A Nation Divided:
Pre-Civil War means:_________________________________________
Lesson 1: pg. 186-93
North and South
Facts about the North:
In the North the economy was based on industry and business works. Factory workers lived in towns that surrounded the
factory. Some small towns grew into big cities. There were very few farms and the most powerful people owned businesses
Facts about the South:
In the south agriculture or farming was still the most important part of the economy. Large plantations grew cotton, tobacco,
sugar and rice. The most powerful people in the south were the plantation owners.
A State’s Right
tariff: is a special tax on products coming into the country.
import: is a good or product that comes in from another country.
export: is a good that is shipped out of the country.
Notes on a state’s right:
People in the south felt that the tariff was unfair and that they did not have to pay it. They did not want to buy the goods
from the factories up north. They wanted the imports and did not want to pay more for them.
John C. Calhoun: said that South Carolina did not have to follow the law of the United States Government . Other leaders
agreed and the South Carolina refused to pay the tariff. He said that our state rights were being denied and we had the right
to say if we would pay the tariff or not.
No Expansion of Slavery
Rich southerners depended on slavery to grow and harvest the crops on the plantations. The plantation owners wanted the
new states that were joining the United States to have slavery so that there would be more people on the side of the southern
plantation owners. The U.S. Government said that each new state could decide if they wanted slavery or not.
Working to End Slavery
abolitionist: is a person who works to end slavery.
The Grimke Sisters:
Were two sisters who grew up on a plantation in Charleston and saw how slaves were treated. The moved up north and
joined other abolitionists.
South Carolina’s Concerns:
Many white people thought that abolitionists were a threat to their way of life. They were afraid that there would be a war
between the slaves and the masters. The rich plantation owners tried to stop the abolitionists.
Defending a Way of Life
secede: to break away from a country.
People began to talk about seceding from the Union. They really could not decide what to do until Abraham Lincoln was
elected President of the country. Lincoln said that he would put an end to slavery. He said that he would not allow slavery in
the new states that joined the union.
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The Secession Convention
This was the convention where all the leaders of South Carolina met to talk about seceding from the United States. The
leaders decided to seceded. Some people were scared that South Carolina would not be able to survive on its own and they
hoped that other states would join them.
South Carolina Secedes
The leaders finally decided that they would secede from the United States. They then wrote and signed the Ordinance of
Secession. This document said that South Carolina was no longer part of the United States.
The Confederate States of America
South Carolina was the first state to leave the United States. There were other states that soon seceded and
joined SC. They formed the new country of The Confederate States of America. Their President was
Jefferson Davis.
Lesson 2: pg. 194-197
The First Shots at Fort Sumter
President Lincoln put U.S. solders at Fort Sumter. The Confederate States did not like this and on April 12, 1861 The
Confederate troops started to shoot cannons at the fort. Soon The soldiers surrendered and the Confederate flag was once
again flown over the fort.
The Civil War Begins
The shots over Fort Sumter started the Civil War. Many people in our state were killed. By the time the war started 11 states
had left the Union and were fighting for the Confederacy.
Lincoln Orders the Blockade
President Lincoln ordered a blockade of the entire SC Border. No ships could get in or out of Charleston. Lincoln ordered
the blockade so that the south could not get any supplies. This was bad because South Carolina did not have factories to
make the supplies that they needed and they were not able go get any supplies in or out. Over time the people in the south
started to suffer. They began to run out of the things that they needed.
North:
Name: Union
Nickname: Yankees
Color: Blue
Number of States: 23
South:
Name: Confederacy
Nickname: Rebels
Color: Gray
Number of States: 11
President: Abraham Lincoln
General: Ulysses S. Grant
President: Jefferson Davis
General: Robert E. Lee
Port Royal
The Union took over Port Royal because they needed a base in the South. The base was the place where they could keep
supplies and soldiers.
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