Secession and War
The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
1. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 set up the
process to create territories and states on the
western frontier of the U.S.
2. Under the Northwest Ordinance, all states
formed north of the Ohio River were
required to be free states while those south
of the Ohio River were required to be slave
states.
The Louisiana Purchase
1. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of
the U.S.
2. The main issue became whether the new states
created from the area would be free or slave states.
Abolitionists
1. The abolitionists were
people who wanted to
abolish, or do away with,
slavery.
2. Most abolitionists lived in
the north but there were
some living in the south as
well.
3. The Mississippi
Colonization Society was
an example of an early
abolitionist movement in
MS.
Missouri
1. In 1819, Missouri applied for statehood as a
slave state.
2. Missouri was north of the mouth of the Ohio
River, which means it was supposed to be a
free state.
3. Whatever type of state Missouri became, it
would upset the balance of power in
Congress – there were 22 states, 11 free, 11
slave.
The Missouri Compromise
1. Under the Missouri Compromise:
a. Missouri entered the Union as a slave state.
b. Maine entered the Union as a free state – this
kept the balance of power in Congress.
c. The southern border of Missouri became the
new dividing line over slavery – states to the
north would be free and states to the south
would be slave.
The Missouri Compromise
1. Between 1846 – 1848,
the U.S. went to war
with Mexico over the
border of Texas.
2. In the process of the
war, the U.S. gained the
entire southwestern
portion of the future
U.S.
3. Once again, the issue of
slavery became a major
controversy for the area
and it came to a head
when California wanted
to enter the Union as a
free state.
The MexicanAmerican War
The Mexican – American War
The Compromise of 1850
1. California entered the Union as a free state.
2. The rest of the western territories were
allowed to vote for themselves on the issue
of slavery – popular sovereignty.
3. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed, giving the
south more power in hunting down runaway
slaves.
4. Most people in the U.S. believed the
Compromise of 1850 would solve the
countries problems over slavery once and for
all.
The Compromise of 1850
Bleeding Kansas
1. In 1854, civil war broke out in Kansas as slavery and
anti-slavery fought each other over control of the
state.
The Dred Scott
Case
1. In 1857, the U.S.
Supreme Court heard
the case of Dred Scott v.
Sanford.
2. Dred Scott was a slave
who sued his owner for
his freedom.
3. The U.S. Supreme Court
decided that slaves could
not use the courts
because they were
property.
4. This case lead to the
Republican Party being
formed.
1. In 1859, John Brown lead
a raid on a federal arsenal
at Harpers Ferry, VA.
2. He was hoping to capture
the arsenal and use the
weapons to lead a slave
rebellion.
3. He was captured and
executed by the U.S.
Army.
4. The south viewed his
actions as what would
happen if the Republicans
were ever in power.
John Brown’s Raid
on Harpers Ferry,
Virginia
Secession in MS
1. As tensions rose between the north and the
south, some Mississippians were in favor of
secession – withdrawal from the Union.
2. Those in favor of secession were known as
fire-eaters while those opposed to secession
were known as Unionists.
3. During the early 1850’s, most Mississippians
were Unionists.
Presidential Election of 1860
1. Candidates:
a. Republican Party – Abraham Lincoln – Stop the
spread of slavery.
b. Northern Democrats – Stephen Douglas –
Popular Sovereignty
c. Southern Democrats – Preserve Slavery – John C.
Breckinridge
d. Constitutional Union Party – Preserve the Union
– John Bell
1860 Presidential Candidates
Presidential Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln and Secession
1. When Abraham Lincoln wins the 1860
election, South Carolina becomes the first
state to secede from the Union (MS was
second).
2. Seven states had seceded before Lincoln was
inaugurated as president.
3. The formed the Confederate States of
America and Jefferson Davis of MS was their
president.
The Start of the
War
1. The Civil War began on
April 12, 1861, at Fort
Sumter, South Carolina.
2. When the war begins,
most people don’t
believe that it will last
very long.
3. For the First Battle of
Bull Run, people will
actually take picnics
and go watch the
battle.
Northern and Southern Advantages
North:
1. More men.
2. More industry.
3. More railroads.
4. Already existing military.
South:
1. Fighting to defend their homeland.
2. Knowledge of the terrain (landscape).
Northern and Southern Strategies
North:
1. Capture Richmond, VA, the capital of the
Confederacy.
2. Divide and conquer – split the Confederacy
into three sections.
3. Blockade the south – use their navy to
close southern ports.
South:
1. Hold their own until European countries
come to their aid.
Civil War Battles in MS
The Civil War In Mississippi
1. Mississippi was the location of several Civil
War battles.
2. Corinth, Meridian and Jackson, MS, were all
captured because they were the locations of
important railroad junctions.
3. The most important Civil War battle in MS
took place at Vicksburg.
Vicksburg, MS
The Importance of Vicksburg
1. By 1863, the Union Army had taken all of the
Mississippi River except for the town of
Vicksburg.
2. Vicksburg was located on a high bluff
overlooking the Mississippi River.
3. Vicksburg’s cannons made it difficult for
Union ships to get up and down the
Mississippi River.
The Vicksburg Campaign
The Siege of Vicksburg
1. Vicksburg’s location made it extremely difficult
to attack because it was up on the bluffs along
the river and surrounded by a swampy area with
very few roads going in.
2. The Union tried the direct approach and failed.
3. The Union also tried building a canal to bypass
Vicksburg but that also failed.
4. Ulysses S. Grant, the leader of the Union forces,
then decided to lay siege to Vicksburg –
surround the city and cut off their supplies.
The Siege of Vicksburg
The Fall of Vicksburg
1. The siege of Vicksburg lasted about a month
and a half.
2. John C. Pemberton, the leader of the
Confederate troops in Vicksburg, finally
surrendered the city on July 4, 1863.
3. For many years after the war, residents of
Vicksburg refused to celebrate Independence
Day.
John C. Pemberton
Ulysses S. Grant
Vicksburg Caves
1. The U.S.S. Cairo was a
Union ironclad - a
wooden ship covered
with metal plates.
2. The Cairo was used to
patrol the Ohio and
Mississippi Rivers during
the war.
3. The Cairo was sunk in
the Yazoo River during
the war and later
rediscovered in the late
1950’s.
The U.S.S. Cairo
The U.S.S. Cairo
The End of the War
1. After the Siege of Vicksburg, Abraham Lincoln
put Ulysses S. Grant in charge of the Union
Army.
2. Grant used his numerical superiority to win
the war.
3. On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee surrendered
to Grant at the Appomattox Courthouse in
Virginia.
The Effects of the War in MS
1. The Union blockade had severe effects on the
economy of MS (and the rest of the south).
2. MS’s government had difficulty financing its
war effort because the state couldn’t get its
cotton out to market.
3. The people of MS faced severe shortages
because manufactured goods into the state.
Slavery During the War
1. During the war some slaves ran away or
refused to work but many stayed where they
were and continued to work.
2. In 1862, Abraham Lincoln issued the
Emancipation Proclamation, which freed the
slaves in the Confederacy – he didn’t want to
risk any of the border states seceding.
3. At the end of the war, the 13th Amendment
will be added to the U.S. Constitution, which
will abolish slavery in the U.S.