Discussion Questions – The Civil War, Part I
1. During what years did the Civil War
last? (1861-1865)
2. What does the word "antebellum"
mean? (before the war)
3. Which three slave holding states
were located north of 36 degrees
30 minutes northern latitude?
(Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia)
4. Describe how slaves were treated in
the antebellum South. (treated like
property, had no rights, were brutally
punished, were not paid for their work,
could be sold and sent away from their
family)
5. How did white southerners justify their
treatment of slaves? (said they were
born inferior, were by nature supposed
to do what white people told them to do)
6. What was the southern way of life
almost completely based on? (slavery)
7. Who were "abolitionists?" (people who
wanted to abolish slavery)
8. Who was the publisher of "The Liberator?" (William Lloyd Garrison)
9. Who, according to Garrison, was
involved in slavery? (all of society -churches, government and business)
10. What major changes were taking place
in mid-19th century America? (Cities
were growing, manufacturing was
booming in the North, millions of immigrants were arriving from overseas,
transportation was growing, etc.)
slavery?
(slaves would take jobs from workers
in the territory and those who believed
in slavery would take over the federal
government)
13. What two things did Southern politicians
fear if the new lands won in the Mexican-American War didn't allow slavery?
(A growth of the slave population would
increase the likelihood of a slave revolt
and would cause a drop in the price of
slaves, thereby decreasing their investment in slaves.)
14. Which law did slave owners cite as
proof that slavery was legal? (5th
amendment of the Constitution)
15. What did the Fugitive Slave Act state?
(Federal officers could track down, capture and return runaway slaves to their
owners.)
16. Who wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and
what was its importance? (Harriet
Beecher Stowe; helped people understand the unspeakable evils of slavery)
17. What law did the Kansas-Nebraska
Act ignore? (Compromise of 1820)
18. How did Kansas become a slave state?
(People from Missouri came into Kansas to vote for slavery.)
19. Who was John Brown and what did he
do? (a radical abolitionist who led a
raid on a federal arms depot at Harpers
Ferry, VA)
11. What is "Manifest Destiny" and what
was its importance in mid-19th century
America? (the belief that the United
States would eventually stretch from
the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans and
it led to the Mexican-American War)
12. What two things did Northern
politicians fear if the new lands won in
the Mexican-American War allowed
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The Compromise of 1820
Sometimes called "The Missouri Compromise" or the "Missouri Compromise of 1820," this law was an effort by congress to balance the power
between the slaveholding states in the South and the free states in the
North. The slaveholding states were afraid that if new states were
admitted as free, they would lose their power in congress and thus would
be unable to protect their interests.
When Missouri petitioned to become a state in 1819, there were various
plans in congress to make it either free or slave. The debates raged on
until Maine petitioned for statehood in 1820. The powerful Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Henry Clay of Kentucky, said that if Maine
became a free state, Missouri should be admitted, also, but as a slave
state. Many in congress believed from that time onward that states should
be admitted in pairs -- one free and one slave. An Illinois senator, Jesse
Thomas, proposed an amendment that after the law was passed, slavery
would be allowed only in states south of 36 degrees, 30 minutes northern
latitude.
To at least some extent, the compromise suppressed further debate for
three decades. But in 1850, the heated debate resurfaced, and The
Compromise of 1850 was still another attempt to satisfy both sides.
Conduct a web search on the Missouri Compromise of 1820, then present
a 5-minute debate or presentation giving each side's positions.
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Marcus, Penelope, Albert & You
In the video, you saw three characters -- Marcus, Albert and Penelope -- give
justifications for slavery. On the space below and on the back of this paper, do
the following: (1) Tell why the reason Marcus used to give Penelope a trip to
Charleston does not ring true (hint: look at the servant.) (2) Online, research
southern attitudes toward slavery in antebellum America. (3) Write a dialog
between you and a slave holder debating slavery. Use additional paper, if
necessary.
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Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
In the program, the woman you saw
speaking to a large audience was
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a
renowned 19th century poet, speaker
and abolitionist. Born in Baltimore, her
mother died when she was three years
old and she went to live with an aunt
and uncle. Her uncle ran a school for
African-American children and she
studied there until she was 13. She
then became a maid in a Quaker
household, where she had access to a
wide range of literature. She taught for
several years in Ohio and Pennsylvania, then became a popular traveling
speaker at abolitionist meetings. She
wrote many poems and stories. In
fact, she was the first African-American
to have a short story ("The Two
Offers") published. Her writings are
still read and studied to this day. One
of her most famous poems is "The
Slave Auction," seen below.
The sale began—young girls were there,
Defenseless in their wretchedness,
Whose stifled sobs of deep despair
Revealed their anguish and distress.
And men, whose sole crime was their hue,
The impress of their Maker’s hand,
And frail and shrinking children too,
Were gathered in that mournful band.
And mothers stood, with streaming eyes,
And saw their dearest children sold;
Unheeded rose their bitter cries,
While tyrants bartered them for gold.
Ye who have laid your loved to rest,
And wept above their lifeless clay,
Know not the anguish of that chest,
Whose loved are rudely torn away.
And woman, with her love and truth—
For these in sable forms may dwell—
Gazed on the husband of her youth,
With anguish none may paint or tell.
Ye may not know how desolate
Are families rudely forced to part,
And how a dull and heavy weight
Will press the life-drops from the heart.
What does the phrase in the 3rd stanza, "For these in sable forms may
dwell --" mean? Write your explanation on the back of this page.
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The Dred Scott Case
According to some historians, the Dred Scott case was one of the major events
that helped spark the Civil War. Conduct a web search on Dred Scott and in the
spaces provided, write a one or two sentence caption for the pictures below.
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Frederick Douglass
Frederick Bailey, later called Frederick
Douglass, was born a slave in Maryland
in 1818. He was sold to several plantation owners during his childhood and
teen years, often because he refused to
bend to his masters' wills. When Frederick was a youngster, the wife of one of
his masters began to teach him how to
read, which was against the law in many
states. When her husband found out
about it, he was furious and prohibited
his wife to give Frederick any more lessons. But the youngster figured out that
learning to read and write could be his
ticket to freedom. In 1836, he planned to
escape to the North, along with several
other slaves. But the plan was discovered and Frederick was jailed. After a week, however, one of his former owners,
Thomas Auld, bought him back and Auld's brother, Hugh, found Frederick a job as
an apprentice in a Baltimore shipyard. But Frederick had to hand over his paycheck
to Hugh. In his spare time, Douglass met with other African-Americans at the East
Baltimore Mental Improvement Society, where he sharpened his literary and speaking skills -- and where he met his future wife, Anna Murray. In 1838, he tried to
escape to the North once again. This time he was successful, eventually winding up
in New York City. He then sent for Anna and the two were married. There were,
however, many slave catchers on the lookout for runaway slaves in New York City,
so the two moved to New Bedford, MA, where Frederick found work in a shipyard. It
was in New Bedford that Douglass began reading William Lloyd Garrison's "The
Liberator" newspaper. “The paper became my meat and drink,” wrote Douglass.
“My soul was set all on fire.” Within a year, Douglass' submissions to the newspaper
were published. In 1841, the 23-year-old Frederick met Garrison, who was so impressed by the former slave, offered him a job. Douglass would travel around the
North giving speeches about his days as a slave and sell subscriptions to the newspaper. In time, Douglass moved to England, where he became an international
sensation traveling the lecture circuit around the British Isles. He became known as
an unrivaled speaker and writer on the subject of slavery. He published a book
about his experiences as a slave, which further increased his fame. Along with Garrison, he is considered to be the leading voice in the American abolitionist movement.
Read an excerpt from one of Douglass' writings found at https://www.lib.rochester.
edu/index.cfm?page=2884 and write a brief summary of it.
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Literature can be a powerful tool for changing
history. Whether fiction or non-fiction, books have
provided important historical movements the words
and emotions to change an individual's mind, to
reinforce or challenge ideas, to move people to
action -- and to change society. Published in 1852,
Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is
an example. As the best-selling novel of the 19th
century, it first appeared as a 40-part serial in an
abolitionist magazine, The National Era. Mrs.
Stowe didn't think people would read it in book form,
but was finally convinced to have it published as a
book. As you learned, many of the ideas and
people in the book were inspired by runaway slaves
who stayed in her house in Cincinnati, Ohio, as they
moved along the underground railway. Much of her
inspiration also came from the autobiography of
Josiah Henson, a fugitive slave who lived in
Canada.
One of the story's main characters is Eliza, a slave who lives on a plantation.
Her son is about to be sold to another plantation owner, so she decides to run
away with him and settle in Canada. Her husband also plans leave his master
and she hopes to meet him in the country north of the United States. Another
slave on Eliza's plantation, Tom, is sold several times, winding up being owned
by a cruel slave-holder, Simon Legree. Tom is kind-hearted and intelligent.
When he refuses to obey Legree's evil commands, the slave-holder beats him
mercilessly. The novel goes on to portray the lives of its main characters, as well
as other slaves, detailing the humiliating and dangerous situations in which
slaves often found themselves.
In the first year of its publication, 300,000 copies were sold in the United States.
Eventually, more than 1,000,000 copies were sold in England. The only other
book to sell more copies in the 19th century was the Bible. However, many
southern book shops refused to sell the novel, and some attacked it as being
unrealistic. But the criticism had little effect, and it became especially popular
among abolitionists in both the United States and England.
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The Civil War, Part I Evaluation Exercise, p. 1
I. True or false. Put a "T" next to the statement if it is true, or an "F" if it is false.
1. _____ The American Civil War began in 1861.
2. _____ Antebellum means "against war."
3. _____ One of the most important features of the North before the Civil
War was slavery.
4. _____ Many southerners thought slaves were born to obey their masters.
5. _____ Slaves who didn't obey their masters were severely punished.
II. Circle the letter next to the phrase that best completes the sentence.
1. Yankee abolitionists
a. lived in the South.
b. lived in the North and supported slavery in the South.
c. wanted to abolish slavery.
d. none of the above.
2. William Lloyd Garrison
a. was a slave master.
b. published "The Liberator."
c. was an abolitionist.
d. b. and c.
3. In the North, Antebellum America was
a. sending people to Europe.
b. growing at a furious pace.
c. losing factories to the South because of labor strife.
d. none of the above
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The Civil War, Part I Evaluation Exercise, p. 2
4. Most immigrants who came to America in the antebellum period
a. were from South America.
b. were from Eastern Europe.
c. were from Western Europe.
d. None of the above.
5. People who came to America in the antebellum period came to
a. work in factories.
b. build new communities.
c. farm and ranch.
d. all of the above.
6. Manifest Destiny was a belief that
a.
b.
c.
d.
slaves were born to obey their masters.
the West must remain unsettled.
resulted in the War of 1812.
none of the above.
7. Northern politicians were afraid that
a.
b.
c.
d.
slaves would start a revolt.
the North would rule the country.
slaves would take jobs away from white laborers.
all of the above.
8. Southern politicians were afraid that
a.
b.
c.
d.
slaves would lose their value.
slaves would move West.
both a. and b.
slaves would become military officers.
9. Southern politicians liked to cite the 5th amendment because it
a. allowed them to keep their firearms.
b. assured freedom of the press.
c. assured freedom of religion.
d. assured that no person would be deprived of his property.
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The Civil War, Part I Evaluation Exercise, p. 3
10. The Compromise of 1850 said that
a. California would become a slave state.
b. Missouri would become a free state.
c. federal officers could return runaway slaves to the South.
d. slaves could stay in the North if they lived there for one year.
III. Place the letter next to the word or phrase that best matches the name.
_____1. Harriet Beecher Stowe
a. Harpers Ferry, VA
_____2. William Lloyd Garrison
b. Military officer
_____3. John Brown
c. President
_____4. Robert E. Lee
d. Uncle Tom's Cabin
_____5. James Buchanan
e. The Liberator newspaper
IV. Answer the question in one or two sentences.
1. What were five states that lay south of 36 degrees, 39 minutes
northern latitude?
2. Why was slavery so important to the South?
3. How did abolitionists fight against slavery?
4. How did the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo worsen relations between
the North and South?
5. Why were abolitionists so upset about the Fugitive Slave Act?
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