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

The Growth of Slavery

In colonial America, slavery was an large aspect of society. Africans were enslaved and sold to slave owners across America. At the height of slavery, 25% of all southerners owned slaves. Those who owned 20 or more slaves controlled the social, political, and economic power of the south. In the eighteenth century, government was based on race and created laws to establish a slave’s value and essential rights. For example, in The Founder’s Constitution, part of Article 1, Section 2, Clause 3 states that a slave is worth ⅗ of a person and Native Americans do not count as part of the population. This ⅗ Compromise allowed slaves to be counted as 3/5ths of a person when apportioning seats in the House of Representatives. This ⅗ Compromise was necessary to allow unity of the states. However, this race-based governmental system diminishes human dignity. Anyone enslaved of color is told that they have little or no value in society, taking away all self-respect or rights that they have as a human being.

In the eighteenth century, cotton became an economically profitable plant for the nation. Cotton production was initiated in the southern states on the east coast expanded production in the south as demands for cotton production grew with the helpful invention of Eli Whitney’s cotton gin. By 1860, cotton became 57% of the nation’s total export revenue and became an integral aspect of our nation’s economy. However, high demands for the product called for laborers to work the fields. Slavery began in the northern states but shifted into southern states such as Alabama and Mississippi once there were demands for cotton. With cotton being the nation’s leading export revenue, making over 190 million dollars, slavery became entrenched, relying on slave laborers to assist in the process of making the highly demanded cotton. Southern cotton planters felt economically powerful and politically confident that the national government at Washington could not afford to alienate them and lose their support. With the demands for their slaves’ work, slavery would continue to remain for many years to come.

A government based on race tends to ignore and overlook characteristics such as intelligence or virtue of a slave. People of color were enslaved and forced to labor in the fields to maintain the demands for cotton and support the growing economy. This race-based government identifies and defines people by the color of their skin, overlooking important qualities of a human being such as intelligence and virtue. Race and inequality have shaped our nation since the beginning of the American colonies’ quest for freedom and economic and political liberty. Our society was founded on inequality and the denial of freedom for slaves. Perhaps a government that focused less on economic success and more on the value of the individual would have produced greater results. If important qualities of a slave such as intelligence had been recognized, they could have potentially contributed to a more profitable plantation. If slaves had been treated with more respect and had been identified regardless of their race, we could have had a more humane way of reaching financial success.

Christy, Howard. Scene of the Signing of the Constitution of the United States. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founding_Fathers_of_the_United_States. 2/24/15

Women In Society

In July 1848, over 300 men and women gathered at Seneca Falls, New York for the first women’s rights convention. This convention declared the rights of women in an attempt to abolish all laws and practices limiting women’s rights. These laws limited rights such as divorce rights, the right to own property, the right to raise children if the father should die, the right to vote, and the right to obtain an equal income to men.

Two of the most thought provoking newspaper responses were those of Oneida Whig and The Mechanics Advocate, Female Department. Oneida Whig states, “...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government.” Although Oneida Whig encourages women to fight for their natural rights, it also focuses on the selfish effects they may have on men. The article states, “If our ladies will insist on voting and legislating, where, gentlemen, will be our dinners and our elbows?” The men in the article lack consideration to the limitations of women’s rights. As they first state that it is the right of women to defend themselves and defy the unjust government, they then contradict their statement by arguing that their dinners would not be cooked and household chores would not be done. Chores such as making dinner and stitching stockings should not be perceived as a job set aside only for women. If women had been given more rights and had not been limited to housekeeping, there be no just reason why a man cannot complete these tasks as well.

The Mechanics Advocate presents illogical reasoning as to why women should not be provided with equal rights as men. The newspaper article states, “But there were two most potent reasons why women should be in subjection: 1. Adam was made before Eve. 2. Eve sinned before Adam. Now, there is no escape for women here for if she is older than her husband, then of course she must be subject to him because she must have sinned first. If on the contrary she be made younger, she must be subject to him because he was made first.” This article presents a completely irrational argument as there is no situation in which women would be able to gain freedom from their husband. The article also fails to present any biblical evidence as to why a man could be subject to his wife. These two biased reactions to the Seneca Falls Convention prove that there are no legitimate reasons as to why women should not be granted rights.

Although women’s rights have significantly expanded and women are perceived much differently than women in the 19th century, women continue to feel limited as to what they can and cannot do in society. For the most part, women have been granted the same rights as men however, there are many expectations that women must fulfill that naturally lead to labels and discrimination.

Regarding personal traits and characteristics, women are often judged by their personality simply because of the traits that their gender must uphold. For example, women often feel inclined to wear makeup to look feminine. However, this feminine appearance often prevents women from gaining respect. A woman’s feminine appearance can cause men to perceive them as weak or unintelligent. As a society, we have superficial expectations that a woman must attain to maintain a “feminine” figure, but these expectations can ultimately prevent a woman from being perceived for who they truly are and gaining respect in a man’s world.

Although we have made great progress in equalizing men and women’s rights in a legal sense, we still have to make progress towards providing women with more respect in a social sense. If women were to be judged more on their merit and moral integrity, and less on their appearance, than perhaps women would be granted more opportunities in our male-dominated society.

Citations:

Oneida Whig: 

August 1, Edline, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc006199.jpg, 2/1/15

The Mechanics Advocate: 

Tanner, John, "Women Out of Their Latitude", Edline, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc006200.jpg, 2/1/15

Pantene Commercial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K2kfgW7708&feature=youtu.be

Insane Asylum Reform

1880 The New York Times Newspaper Article, "Out of an Insane Asylum"

"On undressing for his bath, his two attendants treated him roughly because he did not remove his clothing as quickly as they thought necessary. He told them not to be so harsh, as he was still ill from fever, and was suffering from a blister on his back, which was covered with a plaster. One of the men said: 'Oh, we've heard of you before,' and, taking hold of the plaster, tore it from his back, pulling the skin of the blister with it. In giving him his bath, they rubbed his raw back with a flesh-brush, unmindful of his pleas and suffering.....About 8 o'clock in the evening Harper and two others came to the cell and wanted me to take some medicine. I was afraid it was poison, and refused. Then I was beaten, but still refused to take the medicine. This was followed by more kicks and knocks, and then the medicine poured down my throat.....Why didn't you give the "trailing sign" when you were abused?, he asked me. I told him I did not think of it. When the keepers found out that I was an Odd-fellow I was treated better than the other patients."

In this 1880 The New York Times article, the author does not have a major position in the presentation of the story. The author simply paraphrases and records the experience told by John Carroll. The author’s purpose is merely to explain the background of Carroll’s story, paraphrase Carroll’s explanations, and to interview him about his experience in the insane asylum. The author produced this document in an effort to make the conditions of the asylums known around the town. The author may have believed that publishing an interview with a patient about the inhumane treatment may initiate an opposition to the conditions of the asylums. John Carroll, one of the victims of the insane asylums, seems like a trustworthy source as he refers to himself as an odd-fellow, having a respectable position in society. An odd-fellow was a member of a global altruistic and benevolent fraternal organization derived from the British Odd-fellows service organizations of the 18th century. In the 1800's, the mentally ill were held in asylums in unhealthy environments, with no compassion or respect given to them. Those in asylums were perceived as “animals” and creatures that had no sense of feeling. In these morbid environments, patients were often left isolated in cells with no source of heat or light. In this New York Times newspaper article published in 1880, the author describes one of John Carroll’s daily occurrences with the workers of the asylum stating, “He told them not to be so harsh, as he was still suffering from fever, and was suffering with a blister on his back, which was covered with a plaster. One of the men said: ‘Oh, we've heard of you before’, and taking hold of the plaster, tore it from his back, pulling the skin of the blister with it. In giving him his bath, they rubbed his raw back with a flesh-brush, unmindful of his pleas and suffering.” The workers give inhumane treatment to their patients, causing physical pain, among their patients. Carroll states, “About 8 o’clock in the evening Harper and two others came to the cell and wanted me to take some medicine. I was afraid it was poison, and refused. Then I was beaten; but I refused to take the medicine. This was followed by more kicks and knocks, and then I was choked and the medicine poured down my throat.” Patients were even scolded and beaten for making decisions out of fear for their life. However, later in the article, Carroll mentions, “When the keepers found out I was an Odd-fellow, I was treated better than the other patients.” Due to Carroll’s respectable position as a part of a fraternal organization, his conditions in the asylum were noticeably better than those of other patients. Although all patients in the asylum had a mental illness, some may have been viewed as less of a brainless, comical “animal” as a result of one’s social status.
This document depicts the unjust, hazardous conditions and treatment given to the patients because of a mental illness. As if the patients were not sick enough, workers took advantage of most, causing injuries to the “creatures”. The discrimination between social class goes to show the lack of logic and reason used in treating the patients. Although the author of this article did not provide much of an opinion towards the story of Carroll, publicizing the interview shows that he had the intention of creating resistance against the treatment of the patients by spreading word through the newspaper.

Citation:
The New York Times, “Title: Out of an Insane Asylum- Released Patient's Remarkable Story of Cruel Treatment,”New York Times, March 26, 1880.

Andrew Jackson's Presidency

This week in class, we learned about  Andrew Jackson’s long-standing reputation as president. To learn about this topic, small groups were assigned to research various accomplishments and events that occurred during Jackson’s presidency. My group was assigned the topic of slave removal and created a Google Document to show the rest of the class. By creating our own presentations and gathering information from classmates, each student was able to form an opinion about Jackson’s presidency and determine whether his reputation was deserved.

Andrew Jackson was the 7th president of the United States. His presidency was best known for it’s involvement in the Indian Removal Act, the Spoils System, and the Bank War. As a man, Jackson was known as a violent, drunken gambler with a daring spirit. As president, Jackson did not posses many of the traits that a great leader should have. However, Jackson was also known as a great military general, showing that he did have some qualities as an effective leader. In the 1800s, Jackson, along with many white men, became involved in a controversial land dispute with the Indians. Jackson unjustly forced Indians to leave their land and move out west through the use of war and law. This journey that Indians took to the west, known as the “Trail of Tears”, resulted in the deaths of over 10,000 Indians. During the Indian Removal, Jackson sent a letter to congress suggesting that the Indians should be helped in some form, but insisted that the Indians were not aware of what was best for them. Ultimately, Jackson forced the Indians to move out west. Although Jackson often had decent intentions, they often caused controversy. Jackson also greatly impacted the society and financial collapse of the 1800s through the use of the Spoils System. Jackson used the Spoils System to reward those who supported his presidency with important government positions. Jackson based this irrational system on loyalty, rather than skill or intelligence. Overall, over 900 people were removed from their government positions. By giving government positions to those who were loyal to him, he believed that people would have “fresh eyes on the government”. This Spoils System later failed Jackson when one of his workers, Samuel Swartwout, robbed the government of over 1.2 million dollars. Lastly, Jackson’s involvement in the Bank War greatly impacted the government and economy of the 1800s, beginning the expansion of democracy. Jackson feared his people would be exploited by banks and believed that large corporations would destroy small businesses. He issued a bill against the bank’s charter, shifting power from the wealthy and foreigners to regular American citizens. This bill classified all wealthy as predators and spread tension, paranoia, and panic within society. Throughout Jackson’s presidency, many of his actions were driven by his desire to please his constituency. However, despite his intentions, his actions remained controversial.

Throughout Jackson’s presidency,  he had honorable objectives to initiate the equal distribution of power between businesses and social classes. However, the outcome of many of his decisions often resulted in one group being negatively impacted. Jackson deserves the reputation as a “people’s president” despite his lack of support towards some groups, such as the wealthy and the Indians. Jackson’s presidency may be considered a failure by some, but he always had the intention of benefitting the community and pleasing those who supported him. If Jackson had not been such a “people pleaser” during his presidency, then many of the conflicts and historical events of his time may not have occurred.