Explaining the Story of the Election of 1860 Through Artwork

 The essential question for this unit was, "How were the results of the  Election of 1860 representative of the deep divisions  over slavery?" To answer this question we watched a Crash-course video by John Green to learn the basic concepts of the Election of 1860 and how the topics of the Fugitive Slave Law, railroads, republicans, Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott vs Sanford, and John Brown impacted the Civil War. The Election of 1860 was the main cause of the Civil War. Northern and Southern states (the Union and the Confederacy) disputed over the authorization of slavery. We analyzed a map that depicts which states voted for each president. The map shows how the majority of Northern states voted for Lincoln, a republican against slavery. He felt strongly that slavery should be contained. Southern states voted for Breckenridge, a Southern democrat who believed that there should be no limits on slavery. The votes for president clearly indicated that pro-slavery states voted for Lincoln, a pro-slavery president and anti-slavery states voted for Breckenridge, a pro-slavery president. My group also referenced Civil War In Art to analyze civil war artwork and understand events that led to the war. Through watching the Crash-course video, analyzing electoral votes, analyzing Civil War artwork, and creating a reflective Educreations video, we were able to fully understand how and why the nation was divided over the slavery debate and how events led to the battle of the Civil War.

My Group's Educreation Video

A Map of State Votes

The Civil War: Statistics, Strategies, and Advantages

The Civil War: Statistics, Strategies, and Advantages | Create infographics

Making an Infographic was a challenging process. It involved a lot of trial and error and research to create a detailed presentation. The first element of the Infographic is the pictorial bar which provides the percentage of U.S. citizens in the North and South in 1860. I chose to present this information to give the viewer an idea of where the majority of slaves were located in the U.S. The next element of the Infographic is the Resource Percentage Chart. This chart shows the percentages of the resources produced in the North and the South. This information is useful to know to better understand the advantages that the North and South had during the Civil War. The next element of the Infographic is the Types of Labor Chart. The bar graph shows how dominant cotton production was in the 1850’s compared to all other types of slave labor. The next part of the Infographic depicts the advantages of both the North and South during the Civil War. These advantages help give a better understanding as to why the Union was able to defeat the Confederacy. The last element of the Infographic illustrates the war strategies of the North and the South and an explanation as to how the strategy of the Union was stronger than that of the Confederacy. By creating this Infographic, I was able to understand the situations faced by the Union and Confederacy at the start of the war. Once statistics and strategies were reviewed, it became evident that the Union was the stronger opponent despite the few important advantages held by the Confederacy.

Citations:

Strengths of North and South-

http://www.edline.net/files/_CCBWz_/5d02a07fa6fb59973745a49013852ec4/Strengths_of_the_North_and_the_South_Reading.pdf

Slavery By the Numbers-

http://www.edline.net/files/_CCBWZ_/bef00892623842283745a49013852ec4/Slavery_by_the_Numbers.pdf

Resources- http://www.edline.net/files/_CDHeg_/85a5db5beaf605393745a49013852ec4/Resources_Pie_Charts.pdf

The Elephant in the Room

In the early 19th century, the issue of slavery was often overlooked as the American economy began to prosper.  All legal compromises or acts were created in an effort to shut down abolitionists and avoid controversy regarding the prominent issue of slavery. In class, we analyzed several events of 19th century which greatly impacted the evolution of slavery and created a timeline of important historical events pertaining to the issue.  Analysis of these documents provides evidence that legal compromises, acts, and legislation were created to avoid the social and ethical controversy which often surrounded the topic of slavery and  enabled the government to continue to attain financial success from slave labor.

In 1853, the U.S. paid $15 million for all of Nevada, California, Utah, and much of Arizona and New Mexico in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In addition, the United States paid $10 million for a much smaller strip of land known as the Gadsden Purchase only 5 years later. This land was used to promote slavery through the construction of the southern transcontinental railroad and “fix” any further conflict lingering after the Mexican-American War.  In an attempt to diminish tensions from the war, the United States made a significant effort to find a southern route for a transcontinental railroad as the only viable route through Mexican territory.  This new land paved the way for the southern transcontinental railroad and allowed plantation owners and slaves to come to the U.S. ultimately boosting the economy through their labor.

The Dred Scott Decision occurred in 1857. Dred Scott was an enslaved man who lived in the free state of Illinois and Wisconsin before moving to the slave state of Missouri.   In the hopes of being granted freedom, Scott filed a suit against his owner in the U.S. Supreme Court.  He argued that he and his wife were free because they had once lived with their owners in states and territories where slavery was illegal. This decision established that slaves were denied the right to sue in court because they were not citizens, enslaved people could not win freedom by living in a free territory or state, ruled The Missouri Compromise as unconstitutional, and established all territories open to slavery. This decision supported a law which was unjust and without fair justification as to why men such as Dred Scott could not be granted freedom. If Scott were granted freedom, there could be potential uprisings and protests from other slaves, putting the economy in danger without the support of its laborers. Despite this ruling, many abolitionists such as Frederick Douglas believed that this decision would ultimately bring slavery to the attention of the nation and closer to destruction.

John Brown was an abolitionist who believed in the overthrow of the slavery system. He assisted slaves by housing escaped slaves in Harper's Ferry. He also attempted to attack a government arsenal to capture weapons in hope that he could arm local slaves to rise up against local slave owners. However, Brown and his men were captured and killed and Brown was accused of treason. Instead of taking matters into consideration, Brown was shut down and killed most likely in an effort to prevent further uprisings, causing potential danger to cotton production. At this point in time, many northerners began to support the militant abolitionists like Brown.

In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act opened new lands for settlement. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. The Act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which prohibited slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act angered those in the North who considered the Missouri Compromise to be a binding agreement. In the pro-slavery South, it was supported. By establishing Kansas and Nebraska as popular sovereignty, the northern railroad was becoming more attractive to southern slave owners, coming to the states to promote slavery. This act provides another example of how laws were used by the government to promote slavery in an effort to secure financial gain in a united nation.

Websites Used:

http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/kansas.htm

https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/gadsden-purchase