Politics of the Civil War and Reconstruction

Thesis: Though it was not exciting as the flying of bullets or the splattering of blood and gore, acts and events were happening in the background of the Civil War that had an impact of what would come after the war. The acts and words of politicians would influence the minds of their people both during and after the war.

Important Historical Civil War Figures

Thesis: As brother was pitted against brother during the Civil War, many men (seriously, no women?!) made their marks on history. Some famously, others, well...not so much. Be it as a politician or a general, they all accomplished a great many feats that would change the course of history to what it is today.

Battles and Significant Events of the War

Thesis: During the entire length of the Civil war, many battles and occurrences happened all leading up to a victory for the Union.

Causes of the Civil War

Thesis: Here are some of the events that led up to the Civil War in the United States of America.

Main Source: 

-American Past and Present (eighth edition, AP* Edition) 

•Divine, Robert A., T. H. Breen, George M. Fredrickson, R. Hal Williams, Ariela Julie. Gross, and H. W. Brands. America past and Present. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.

     Here is an interesting video on the possible causes of the Civil War. It speaks of factors that might have played a part in the growing divide between the North and South (as in the sort of labor going on in each).

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUKA8jQQlkk

Ku Klux Klan

     Between 1868 and 1872, southern Republican regimes were threatened by secret societies like the Ku Klux Klan, who focused their efforts on restoring the supremacy of the white race by terrorizing blacks who wanted to explore their newly-found political rights. The Ku Klux Klan was the most prominent and infamous group of all these secret societies. They were founded in 1866, in Tennessee, where they then quickly spread to many other states, all the while resorting to more reckless and violent forms of action. Unfortunately, the Klan gathered much support from whites of all social classes and grew larger, as their group thrived on local initiatives, rather than large, showy public acts. It was extremely difficult to handle, as the group was exceedingly secretive and had quite a lot of support from the public. Immediately as blacks gained the right to vote, hooded Klan members, known as "night riders" paid visits to the cabins of known black republicans, where they threatened and terrorized their victims. Some of the more unlucky were whipped and beaten, at times, even to the point of death. Then, prior to elections, these same "night riders" would intimidate African Americans to prevent them from voting. As a matter of fact, these method of discouragement and fear were effective in influencing the presidential election of 1868. Grant lost favor in Louisiana (where more than 1,000 live we're taken) and Georgia due to Klan activities. In Arkansas, he still managed to carry through, despite the 200 lives that were lost (including one congressman). From then on, Klan activity concentrated on the Republican state governments. By 1870, Democrats were able to gain power in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia, after Republican control was lost to the power of the Klan.  

     The following is a link to a personal eyewitness account given by a slave named Ben Johnson, around 1848: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/kkk.htm .

     A few Klan members donning their signature regalia of a long white cloak with pointy, tall, white hood covering entire face but leaving eyeholes.

     A politican cartoon drawn up by political cartoonist, Thomas Nast that was published in in Harper's Weekly on October 24, 1874, called "Worse than Slavery." I believe that the cartoon suggests that this abuse of the blacks simply because they earned their much-deserved right to have a say in the way their government is run is an act even more despicable than slavery and the exploiting of their work and abilities, to which I agree. There should not be a hierarchy of skin pigment. Blacks deserve the same rights as what is given to the whites. 

     

John Wilkes Booth

     Born May 10, 1838, in Bel Air, Maryland, Booth was a pro-Confederate actor who was the perpetrator responsible for the assassination of beloved president Abraham Lincoln as he watched a play at Ford's Theater in Washington, April 4th. Immediately after shooting Lincoln, Booth fled the scene and hid out in an old barn until he was found and killed twelve days later by a soldier of the Union who set the barn he was in on fire. Following this heinous act of murder (four days after the death of Abraham Lincoln), the sole Confederate force who had the ability and power to do any damage, under the command of Joseph E. Johnston, laid down their arms and surrendered. 

     Above is the wanted poster circulated warranting the arrest of Booth and his two (possible/likely) accomplices.

Benjamin Wade

     Born October 27, 1800, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Benjamin Wade was a senator of Ohio, who would have succeeded Andrew Johnson (president following Lincoln's death) if it wasn't for his lack of popularity with the conservative Republicans because of his radical position on the topics of currency and labor. He supported women's rights and advocated equal rights for African Americans. Also, he helped in the construction of  the "Wade-Davis" Bill.