armies, greater resources, and often better strategising. In the beginning of the war, the north had a greater population than the south and an economy based on manufacture. This allowed the north to have more men available to fight and places to make the supplies they needed. They also had more railroads, allowing troops and supplies to move faster. All of these things enabled the union to successfully lay siege to many confederate cities and to cut off southern supply routes.
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