Reconstruction by B. M.

1 The documentary we watched was about the reconstruction of America after the civil war. The south wanted America to be returned to its “former glory”. While now freed slaves wanted, what had promised them in the constitution.  We learned about Mr. Campbell and his term as president on a South Carolina costal island, and the importance of education for freed slaves. We learned about land freed slaves were given and how President Jackson took it all back.  All this information was from documents written in first hand by the men that experienced these situations. There was no real argument made here but more education and information regarding what happened.
2   The purpose of this documentary was to educate. There was no hidden agenda. All the information was provided was done so in a fair manner. We heard from freed slaves, from former slave owners, betrayed freed slaves, angry confederate supporters. The voices missing were those of the women that lived in these times. What their perspectives were.

3. In class all of this was brought together through images some even graphic images that let us know how freed slaves felt and what confederate supporters thought. We learned about the struggles freed slaves faces in terms of racism and discrimination, and a divided country between how we conducted ourselves and how we should have conducted ourselves in relation to how we treated freed slaves in a post-civil war country.
4. One of the conclusions we drew was that for most freed slaves they had a rougher and more anxiety ridden life as free men. As freed men, they now had to be leery of all white men retaliating because the freedom slaves now had. They had to endure physical violence along with verbal abuse. There were lynching and murders across the south with virtually no repercussions to White men.

5.A question I had was what happened to the freed slaves after they were displaced from their island off the South Carolina coast? What did white and black women think and feel about what was going on?

Reconstruction by S. A.

In the first part of the first half of the documentary titled Reconstruction show the events following the end of the civil war and the dealings of the freedmen and the plantation owners who came to claim back their land and the freedmen who learned their lives in this country is going to be long and hard. To begin during the war in order to get the slaves off the union armies tail Sherman signed field order fifteen and essentially gave every freedman forty acres and a mule since the army had no need for them. After a couple years the land granted to the freed man after being cultivated now belonged to them. Until the southern landowners mainly the wealthy plantation owners came back and told all the freedmen to leave the land the government that field order 15 had granted them. Northerners believed that the treasonist southerners should be punished but the North believed the road the recovery and reconstruction was through rebuilding the south rather than punishing them. The author shows the actual field order that had been archived by most likely a military scribe. Shows one special case which was an island only inhabited by blacks and no whites were allowed guarded by an black militia it only seen as trouble for the government to deal with such sensitive matters.
The author wanted to show the hardship of the south as it was difficult and unpleasant time for everyone in the south. For those who were seeking their pardons for the government were being hung out to dry and it became evident they would need to have official help to sort out all the conflicts of men and freedmen.The government formed the freedmen's Bureau to settle any disputes with the southern landowners and the freedmen who lived on the government seized lands. The only voices missing would be of the landowners who wouldn’t be pardoned so easily since Andrew Johnson wouldn’t handle out the pardon without the groveling he thought they were required to perform. You can hear the voices of the slave who were utterly disappointed to learn that the land that once held their hopes dreams were going to be taken from them and the road they had ahead of them would be worse than the slavery they were forced to endure. Ever since the book of Frederick Douglas we saw from a primary source of someone who could read and write and had experienced slavery and his harshest possible treatment any human will undergo. From the harshest of religious slave owners to ones who would allow their slave to leave the land to complete labor contracts. Until he found his opportunity to escape and he ran to the north where he became a published author under a different name and showed the world what it is to be a slave. Questions i’m left wondering whether or not the island of the all black community ever came to combat the local white population. A population of around a thousand black slaves versus the an entire gathering of the local white supremacists back then it was normal to look down on blacks but now i guess that would be the correct term for them. Overall the situation for every freedman look grim from owning land and their very own community being taken away the next couple year will hold even more suffering in pain that will only grant their freedom as second class citizens.

Reconstruction by D. C.

1) The speaker's main argument was that white men made it increasingly difficult to become regular people after slavery no matter how hard they tried. The narrator of the documentary provided examples of the hardships that African Americans had to face such as; no education, limited job openings, no money, no skills besides agricultural work and white prejudice.
2) The purpose is that although slaves were now emancipated, now they were faced with a new task; independence. Going from being totally dependent on their white masters, African Americans has to find jobs, fend for themselves, and try to build up a life after slavery. A voice in the documentary that seemed to be missing was that of the women. We focused on the men because they were the ones, back then, to make the political moves and policies. Men carried them out such as Field Order 15 that General Sherman put in place to make the freedmen stop following the Union Army. Women were hardly mentioned except for the ex-slaves that moved onto St. Catherine's Island.
3) Some of the in-class sources we used were the images about Reconstruction depicting the negativity of blacks and white power. One specifically that showed the KKK, lynching, and quotes from the era. A quote we discussed in depth was "The Lost Cause" which was the point of view of the South on the Civil War, although they lost the war Southerners said they were set up for failure but fought valiantly anyways.
4) A question that a student asked in class was about why Lincoln chose Andrew Johnson to be his Vice President for his second term. As we talked about it, we concluded that Lincoln's reasoning behind is that Johnson was a Southerner so that would be very beneficial to Lincoln's re-election. Perhaps that may be why he was assassinated, so a Southerner with their current ideas and values could be in charge.
5) I'd love to know how long it took for Blacks to become independent of Whites. Even with the Labor Contracts, Blacks were still dependent but they were not treated as cruelly. Also, did any other race besides African Americans ever have to face a hardship like slavery? I know the Jewish people did in Egypt but what about the Irish, or Chinese, or Spanish/Mexican peoples.

Reconstruction by A. P.

For Our final assignment this semester we watch a documentary “The Second Civil War” on the reconstruction of the country after the Civil War. The Narrater talk about the thing that unfolds after the Civil War was over in efforts to reconstruct the country, and there are many things going on at this time. The slaves are now freed, and the government has no clear idea of what they are supposed to do with the freed man. The freedmen had to find their own place in the country. The country has to find a way to come together after a war between its own people. Southerners have to accept they lost, and that thing will not be the same. The southerner also fear what will happen to them. If they will be punished for their rebellion, and how. When Lincoln dies all the plans he had to die with him as well. The country now has a new president who shared very different view than those of the former President Lincoln. The documenter is really good at explaining how both sides feel about the future that is ahead of them and how everyone is trying to deal with it. For example, it gives you the case of Kate Stone And how her family almost lost everything during the war being of the side of the Confederacy. They showed how the freedmen felt when having to give the land back to the owners and work as controlled laborers. We saw the struggles that the whites had because the African Americans no longer obeyed.
Before Lincoln was murdered his approach was to send Stanton to the south to talk to black minister in the south he wanted to know what was their vision for their future in the south. Lincoln even Wanted to know what the Civil War had meant to them. We saw a little of what Lincoln and thought the country should look like. Such as he thought that African American veterans deserved the right to vote. He was moving Toward more equality for all. When Andrew Johnson took Lincoln place as President of the United Sates. Johnson had very different views he was from the south, and he was known to own a few slaves, but he had a strong belief in the union. One of the reasons Lincoln chose him was to show the south he had some tie to them. The vision that Johnson had of the reconstruction was very different. Johnson was not worried about the freedman he was more sympathetic to the poor white people. We saw how he took back the land that was given to the freedman by the special order #15 of General Sherman. Johnson’s action gave way to a very horrible future for the now Freedman.
During class, we saw four different pictures that depicted the past, and what the African American went thought. We discussed how they were, lynched, how their schools were burned down and the different way they were kept from voting. We also read through a laborer contract and discussed how this labor contract just made the freedmen dependent of the whites. Not only by the south but by northerners to, their fate as freedmen were turning out to be more uncertain and brutal than before. All we spoke in class left me wounding what if Lincoln had never died would the future of the freed man have been the same or would they had a better life? Would Lincoln had found a better was to reconstruct the nation and really give everyone a better future?

Lincoln Ch 7 & 8 by E. C.

 In Abraham Lincoln chapter 7, author George McGovern writes about the ways which Lincoln  utilized federal power for the war effort. After his reelection, Lincoln happy gun to replace many of his cabinet members. He would hire her man he greatly respected such as Secretary of State William Seward, but he would even hire men whom he didn't get along with personally, but would form great working relationships with them, such as his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton.  Lincoln put aside his personal views and pride for the good of the country.  Lincoln was very pleased with the make up of his second cabinet, choosing men such as Gideon Wells as Secretary of the Navy, John Usher as Secretary of the Interior, and Edward Bates as Attorney General. After Bates was called home to St. Louis by his family, Lincoln chose Joshua Speed as attorney general.  Mc govern also explains that financial measures to fund the war had been enacted such as the Legal Tender Act of 1862, which authorized the production of paper money to fuel the bond program, the Internal Revenue Act of 1861, which was the first federal income tax, The Subsequent Revenue Acts of 1862 and 1864 which created moderately progressive tax brackets and set rates at 5, 7.5, and 10 percent.  These measures greatly reversed the downward spiral of the trends issued by the Democratic Congress. The author also tells us about the landmark acts, the Homestead Act of 1862 which made it possible for any adult citizen to obtain 160 acres of land just by living on it for five years, the Morril Land Grant College Act, which gave federal lands to states to establish agricultural and mechanical arts colleges, and the US department of agriculture to look after farmers.  Lincoln also proposed the Ten Percent Plan, Which allowed states back into the Union as long as 10% of its citizens gave an oath of allegiance to the national government. We also read about how Lincoln worked tirelessly to gain votes for a new constitutional amendment, which was passed by a vote of 119 to 58. McGovern uses evidence to support his claim by giving specific dates and locations, making his claims credible.  Chapter 7 gives us readers an insight of how Lincoln dealt with the political aftermath of the war.
In Abraham Lincoln, chapter 8, make a governor examines the toll that the war took on both the people and Lincoln. The four years of hard, bloody war had begun to drain Lincoln,he did not eat or sleep very well and people who are close to him commented that he was extremely depressed and his same to you are hardly ever appeared, the weight of thousands of deaths weighing on his shoulders. Though physically, he was weak, Hisperia remain strong and he had to bend his faith in God. The author also describes the battle against Lee and his honorable surrender. McGovern uses the last few pages to recollect the death of Lincoln at Ford's theater and the happiness he had experienced in the moments before. Much like chapter 7,The author uses specific dates and even specific times as evidence.
The authors main purpose in these two chapters is to dig deeper into Lincoln's political choices at the end of the war and explain the negative told that the war took on Lincoln. From the authors point of view, Lincoln did everything he could to stabilize the country and put it back together in the end, even if it meant losing hundreds of thousands of lives.we mainly here Lincoln's voice in chapter 8, but I would like to hear you little more about his opinion on the many acts passed in the early 1860s, as discussed in Chapter 7. Did he agree with all of them?
in class, we formed groups of three to discuss some of Lincolns views. In Lincoln's point of view, we were to finish the sentences, "I believe that..." "I hope that..." and "I insisted that…" How would he finish the sentences? For the first, I am reminded of a quote of Lincoln in chapter 7. "If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." I feel that these two statements work well together. "I believe that if slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong." For "I hope that..." I think Lincoln would choose to say, "I hope that our nation can unify and become one as the Union again. For "I insist that..." I think that "I insist that all men are created equal and United States is stronger when we are unified." We also read "War by the Numbers" which debunks the previous death total of the war at 620,000 as calculated by two amateur historians to the new 2012 estimation of 750,000 as reported by Dr. J. David Hacker. This is possibly the closest number, but we will never really know for sure because no one ever kept any proper death tolls back then. Our discussions in class helped us get a better understanding of Lincoln's views and choices at the end of the Civil War.
We also discussed in class some historical questions we had about the reading. One question was, "after the war, how would the states make sure that no one was illegally  owning slaves?" According to our teacher, states would hire agents to make sure everyone was abiding by the law. Another question was, "what does the author do well?"in my opinion, the author uses direct quotes from Lincoln along with his claims to prove that it's not only his opinion, but also Lincoln's opinion. We also discussed how the war affected soldier's family members. They upset Stover dying soldiers constantly, asking, "did they have a proper death?" "Did they have any last words?" "Did they die with others around them or were they all alone?" Proper deaths were very important to people in the 19th century, especially to wives and mothers. These questions really helped us dig deeper and better understand the reading.
Some questions still remain: were the financial acts well accepted? Were they successful? Did Lincolns former cabinet members still remain in politics? Were they angry with him because they let them go?

Lincoln Ch 7 & 8 by M. R.

In Abraham Lincoln Chapter Seven, author Mc Govern talks about Lincoln’s second term to the presidency. His reelection hardily won, Lincoln was hopeful that his second term would be marked by peace, progress and prosperity instead of war and discontent. During his second term Lincoln was exhausted, it was hard for him to rest, he kept staggering his workload. His wife Martha noticed the toll the presidential duties was doing to him not only physically but emotionally. Lincoln was broken hearted about the war and the damages it was doing. The war was breaking families apart, innocent people where dying and the separation of the states was making Lincoln sad. During his second term Lincoln had to clean up his cabinet, there had to be some replacements on his top advisers. However, some of the adviser had already resigned in prior months during his first term in the presidency. After the replacement of the cabinet Lincoln was satisfied with the newly formed group formed by radical Senator William Fessenden of Maine and William Dennison of Ohio. Lincoln particularly enjoyed working with Secretary of State William Seward, they had a respectful relationship. Seward was the one to give thoughtful and reasonable advice to the President.  Lincoln found a true friendship with Seward that was true and sincere. Seaward also admired Lincoln. The president was less friendly with his secretary of war Edwin Stanton, but the two managed to build a working relationship and they both put their differences aside. There was many that disagreed with Lincoln in regards the policy matters and Welles was one of them. He was Secretary of the Gideon Navy, instead of telling Lincoln his concerns and disagreements he would write them in his diary that he faithfully kept.  Welles was great at his job, while the Navy was under his charge the Navy had grown from 76 vessels to 671, and the number of seamen from 7,600 to 51,000.  Lincoln had made significant changes to the Supreme Court and in his cabinet, however one of his previous members of his cabinet died and had to choose another person to replace him and he ended choosing Chase to do the second term along him. Even do Lincoln did not like Chase he admired his abilities. Within months of being in the second term Lincoln’s hopes began to be at least partial realized: In January, Chief Justice Chase approved the admission of John Rock of Massachusetts, making him the first black man to practice before the Supreme Court.  By the second term President Lincoln was more confident and was going forth with his plans to reshape society. One of the things he did to assist war was the 10 percent tax on state bank notes; state banks then had to choose to comply or go out of business. He also did the Homestead Act, any adult citizen who headed a household could win title to 160 acres of frontier land simply by living on it for five years. He was determined to end slavery and to unify the Union. Lincoln did everything in his power to accomplish his goal.  
It had been four painful, catastrophic years for Americans. More than ten thousand battles had been fought in sixteen states, three million men who took arms against each other, more than six hundred thousand had died; two-thirds of those deaths were by disease.  This is the statistic that the author Mc Govern gives in the book. This war sets a record for American fatalities because all the people that dies were Americans from the North and the South.  Not only was the war ending humanity but so where these horrible diseases. Woman also played a big role during the war as well During this time there was groups of women help with the cleaning and taking care of the wounded soldiers. Since there were not many places to take the wounded soldiers Churches became hospitals, homes became military headquarters. From the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi river, American waterway were streaked with blood.  The war had taken a heavy toll on the president. Four years of war had hunted and drained him. Not only was the war taking a toll on Lincoln, but in 1862 the death of his favorite son Willie had devastated him, but he took to heart the advice of a Presbyterian minister who told him to turn to God. Lincoln acknowledge, and depended upon, higher power.  Lincoln saw himself as an instrument that God was using to trust with great responsibility, however he didn’t believe that a miracle would happen to stop the war.  In his second inauguration, Lincoln spoke of the need for mutual forgiveness and the promise of a reunited America. Fedrick Douglas was one of the attendees when Lincoln gave his speech and Fedrick told him that it was a, “scared effort”. Not many shared the same sentiments as Fedrick.
In 1864, Lee’s army was rendering immobile in Petersburg. Grant knew that if he attacked Richmond where Lee was he would take Richmond itself.  For months Grant, had launched a series of assaults on the city but had a weakening resistance in all fronts. Grant believed that Lee’s line of defense would stretch so thin that it would break. The war was almost coming to an end. Grant invited Lincoln and Mary to visit the Union headquarters at City Point, Virginia.  Edwin Stanton stayed behind to in Washington and covered while Lincoln was away. For the first time in weeks Lincoln could relax and enjoy the trip. While on his trip Lee’s army had broken way. It appeared that Lee’s plan was to move his army to North Carolina with Joe Johnston to avoid Sherman and Grant to join forces. Grant moved quickly.
Lincoln toured the battlefield on a horseback, seeing evidence of the most recent carnage, Lincoln remarked, “upon the sad and unhappy condition” of long lines of Confederate prisoner, most of whom appeared undernourished and resigned for defeat.  Lincoln visited hospital and spent amounts of time with the wounded Union and Confederate soldiers. Everyone saw a different side of Lincoln, one of the observers said that he was, “kind and his handshake just as hearty, his interest was real for the welfare of the men as when he was among our own soldiers”.  Lincoln was very humble and that showed how much he wanted unity for the North and the South.
Finally, on April 2 the Confederate lines has fallen. Lee had surrendered. When word of Richmond’s fall reached Washington, thousands of people ran into the streets, “talking, laughing, hurrahing and shouting in fullness of their joy.” Celebratory crowds gathered in front of the War Department and called for Stanton to speak; he was so happy that his voice trembled and his body shook.  Stanton expressed his gratitude to God and to President Lincoln.  As Lincoln walked in Richmond by himself, crowds of black men, women, and children surrounded him, shouting, “Bless the Lord, Father Abraham’s come.” Some knelt but he wouldn’t have none of that. Lincoln was a humble man and he didn’t expect to get praised for what he’d done. He did what was right for America.  He told the crowds of people that they should thank God for their freedom.
The last full day of Lincoln life was Good Friday, April 14, 1865. He was the happiest he’s ever been in a long time. The war had ended and the future looked cheerful. Lincoln was shoot in the head by Booth. Lincoln took his last breath the morning of April 15. It was one of the cruelest paradoxes of American History that Abraham Lincoln, whose heart was filled with compassion and love for his nation and fellow human beings, North and South, should have been killed by a man whose soul was filled with hate in a theater loved by both the killer and his victim.
 In we discussed, that it took 400 million dollars to reconstruct the states that were affected by the war. We also discussed how Lincoln was trying to reshape society in the South and how he included the black man to vote. Black men also where able to own property and how it made white people uncomfortable.
There was still a lot of unanswered question that are left unanswered. Did the next President continue with Lincoln promises? Why weren’t the women mentioned during the civil war? Did Lincoln change his mind about being an Abolitionist? 

Lincoln Ch 7 & 8 by K. P.

1. In chapters seven and eight, Abe Lincoln is in his second term of presidency and the war is going in the right direction. Abe's final Das were spent in a state of peace before he was assassinated. The authors main argument was that Abe did not want the war to continue and he really did try his absolute best to improve the leadership roles in the country an abolish slavery completely. The author provides evidence by inserting quotes from Abe's speeches in the text.
2. In the text we hear the voice of Abe Lincoln mostly. We hear about. His thoughts on the war, his thoughts about his cabinet, and his aspirations. We also briefly hear about the thoughts of some of his prior cabinet members-turned-running competition. For example, we learn that a few people often disagreed with Lincoln such as secretary of the navy Gideon Welles. Welles disagreed with Lincoln on the matter of suspending habeas corpus. Welles didn't actually tell Lincoln of this but kept it in a diary.
3. Our work in our class reading really helped me to understand just exactly how much death the war caused. Reading the sort article on the REAL estimate on the total deaths helps to truly understand not only the direct causes but the indirect causes of death. People not only Died from fighting , but from disease, hunger, living conditions and many other factors. This brought the number of estimated deaths from around 600,000 all the way upwards of 800,000.
4. Some questions that came up included how could the number of death be so off? What did women do to contribute during the civil war? And what were john Wilkes booths motives for killing the president? we concluded that the reason for the death toll being off is that not everyone that died was accounted for , there were many unknown men gifting in the war and after death had no one to survive them. Also people died from indirect causes of the war. During the civil war women's most important role was either tending to the wounded or trying to reclaim the dead soldiers and sending their bodies back home. Although we didn't discuss the motives of john Wilkes booths actions , it's safe I assume that it was due to a disgust for Abe Lincoln and disagreement with his policies.
5. The biggest question I'm left wondering is was Abe Lincoln truly happy in his last days? Depression is a difficult thing to deal with and doesn't suddenly go away , so even though those around him saw him in an improved state, what was he really feeling on the inside?

Lincoln Ch 5 & 6 by B. M.

1.In Abraham Lincoln by George McGovern chapter 5 and 6. Capture 5 is titled Lincoln and total war. George writes about Lincolns thoughts and feelings about war, at first Lincoln’s views on war are almost passive, very gentlemanly with rules and consideration for the southern solders. Lincoln, felt he needed to stay out of the war and focus more on running the country. As the war progresses Lincoln realized he needed to be more assertive and tougher if he wanted to win. Through this way of thinking and strategy he saw results. Capture 6 focuses on Lincolns political aspirations and how he could use the war to his advantage. Lincoln felt it was his duty or obligation to see the resolution of the war while he was president. He used his accomplishments of war to his advantage.
2.George McGovern point of view seemed indifferent I think he laid out the facts and his examples well. I would have liked to hear a little more about Lincolns home life and upbringing.
3. In class I assume we talked about Lincoln and how he met criticism from his peers and how he overcame adversity in relation to what we read. We probably talked about how he developed his strategy for war and how he used this knowledge to win a second term as President.
4. Some conclusions we drew were that Lincoln was a good man and a good president. He tried initially to avoid slavery but eventually had to stand firm in his belief that it was not a good practice.
5. What were Abraham Lincolns parents like? Where did he get such a work ethic? How did his upbringing help him go from an unknown lawyer to a political powerhouse?

Lincoln Ch 3-4 by C. M.

  The reading on chapters three and four of George Mcgovern’s, Abraham Lincoln, are about how the Southern States wanted to secede from the United States; beginning with South Carolina. In chapter four, the main focus of the chapter was the Emancipation proclamation that would free slaves in the Southern States. The author’s purpose is to inform the reader of the events leading up to the Civil War, how it ended, and how Abraham Lincoln handled the situation. The author provides evidence such as quotes from Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address in March 4, 1861. Mcgovern also provides quotes from historians such as Richard Striner.

   The Author does not really present a point of view, the purpose is to inform readers and present their own point of view. The author expresses how Abraham Lincoln was highly criticized by Southerners and other politicians. For instance, when Lincoln read his draft of the Emancipation Proclamation to his cabinet, Salmon Chase and Montgomery Blair thought that the idea was beyond the president’s power and would make the border southern states into the Confederacy. Another example on how Lincoln pushed the boundaries on what was legal was the removal of habeas corpus and enacting the very first military draft. We heard the Southerners’ point of view, which was that the government should not interfere with state laws in order to protect slavery. The voices that were left unheard were the bordering Southern states.

   The in class discussion to the reading better helped my understanding as to why the Civil War happened. For example, the class activity in reading the Inaugural Address and summarizing paragraphs helped me understand that Lincoln was criticized for being a hypocrite about not having any interest in changing the slavery laws and after he ordered that the “rebelling” states give up their slaves. After having further discussions in class, it was concluded that yes, Lincoln was hypocritical but that the Secession and the Civil War was inevitable and it took a man like Lincoln to resolve the issues regardless of the approval of the American people. Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union and would do whatever it took.

     In a separate discussion with Professor Arrowsmith, we spoke about how Senator Henry Clay came up with the Great Compromise of 1850 to resolve issues between the North and the South and settled other disputes regarding territory. But the compromise was only a temporary solution and with the ongoing feud between the north and south. We concluded that Abraham Lincoln was the one that would find the solution whether his ideas were popular or not. The questions that still remain is if Lincoln’s critics changed the way they viewed him as a President; if he became more respected or more hated.

Lincoln Ch 3-4 by D. C.

 In addition to our sixteenth president biographies author George McGovern writes in detail about interesting political deals that helped more of my understanding of this famous president in the book titled "Abraham Lincoln" . Abraham Lincoln is a very popular figure in American history and in his life story has defined what America is today. McGovern argues about Abraham Lincoln; in his fight to abolish slavery , the manipulation and talent that won him presidency, and the development of several southern states consider secession. In the evidence that McGovern provided was early on Lincoln was elected congress in where he then moved to Washington for his term and was unsuccessful to abolish slavery in District of Columbia. McGovern in his writing states that Lincoln was an abolitionist who morally believed slavery was wrong along with his legal and economic view against slavery. McGovern write about Lincoln`s attempt to reinforce Fort Summers in South Carolina, and so began the civil war and the secession of several more states along with Virginia , which Lincoln believed the civil war was fought for the union to remain together. Along with the civil war happening it also played a role in the fate of slavery. McGovern writes the political manipulation Lincoln took part in by suspending rights in the constitution and expand the power of the executive and federal government.  And most importantly McGovern writes  Lincoln`s remarkable action as president The Emancipation Proclamation. 
    The purpose for me in reading the writings of George McGovern gave me more information in the sense of i did not know in detail sequently how the Emancipation Proclamation take a start and initiated the thirteenth amendment along with the amens of the abolishment of slavery in the United States. I did not change my outlook of Lincoln`s character because i overall believed it was a fight that had to be done in order to accomplish something morally great that now seems to be the most positive accomplishment in American history. I was reading about a person overall who is very educated , strong and was fighting for an importance that he believe was the right thing to do.
    In our class discussions George McGovern argument as a group; classmates discuss the executive power and authority that took place. The evidence to support this was by newspapers and laws. As a group we realized that chapter 3 from "Abraham Lincoln" was more about the civil war and chapter 4 was details about the civil war. We discussed the Lincoln used the political system to his advantage, for example what Lincoln sought to support something and was illegal he made them legal. We discussed Lincoln moving towards emancipation and unify the north. We read an article "First Inaugural Address of Abraham Lincoln" and discuss a very significant and relatable quote from the article supporting our discussion as a group about the secession and union "  A husband and wife may be divorced and go out of the presence and beyond reach of each other , but the different parts of our country can not do this" (23). What he says is so relatable to an everyday man and women as a fact and adequately support the unity among states is not able to function properly on it their own.
 The most important questions we drew was now we see the result of the civil war brought upon in the end the abolishment of slavery. We now see it was a positive outcome but actually living in that point in time was not seen positive. The civil war ended slavery but did not start of that way. We discussed at the time how the enslaved people would respond to emancipation as happy but unsure of the result in the end if it would push through. We discussed about George Washington saying war is an expense and ought to be avoided at all cost , but Lincoln believed that slavery was a reason for the war.
 My questions remains with the manipulation of use of the Constitution what can be done to prevent this from happening again ? , because if it were to happen what can be stated it will result positive again ? and not negative that would impact humanity?. How deeply did it effect the suspension on laws at the time?

Lincoln Ch 3-4 by E. C.

In Abraham Lincoln Chapter 3, author George McGovern writes about some of the difficulties Lincoln was faced with and how he used his priorities to try and resolve these difficulties. No other American president had ever faced the challenges of disunion, rebellion, and Civil War. Southerners viewed the election of Lincoln as a preemptive act of war and just six weeks after Lincoln's election in 1860, South Carolinas legislature was already drafting articles of secession.do union came apart after six cotton states had follow in their footsteps. Even through all of these disputes and the growing number of the Souths military, Lincoln was still not convinced that the crisis was real and decided to stay silent on the matter until he was inaugurated, believing that he had no power to do anything about it until he officially took office. McGovern also writes that Lincoln chose a very unusual tactic while choosing the members of his cabinet, selecting his chief rivals in the Republican nomination and men who were former Whigs and Democrats. On Inauguration Day, May 4, 1861, Lincoln is highly anticipated address was an attempt to assure wary Southerners that their property, their peace, and their personal security would remain intact.  This attempt to prove to be unsuccessful and then more weeks after Lincoln's inauguration, secessionists took control of federal farts, eventually leaving only Fort Pickens in Florida and Fort Sumter in South Carolina under federal control. McGovern also tells us that link and used extra legal actions without congressional approval which were critical to his administration such as the suspension of habeas corpus, the censorship of the press, And ordering a blockade of southern ports. Congress later passed a law that those who were drafted could pay a fee for someone else to take their place in the war. Every action Lincoln truck was ultimately to save the Union.
In Chapter 4, McGovern writes about the changes in Lincoln's views on slavery and emancipation. The Emancipation Proclamation greatly transformed the notion of freedom in America, freeing up to 4 million slaves. At the beginning of his political career, Lincoln had made it clear that he didn't want to abolish slavery where it already existed, only to halt the extension of slavery. The author also informs us that Lincoln wanted to balance his personal views on slavery with his interpretation of the Constitution. His politically diverse cabinet was deeply divided over the issue of slavery, so much so that they had stopped meeting regularly until Lincoln had instructed them to meet every Tuesday and Friday. Lincoln decided to issue the Emancipation Proclamation after coming to the conclusion that he had the authority to free slaves under the circumstances of the rebellion. This proclamation was absolutely essential for the salvation of the Union and the powers of the president overrode the constitutional protection of slavery. By  providing freedom for the slaves, this also gave them the motivation to fight for the Union. In both chapters of Abraham Lincoln, McGovern uses strong evidence by tying in some of Lincolns quotes to support his claims and make them more reliable. Lincoln's views on both slavery and emancipation were both greatly altered during the span of his presidency.
The purpose and point view of the author is to educate his readers about the hardships that Lincoln faced in his presidency and to express his changing views on slavery and emancipation. The author really sheds light on Lincoln's struggles to make both parties content, although ultimately failing to meet both of their demands and having to choose one side over the other. We mainly hear Lincoln's voice in this text, but I would also like to hear a little more of Lincolns cabinets views. How many of them supported The Emancipation Proclamation? How many opposed it? Even though Southerners greatly opposed the proclamation, it proved to be extremely successful in the end.
In class, we talked about Lincolns views against secession after reading from his first inaugural address. We discussed how Lincolns views were greatly influenced from his experiences as a lawyer and referred mostly to the Constitution when making decisions. We also talked about some of the warnings Lincoln gave to the South. The South couldn't demolish the contract without the agreement from the North and they could violate the contract, but not without suffering from the repercussions. Lincoln greatly relyed on the lawyer part of his brain and his knowledge of the Constitution to convince the South that secession would be a mistake. We also discussed the extra-legal steps that Lincoln issued, such as suspending habeas corpus, censoring the press, and issuing a draft law in which people who were drafted could pay a fee for someone else to replace them in fighting in the war. Our discussions in class greatly enhanced our understanding of the topic and made many of us eager to continue reading.
We also asked some historical questions about the reading. One in particular was, "what is the authors argument"? Though he doesn't make his personal views known, he makes it clear that Lincolns efforts in his presidency greatly shaped the country and their treatment towards others. He also makes it known that Lincoln did his best to prevent secession and stay true to the Constitution. We were also asked, "what evidence does the author use to support his claim"? The author uses a lot of evidence by giving specific dates and locations and using many of Lincolns Direct quotes to tie into the reading, expressing Lincoln's views in a more personal and relatable way. These questions really helped us to dig deeper and analyze his personal and political views.
A few questions still remain; what was President James Buchanan's views on slavery? Did he support or oppose Lincoln? Also, were any of Lincoln's cabinet members so frustrated that they deserted Lincoln and dropped out of the cabinet?

Lincoln Ch 3-4 by H. T.

In Abraham Lincoln chapters 3 and 4, author George McGovern details the many controversial choices Lincoln made throughout the Civil War and the changes in his thinking as he gained war and presidential experience. McGovern provided evidence through explaining the events that occurred. For example, President Lincoln revoked Habeas Corpus, and allowed for civilians to be arrested without reason or trial. This was a very controversial decision as many felt as though it went against the Bill of Rights and was not legal. Many men were arrested for reporting their opinions or for reporting false information, a crime you’d otherwise never hear a word from the law for. Another controversial decision he made was the decision to form the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln initially had no intentions of writing such a document that could free the slaves from bondage. He initially believed that the institution of Slavery, while horrible, should not be removed, just be limited. The idea was flirted with after the North won a battle in the South and the general at the time had attempted to free the slaves there as a victory of the North, but Lincoln forbid, it, saying that was not the goal of the war. Eventually he came to the conclusion that the slaves needed to be freed once he believed that it would help assist the North in winning the war. Once he did this, he declared all the slaves free, an action he wasn’t entirely sure would even hold up in court. Lincoln experienced many different difficulties throughout the war and made many controversial decisions that, at the time, were commonly seen as going too far.
His goal of these writings are to inform the reader of how the Civil War evolved, as did Abraham Lincoln, as the war continued. The voices he used in his attempt to tell this story were those of Lincoln himself, government officials, and citizens of both the North and the South. Most voices heard not named Lincoln were of those whom often doubted, or disagreed with, President Abraham Lincoln. This were to illustrate the fact that it wasn’t as easy as North vs South, and Lincoln faced conflict from both sides of the war. Voices we didn’t hear of were those which were fighting in the war. We rarely heard what was going on the ground in these places, and what the military officials had thought of Lincoln’s decisions.
The handout, which was first inauguration speech that Abraham Lincoln gave, gave me plenty of insight as to how Lincoln evolved from before the war to during and after the war. Before the war, it was apparent that he had no intention of abolishing slavery, and his only goal was to prevent the secession of more states into the confederacy. His goal was to compromise with those of the South to create peace, while acknowledging the anger that the South felt over his election. Once Lincoln was faced with the actual war, Lincoln changed his mind on plenty of topics and most of what Lincoln said during his inauguration speech was no longer relevant as his only goal became to rejoin the union together again, and he was willing to take any action in order to do so.
Some questions that we posed about Abraham Lincoln resembled that of “how did Lincoln expand his powers as president during his time in office?” A conclusion we gathered from our discussion and the reading was that Lincoln used the fact that he was in war to justify the extreme action he were taking within his own government in an attempt to win the war. This allowed him to commit what some considered crimes such as revoking Habeas Corpus, declaring all slaves free with one signing of the pen and waging war on what was his own country as he did not believe that secession was legal and the Southern States were still technically part of the United States. He did this all in the name of bringing together the union to be one united nation once again.
Some questions I had were those such as did the South’s elected president break any similar laws during the course of the war, perhaps in an effort to claim victory and properly declare its independence? Another question I had was how would the Founding Fathers of America see Lincoln’s actions? As brave and intelligent? Or cowardly and evil?

Lincoln Ch 3-4 by A. G.

In Chapter 3 of Abraham Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln was extremely dedicated to preserving a united nation. Lincoln was the first American president to have ever faced the challenges of disunion, rebellion, and civil war. It was made clear that the southern states had been threatening secession from the Union for many years. South Carolina served notice that if their nullification was rejected by Washington, they would secede. But, never once had the South carried out its threats. A Republican strategist Carl Schurz commented about the Southern states and that they would, “secede, go out and take two drinks, and come back again,”(50). Many Northern congressmen had gotten tired of the empty Southern states threats so they did not take the talk of secession seriously. The Southerners saw the election of Abraham Lincoln as a preemptive act of war. They even considered Lincoln as a “Black Republican” because in their view, Lincoln advocated equality for slaves or worse, favored insurrection. On December 20, 1860, six weeks after Lincoln’s election, the Union came apart. Lincoln decided to fill his cabinet with his former rivals to get different point of views. The substantial dispute between the North and South was slavery was also discussed in the book. Lincoln utilized the suspension of habeas corpus to enforce military conscription. The event that leads into chapter 4 would be that Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
In Chapter 4, Lincoln’s order, the Emancipation Proclamation, freed four million slaves with the stroke of a pen. Lincoln’s views on slavery had evolved over the years. He even described himself as naturally anti-slavery. Slavery violated the promise of the Declaration of Independence. The border states, which were slave states, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri did not join the Confederacy. The thirteenth amendment was ratified in 1865. The Proclamation announced the acceptance of black men into the Union Army and Navy.
The purpose of the author was to inform the reader of Abraham Lincoln’s decisions before and during his presidency. The author showed the impact of Lincoln’s actions such as the push of the Emancipation Proclamation during the war. The voices missing were the Southern states point of view on the Emancipation Proclamation and the Northern states point of view on the Proclamation. Specific comments from the North and South were not mentioned in the book from people living in those areas, only as a whole.
In class we discussed the Abraham Lincoln stretches such as the Emancipation Proclamation, censored press, and the draft of the Northern men. The Emancipation Proclamation did not sit well with some people in the North and most of the people in the South. Most thought that Lincoln was supporting the rights of African Americans, slaves. We also talked about what brought to the point of the Emancipation Proclamation which was the wanting of unity for the Union and the divided cabinet because of the former rivals in the cabinet with very opinionated point of views. The last thing we talked about was the first inaugural address of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was trying to make it clear to the South that seceding was not a good idea and that they were making their decision to do that too quickly. He wanted them to stop, take a step back and think about what they were planning on doing.
We questioned how the African Americans felt about the Emancipation Proclamation. Turns out they were happy about it but didn’t know how it was going to play out in the end. We also questioned how the North felt about the Proclamation, were they all on board with supporting or did they disagree like the South? Not all of the North supported the Emancipation Proclamation, just like not all of the South disagreed with it either.
The one question we are left wondering would be, did the Emancipation Proclamation that ended up not working out in the end, really have a strong effect on the future of the country?

Lincoln Ch 2 - by E. C.

In Abraham Lincoln Chapter 2, author George McGovern writes about Lincolns early political career. In this chapter, McGovern argues that Lincolns political career varied from successful to unsuccessful. He lost many battles for a seat in public office, but also prevailed in other battles, securing a spot as the state legislator of Illinois and a Whig Party representative, taking a seat in the US House of Representatives. McGovern also shares with us the strong, supportive commitment Lincoln held with the Whig Party,  promoting the Whig agenda of development and populism.  After realizing the downward spiral the party had been thrown into, he was ready to join the Republican Party in 1856. Lincoln made it clear he opposed the expansion of slavery, but was not an abolitionist, believing that Congress had no right to interfere with the Constitution, which protected slavery.  We also learn about the political battles between himself and Stephen Douglas, a proslavery senator. The biography also mentions the conflict between the Democrats and Whigs as a result of Stephen Douglas's Kansas Nebraska Act, which divided the territory immediately west of the Missouri River in two, the north becoming Nebraska in the south become in Kansas, leaving residents to determine whether slavery would be legal or not in their territory.  Lincoln also opposed the war against Mexico, believing that it was unnecessary so he introduced the "Spot Resolutions" in 1848 demanding from President James Polk where the first American blood was shed, whether it was on American or Mexican soil, which sparked much controversy. The evidence the author uses can be found in the specific dates and places he uses to make his book historically accurate. McGovern also includes many of Lincolns quotes from his speeches such as his excepted speech at the Statehouse in Springfield, 1858. Lincoln experienced many controversial struggles in his early political life, but ultimately overcame them.
 The authors purpose and point of view, shown in this biography, is to educate his readers about some of the possibly unheard of orforgotten information about Lincolns early political life. Many are often only taught about Lincolns life after he was elected president, so it is important that we are informed about the realities Lincoln faced in his past years which shaped his presidency later in life. We mainly hear Lincoln's voice in this biography, but I would like to hear a bit more about the voices of his fellow candidates for Congress, John J. Hardin and Edward Baker, who happened to be friends with Lincoln. What were their views on slavery? Did they agree with Lincoln's political choices?  I would also like to hear the voices of some of the members of the Whig Party. What were their views on Lincoln? The main purpose of this biography is to inform us about Lincolns early political choices.
 In class, we discussed what we thought were some of the authors strong points such as his ability to describe the events in great detail and write about these events in a way that was very comprehensible. We also got into groups and arranged some of Lincolns characteristics on small cards ranking them from least prominent to most prominent, such as abolition and religion as least prominent and politics and humbleness leaning towards the more prominent side. We bounced some ideas off of each other on what we believed were Lincolns most distinguishing political characteristics and most of the class generally put the cards in the same places, because the author had gotten his point across clear enough so that we were all on the same page. We discussed how Lincolns early choices greatly affected the choices he made later in his presidency. We also shared some memorable quotes that really stood out to us, mine being part of his speech in 1858 at the statehouse in Springfield, "I do not expect the Union to be dissolved-I do not expect the house to fall-but I do expect it will cease to be divided." This really helped us to dig deeper into his political life and get a better understanding of his personal views.
 We also discussed some of the historical questions about the reading. One in particular was, "what surprised you about Abraham Lincoln?" One of the answers was they were surprised he wasn't religious, even though he believed the Scriptures to be true and often used Biblical references in his speeches.  Another answer was they were surprised that even though he opposed the expansion of slavery, he was not an abolitionist because he believed that it win against the Constitution, which protected slavery. We always assume that Lincoln wanted freedom and equal rights for the slaves, but in fact, this proved to be not entirely true. He wanted nothing more than to follow the Constitution.  Many of us were surprised about these decisions that he had made, some of which contradicted our previous assumptions about Lincolns views.
A few questions sill remain: How did the Republican Party first get started? We only hear that it was an emerging party and hear nothing about who had founded it. Also, who ultimately seemed to hold victory in the debates between Lincoln and Douglas? Were there times when one seemed more superior to the other? Did the debates vary depending on what region they were speaking in?

Lincoln Ch 2 by S. A.

In chapter two of the book Lincoln by George McGovern we learn about his crippling depression in his efforts to attempt to participate in congress and later climbing up into presidency. At first Lincoln was just a member of congress trying to eliminate slavery but keep in mind he was no abolitionist. He thought slavery was disgusting and a disgrace and should not be held in the capitol  as it was one of America’s greatest sins. Before his attempts at removing slavery he was trying to politically combat president Polk about the illegal war. Asking whether the blood was shed on american or mexican soil but in his advances to try and humiliate him he only made himself look unpatriotic to the soldiers taking part in the war and very much hurt his political standing as he was seen as weak and unwilling to do anything but this how a majority of the nation viewed the Whigs after Lincoln loses his seat in office but fails on multiple occasions.This sank Lincoln into depression but only seeding his need to end slavery and change the nation where it stood as a whole. After his second attempt to obtain a seat in the Congress Lincoln and his supporters campaigned vigorously. He became exceedingly popular with the people and electoral college. Leonard Swett, Ward Hill Lauren, Judge David Davis all participated in getting Lincoln his seat in presidency. After telling the press who had gathered outside his house Lincoln said that your work was finished but my work was just beginning.
The author wanted you to see how much he had gone through and how long it took for Lincoln to comeback from losing his position in congress to campaign to have enough support to be able to ride his wave of popularity to presidency. Another contributing factor was the south was so broken up on dividing from the Union or wanting to stay and compromise. Those who seeked compromised was seen as weak and labeled submissionist and others wanted to completely leave and it wasn't through the idea of eliminating slavery but feeling as if they would be crippling their economy. After several states boasting about leaving pushed them to believe that they would be outnumbered in the Government and leaving them politically crippled. Learning about Lincoln in elementary you would believe he was anti-slavery but in fact he firmly believed slavery was absolutely absurd in the capitol but thought it was a constitutional right in the south knowing it was one of the building blocks of their economy. Also never mentioning he was actually a congressmen and who lost his seat and failed the regain his seat back and on the wave a public and the support in his delegates he gain a seat as the president of the United States.
One of the reasons Lincoln won his election was the south was so terribly divided among themselves they could not ban together to form a counter the Lincoln and his supporters. Not only was the south divided so was the north. The north being separated into the democrats voting for Stephen Douglas and Republicans voting for Lincoln as called the whigs. In the south John Bell for the constitutional union those who choose compromise but still wanted slavery they were both in the north as well as the south. John Breckinridge as running as a strong second behind Lincoln. With 4 possible candidates Lincoln still managed to come out on top.
It all began when congressmen Abraham Lincoln trying to embarrass Polk after his war with mexico a fairly unpopular opinion Lincoln had almost assuring he would lose his position on the matter.. After losing his seat in the senate and his failed multiple events to regain his political position. Also combating his depression after his loses. His seeded hatred for slavery grew ever deeper and drove LIncoln to move in on the presidency to eliminate slavery once and for all. Although he wasn’t an abolitionist he wanted to remove it from the capitol and later from the nation. He saw it as stealing the fruits of labor of the workers so he saw it as unconstitutional. I want to know who was his main cabinet when he came into office? How long was his separation from the government? How did he cope with his depression? These are the questions i am left curious about and hope to learn in the future readings.

Lincoln Ch 2 by D. A.

1. Abraham Lincoln was a very respected man who had once started off in the position of the wrong party. His intentions, politically, were against the war against Mexico, in general, was unnecessary and claimed that it might have been the fault of America itself who started the war. His views on war caused others to see him as unpatriotic and affected his position in politics. After leaving Congress and returning to his home in Springfield, Illinois, he worked his way up to become a very wanted and respected man. Many of the citizens of Illinois saw how great of a man he was and sought to have him speak as a prosecutor and even a judge. Working his way up again, his views for antislavery had enlarged. When the Kansas-Nebraska Act came into play, it allowed the people in those territories to have the decision whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. Lincoln did not agree with this proposition, therefore causing his views on slavery to increase, wanting to put a stop to it all.
2. The purpose or point of view of the author was to describe Lincoln's position in the Whig party, in congress, and show where he stands. He was a very respected man, but his point of view on war and on the constitution and slavery caused him to lose some of that respect. Many saw him as unpatriotic but he believed in what he felt was right and he stood by those morals andI believe that is what the author is trying to describe as he explains Lincoln's political life and where he was and what he stood for.
3. In class, we discussed what kind of morals Lincoln had and what he believed in. One of Lincoln's point of views that were discussed in class that really stood out was towards the Constitution. Lincoln believed that the people should always have the power of the government, to decide whether they wanted to change the government or not. We also discussed in class his views on religion. He was not much of a religious person but he did respect the scripture and what the bible had said and that was very important on how he viewed slavery and many other things in life.
4. The historical questions that we discussed in class ranged around what type of person Lincoln was. Lincoln was a very hard worker. He did manual labor and he was very focused and determined and he did end up failing quite a bit. He was unfortunate politically but that never stopped him and he continued to fight for his term and to fight for slavery and for what he believed was right and therefore showed others his determination and efforts.
5. Some questions that were left wondering were personally how he grew up and gained the views that he did. I personally feel like how his parents raised him and who he became as a man is certainly important. I wonder what pushed him to want to serve and what caused his mentality to change.

Lincoln Ch 2 by D. L.

In the novel Abraham Lincoln by George S. McGovern we start to read about Abraham Lincoln’s early life before he came to be what we know as the 16^th president of the United States and the issues and challenges he faced and what he did to face these challenges. People at the time saw Abraham Lincoln’s actions as unpatriotic. For example, we learned that Lincoln was a member of the Whigs. The Whigs didn’t support the war against Mexico because they were afraid that the united states wasn’t ready for such a huge land expansion therefore looking at the Whigs as unpatriotic for this. Lincoln also questioned whether the war was necessary and if America had been the aggressor to begin with. Either way he funded the troops. Another huge challenge Lincoln faced was the topic on slavery. Lincoln firmly believed that slavery in the various states was protected by the constitution, and that congress had no power to interfere with it there. But he did seek to end slavery in the District of Columbia, believing that slavery was an embarrassment to the nation’s capital. The District of Columbia had the largest slave trading warehouse. After the passing of the Missouri Compromise which allowed slaves, Lincoln thought that it was a monstrous injustice because it denied the humanity of the negro.
            In class, we discussed a few certain qualities and went over some paintings. In the discussion, we came up with the thought that Abraham Lincoln was a very humble man who most certainly was not an abolitionist. The two paintings that we looked at showed Abraham Lincoln in a state in which we are not used to. When we think about Abraham Lincoln, we automatically picture him in his black suit and top hat but in these paintings, Lincoln is outside in overalls chopping wood and breaking a sweat. This gave insight to the fact that Abraham Lincoln has many sides to him. We also discussed the things that never come to mind when we think about Abraham Lincoln. For example, I never thought about people at the time thinking seeing him as unpatriotic. The man was the president after all! I feel like I have learned so much about Abraham Lincoln in the past few hours than I ever did in all my history classes growing up. It’s an interesting topic that touches morality and human rights and I cant wait to continue reading.

The Logic of Secession by H. T.

The lecture by Dr Ed Ayers, entitles “The Logic of Secession,” details the years leading up to the Civil War, and how complicated everything was during this time, and all occurred over a long period of time. Ayers detailed events such as the election of 1860, when there were many major political parties voted for throughout the country. For example, many states in middle America had voted for the Constitutional Union Party, a party of no extremes that favored Slavery, yet didn’t want to secede in order to get their way. They were mostly a part of compromises. He proved this with voting maps throughout the lecture that showed how individual counties and states had voted during the election of 1860 that brought Abraham Lincoln to power. He also described the debates that Virginia had hosted near the beginning of the Civil War which would decide whether or not to secede along with their Southern sisters. The topics of said debates were shown throughout charts on a website Dr Ayers had demonstrated to his listeners. The charts displayed frequency of words such as Slavery, which was used frequently and spiked as Virginia finally seceded from the Union, proving how their main concern was, in fact, Slavery.
The purpose of Dr Ayers’ lecture was to inform those listening of how truly complicated and unavoidable the Civil War really was. In order to do this, he used the voices of those in the South, particularly Virginia in the weeks leading up to their secession from the Union, to prove how debated the decision was. He discussed which topics they were primarily concerned with, and which ones they were not concerned with. Virginia, while somewhat different than its Southern allies, only amplified the South’s general concerns with leaving the Union and their reasons for leaving it. Voices left out were those of Northerners whom both did, and did not, have a desire to keep slavery and what their stances were on how to maintain the institution.
Things we looked at in class, such as the map of how counties voted in the election of 1860, helped us understand that it wasn’t as black and white as just the South v. the North and that there were many different views throughout both the North and the South. This really made clear the complications that states all over the United States faced in the time before and during the Civil War.
Some questions we asked ourselves were those such as for what reasons did Southern States secede from the United States and what complications they faced in doing so. From discussions in class, I was able to learn and understand that, while many Southerners tried to claim that the reason for their secession may have been due to tariffs, their primary reason was the economic advantages of having Slavery. Another conclusion we were able to draw was how some of the Northern Southern States came to secede and the complications that lead up to it. Having voted Constitutional Union in the 1860, many of these Southerners were looking for a compromise that would ensure them slavery, yet made it possible to maintain the Union as what it was leading up to the election.
Some questions that I had regarding this time period was whether there were any talks throughout more Northern states to secede, despite not having Slavery. Another idea I was pondering was how many of those middle states that had a large voter turnout for other third-party options had citizens vote to secede because of pressure from other citizens that did want to secede.

The Logic of Secession by C. D.L.

In this video Ed Ayers discusses the topic of secession in America during the 1800s and the mindset that took part in Americans. There were three different ‘Logics’ as Ayers would mention and they would be noted as Economic, Political, and Personal. The economic logic that was discussed is that the South controlled a virtual monopoly over cotton. The political logic was the South thinking that the North has created and elected President Lincoln who did not want slavery to expand into the West but couldn’t end the slavery that has already existed. Virginia proposed a 13^th Amendment that made slavery permanent. The final was personal logic which was when Virginia decided to secede. Cotton made the Confederacy become one of the most powerful economies and ranked it the fourth richest economy in the world. With that being said one of Ed Ayers points was that the South can economically do best. The South was also able to succeed in Economic growth due to their abundance of railways that added up to be more than all of Europe. Although the South was very economically successful one would say Southerners were very nonreligious and didn’t believe in the Bible. Southerners believed in the idea of “slaves should honor and obey their master” and not the idea of “treat others how you want to be treated.” In 1860 the home of our Founding Fathers, Virginia, was the largest slave state. The Northerners very much disagreed with Southern views and how they went about living. Northern Republicans think the danger of this time is the slave holders. After the South proposed the 13^th Amendment Northern States sent letters to Southern states on how they should change their lifestyle. Once received the South would start writing letters back but Ayers pointed out that each letter one would send to the other, the letter itself would be disregarded. This would lead to different views and most of all secession. South Carolina would seceded in December of 1860 but would suddenly realize that they were going to be outnumbered in the House and Senate. Virginia would secede but wouldn’t join the South or the North they would be to themselves for the moment. At Fort Sumter Lincoln would call all troops from non-seceded states and Virginia is at a loss. Virginia is at a loss because the state doesn’t know if it should send troops to fight the South at which used they belong to.  After Fort Sumter the Southerners who opposed slavery left the South. Most Southerners wanted to protect slavery through a federal system.
            The purpose of secession discussed by Ed Ayers was to give us students a better understanding of secession and why it occurred. In history classes before we were taught that after a few little discussions the entire South would secede which is definitely not the case. Ayers gave us information on the views of the North and the views in the South and how each disagreed with one another. I would like to hear the voices of some Northern Republicans, Southerners who believed slavery was justifiable, people from Virginia who wanted to stay neutral, and most of all Abraham Lincoln. I think if we got the over view from Ed Ayers and then listened to the side of each one of these we might be able to see where they are coming from and their thought process.
            The work in class that we did enhanced my knowledge on secession a great bunch because the whole time we were discussing I took notes. I enhanced my knowledge a great bunch on Lincoln and his views as a Republican, Virginia and why the state decided to be on their own, and how the South had so much economic power. I also enhanced my knowledge on the fact that the ones arguing against secession are not anti-slavery. Northern Democrats thought that the federal government should be stronger than the state government so each state can have their own laws. Unlike Southern Democrats the Northern Democrats did not own slaves and they did not return slaves that escaped to the north to their masters. The secession was a part of history that caused a great deal of commotion between the North and Southern states.

Frederick Douglass Part 2 by A. P.

This week we read the last two chapters of the “Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass”. Through this reading, we went more in depth into the life Fredrick Douglass. How he and the other slaves were treated during the 19th century. He wrote about the abuse he and other slaves suffered from their masters. How they were beat for the smallest reasons. Sometimes even just for the reason of showing them who was in charge. He also wrote about how he taught his fellow slave how to read and write, and how he built friendships with them. During this reading, we all read that he escaped but he never revealed how, but he mads it to New York. When in New York he married Ann Murray and changed his name to Frederick Johnson. After that, he traveled to New Bedford where he finally changed his name to Frederick Douglas because there were too many Johnson's. After that was that Frederick Douglas after a while became such an important figure in the anti-slavery moment.
Through his accounts of his life, Frederick Douglas was giving us a feel of the lives of slaves. He was trying to show us how inhuman the way they were treated was. They were looked at as property something to take an advantage out of and nothing more. The way he does it is by giving us an account of his life and the abuse he went through and how he was able to overcome it and free himself.
In class, we discussed we talked about an article we read while there and we discussed how Fredrick Douglas had many lives. His life as a slave, as a free man, an abolitionist, and a women’s suffrage. We discovered he was the man of many faces but they all lead to something important to him and that was freedom and equality for all.

Frederick Douglass Pat 2 by C. B.

Fredrick Douglass was raised as an enslaved man in the south. Douglass was treated surprisingly well for a slave in his younger years, but when he grew up he was rented for a year to a man named Edward Covey where he received more severe punishment and labor than he was used too. For example Douglass is told to guide a team of unbroken oxen that are very uncooperative; when Douglass fails Covey takes matters into his own hands and rushes Douglass rips off his shirt and starts whipping him. Covey is a different type of master he works in the fields with his slaves; in fact often he would crawl through the corn fields to sneak up on slaves to see if they were resting. This act received him the name “the snake” among the slaves. Covey says that he is a religious man and firmly believes is even though he is guilty of sins like adultery and beating down another human. Douglasses first six months as a slave under Covey were his hardest times as a slave, he was exhausted, hungry, and lost his love of learning.  One day Douglass is in the stables and Covey tries t ties up his legs but Douglass wants no part of this and decides to fight back after a little struggle Covey backs off and actually never punishes Douglass in a physical manner again. One thing that Douglass hates is religious slaveowners because he says they use the bible and religion to justify the horrible things that they do.
              The author of this piece of writing is trying to show people a first hand look at slavery and just how bad it is. When reading this you get a vibe from the author that they want you to feel bad that slavery ever took place. It comes off as a learning experience with a great triumph at the end though showing that it can be over come and once Douglass did escape he went on to do great things for people of color and women, everyone who didn’t have equal rights.
              Once Douglass became a free man he used his skills of intellect to do wonders for man kind. Douglass wrote many memoirs on equal writes and slavery. Douglass ended up traveling the world speaking at conferences and spreading his beliefs on equal rights. Douglass went to Germany, Egypt, England and many more places he was majorly successful throughout his life. We discovered that he even went back to his old slave master to basically say look what I’ve accomplished. Fredrick Douglass was an extraordinary man who over came so much and changed the world for the better.

Frederick Douglass Part 2 by K. P.

1. Chapter 10 and 11 of the Fredrick Douglas narrative is about his final yeas as a slave and his growing self empowerment and quest for freedom.  In these chapters he really begins to fight back and finally runs away. Douglas's main argument was that he could no longer stand living the life of a slave and was treated terribly, he proves this when he talks of numerous times he's been beaten close to death.
2. The chapters are from the point of view of Douglas himself, I feel the purpose was to tell people how he struggled as a slave but told himself freedom would come wether it was granted or he took it for himself and it happened.
3. I feel as if discussing the chapters in class helped us to understand some of the things Douglas was feeling that we may not have understood upon first reading.
4. Some conclusions we drew were that during the second half of the narrative, Douglass really became self aware of his situation and he knew he needed to change it. We also came to the conclusion that these chapters gave a detailed and first person point of view into the horrors of slavery and the inhumane treatment.
5. The biggest question I have is the details of Douglass's escape. In the chapters he says he does not want to give the details but this makes me wonder even more. I want to know how he did it, who helped him, some of the difficulties that may have happened, I want a clear picture of the events.

Frederick Douglass by D. H.

Frederick Douglass's autobiography served as a firsthand look into the life of a slave and a argument against the cruelties of slavery America. The first nine chapters gave detailed accounts of the pain, grief, and struggles that Douglass and other slaves that he lived around endured over the span of his childhood to his young adulthood. These chapters explained the many of his experiences: never getting to know his mother and never knowing who his father was, watching his family members be beaten and abused, hearing of and seeing other slaves being whipped, attacked, and even killed, sleeping on damp cold floors and being underfed and under-clothed... he provides a seemingly endless amount of traumatic accounts that he had somehow survived.

Everything detailed within this reading was from the perspective of Frederick Douglass himself. This was a powerful tool. No longer would the horrors of slavery be explained in distant and obscure ways. His novel made it all personal and very real. The voices of slaveholders and anti-abolitionists are never truly heard, only documented from Douglass's perspective.

The class primarily discussed what we found shocking about slavery, seeing as this was our first experience with a resource that documented slavery from a firsthand perspective. We discussed Douglass's purpose and how his skill as a writer and speaker on slavery and his experiences drove the Abolitionist movement. Furthermore, the class spoke of how Douglass had honed his ability to sway the hearts of Northerners and Westerners and that this experience likely had a powerful effect on how he worded his writing and what he did and did not share. The class talked about the difference between the personal stories of Douglass and the impersonal writing of abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison.

Most questions made by the class remained on the topic of the nature of slavery. Those included how slave songs worked and the culture around them. We came to the conclusion that they were heavily coded and were often used to communicate that slaves were planning to run away. We also inquired about the underground railroad and the ways in which Northerners helped runaway slaves. The answers that we reached were that Northerners often disregarded national laws concerning fugitive slaves or made laws that directly contradicted federal laws on the topic. Northerners housed slaves, used their homes as markers and hints to reach the railroad or as signs that they were friendly to slaves, and that the Fugitive Slave Act ended up creating a strong opposition of slavery in the North because it reinforced the harsh reality and cruelty of slavery when bounty hunters and policemen entered their communities and hauled slaves away before their very eyes.

These first nine chapters leave many questions behind, despite the amount of information and detail that it offers. What other kinds of books and newspapers did Douglass read in Baltimore? Were slaves in households more commonly better fed and clothed than slaves on plantations? What were some other slave songs that Douglass knew of and what could they mean? What did he read about concerning slavery that he found to be untrue?

Frederick Douglass by D. C.

  In this blog post , i will be writing about an abolitionist speaker Frederick Douglass. He is a very descriptive and emotional writer, when reading  " Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass" it was difficult to read how human beings were treated. Slavery labor in places change overtime and dependent upon advances in the plantation development and diverge in common labor or skills. Douglass expresses his story in such a emotional manner in the environment he grow up in and lived when being a teenager. He lived in a environment in where he  was controlled , disciplined , and where human rights were invisible. 
             In a controlled environment, Douglass was born on a plantation in Maryland ,who was separated from his black mother and white father (who was a master) ; an orphan boy who did not know his own birthday because it was not allowed to know their age. Douglass parents was an example of the cruelty of slaveholders actually profit from this practice of rape, it gave slaveholders a chance to increase the number of slaves they own. You see owning slaves according to the white was profitable it was a agriculture revolution , and because of this slaves were controlled the moment their born.  For many of us we would be devastated with the passing of a mother , because of course the moments growing up along your mother as she molded you to the person you are all these years it was you cherish forever; and sadly for Douglass he did not experience what most of us have. Douglass has no pain when hearing the devastating news of his mothers passing "I received the tidings of my mother’s death with much the same emotions I should have probably felt at the death of a stranger" those heart felt words made me feel such sadness on how the moment you are born you are a slave and obey orders, Douglass did not have a childhood every child should experience, but this comes to show that enslaved men and women where controlled and treated inhumane from birth till death ; because the health and financial conditions of their owners depended on it. Douglass first master Captain Anthony gives him the introduction of the slavery world when he whips his aunt Hester in front of him. Douglass give his readers a sense of what it was like being a young african american boy; he writes about  enslaved men and women get whipped , separation of families and friends , the loss off knowledge and being conscious brining suffering. In this autobiography, Douglass speaks in a tone of irony at times , and a person who is emotionally overcome he engages in this book. His point is to exactly express his struggle to free himself, mentally and physically, from slavery. Because it was a young boys life there was no other voice needed in this book , it was Frederick Douglass own voice and opinion uncut. 

Douglass explains how he educated himself and even thought he had help he learned the alphabet and his determination was there to learn. In class we discuss the power in knowledge that literacy would lead to question the rights white keep slaves. I learned by my classmates slave owners committing adultery , rape , corruption , an irresponsible power of slaveholding. What i found very sad to hear is a classmate telling a group how parents hid children in the woods so they were not taken , and the way slaves resisted control by rebelling against slaveholders , slowing down work , and the songs that would be code words. I learned that slaves were fighting back and i loved hearing this , because enslaved men and women were aware o retain their humanity. 
            I do want to hear more about why slavery was a making of America , why in such an inhumane manner. Why did our own founding father preach freedom but own slaves of their own. Why did innocent men and children have to experience this?

Women's Suffrage by A. P.

This weeks assignment was to read about, and hear a lecture given about two women who fought for the rights of women. Their Names were Martha Coffin Wright and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. We learned from the authors what shaped these two women to become to great figure in the women suffrage movement. In our reading we discovered that Martha was born in Nantucket, Boston. She was born to a family who were Quakers. Quakers believed both men and women to be equal, and so their women were more educated than most. We also learned that growing up in Nantucket men were out working on boats so it was up to the women to do be the who ran the shops instead of the man. Another thing that influenced Martha was her father died when she has really you so she grew up with her mother being the head of the house hold. Maths also suffered on her way to becoming who she was. By the age of 19 Martha was a widow with a young daughter and was expelled from the quaker church for making a non Quaker man. She would later me Julius Catlin who die on a trip before making it back to her . She eventually marries again to David Wright how she goes on to have more children with. Later on she loses her youngest child at the age of one and anther one of her children at the age of 22. Elizabeth Cady as we learned from the lecture was born to a wealthy conservative family. she had a great education. She was the top of her class but because she was a women was not able to go to college. Her only brother died when she was 11 and she remembers that when she went to look for comfort in her father he said that he wished she was a boy. her father as a jude so she knew a lot about the law. She went on to marry Henry Brewster Stanton who was an abolitionist. With hime she went to conventions and went about abolition and continued to learn. Lori D. Ginzberg the lecture argues that Elizabeth and made comments that were at times races, and elites. Both women made their difference the speech they wrought. They used their education to make a difference and to empower women. 
What I think the authors are trying to say is that these women where like many other of their time they were not perfect but they made a difference. Elizabeth saw it from a young age that women how women were treated like man there were look as less than. She was some time to caught up in what she wanted and didn't let anything get in the way. Martha on the other hand had a sense that women could be independent yet there were not being treat the same. 
In class we go to sit in groups and discuss different and similarities between both women. We explored thing from their point of view. I came to the conclusion that Martha was a women who fought to for woman if all races and she. While Elizabeth thought that it was more important that women who where educated where the ones who could vote, and she view nothing more important than that. I also saw that in their time both women where viewed as liberals which was what we discussed as class.

Women's Suffrage by A. G.

 In the lecture, Ginzberg talks about Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s successes and failures. Ginzberg also goes into detail about Elizabeth’s famous racist personality and how she was involved with the women’s rights movement. Elizabeth was known for being a dangerous radical. When Elizabeth felt that women’s rights were not getting the attention that it deserved, she started to blame everyone especially African American men. This led to her disrespecting her close friends. In the reading, Expectant at Seneca Falls, it goes through Martha Coffin Wright’s early life, tragedies of her lovers and sons, and her involvement and influence in the women’s rights movement. The reading gives information about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and how she was close and related to the same cause as Martha Coffin Wright. Unlike Elizabeth, Martha was open minded and focused on the main goal the women tried to reach which was equal rights for all women. Martha saw the importance of this goal and was able to befriend many African American men and women.

In the lecture, Ginzberg’s point of view of Elizabeth Cady Stanton is neutral. She talks about the negative, racist personality, and positive, feisty woman, sides of Stanton. Ginzberg also gave the opinions of her students of Stanton which was negative because she was not a hero figure. In the article, the point of view was possibly one sided because we knew all the positive influences of Martha and what a great person she was to others. We did not know the negative side of Martha if she had one.

In class, we were put into groups of two at first to complete sentences as if we were either Elizabeth Cady Stanton or Martha Coffin Wright. Then we got into groups of four to discuss what we came up with. We used the knowledge that we acquired from either the lecture or the reading. After, we discussed as a class the significance and the journey of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Martha Coffin Wright.

We discussed the religion factor in Martha’s life and how once she made herself distant from Quaker life, she pursued the lifestyle of a “true” Christian. We also discussed the men’s point of view, when asked how the husbands felt about the movement. Some thought it was nonsense.

What kind of men decided to sign the Declaration of Sentiments? How come NWSA and AWSA couldn’t work out their differences?

The Forces of Bacchus by D. A.

 1. The Forces of Bacchus reading starts in the state of North Carolina in the Rowan county. The main focus was on the temperance of alcohol that had slowly emerged through the county. The Rowan county had consisted of a very religious community which had come to realize alcohol and its limits. The church believed in a limit and moderation of alcohol and that drinking was to be taken modestly. As time went by, the population in the state grew excessively, bringing in all types of people, and businesses. Taverns became a part of the community, adding alcohol to many parts of the Rowan county. Seeing the increase of alcohol and the clear necessity that it was, to many of the residents, problems arose, violence within the men who drank, abuse to their spouses. The government believed in allowing alcohol licenses to those with "good character" but as time went by, temperance groups arose, religious groups, activists, wanting to abstain, limit, or prohibit the use of alcohol. 

2. The purpose and point of view of the speaker were to add an emphasis on the temperance that had become such a harsh demand in the Rowan county. Many religious groups tried to prohibit alcohol and found ways to really increase that demand of abstinence of any alcoholic drink in reference to the bible and proclaiming it as a sin or an evil that would come upon the individual if they were to drink.The speaker explained how temperance activists wanted to force the community to a limitation of drinking but poorly failed since the demand for alcohol as well as business in the community were to increase. Those residents did not see the taverns as a bad thing but a service that was to be provided to the community. 

3. In class, we discussed more reasons as to why temperance groups and religious groups saw alcohol as a problem. Temperance activists believed alcohol ruined potential, ruining families, causing violence amongst each other, and as well as promoting political corruption. In reference to these beliefs, these temperance groups decided to try and raise awareness in the community, creating pictures, showing everyone what alcohol does to you and what it symbolizes. In class, we also discussed a temporary prohibition of alcohol that led to the actions of smuggling and residents secretly bringing in alcohol, drinking indoors. It did lead to less drunk people in public, less violence since many had to hide to drink but smuggling did become a part of the temporary prohibition. 

4. Some of the conclusions we drew in class were the types of people that made up temperest activists, for example, the consistency of many whigs in the activist's groups than democrats. We also concluded that of all the types of groups that were against alcohol, religious and activists, the religious groups were more modest in explaining that drinking would have been easier to not do but it was encouraged to a limit. The activist's groups encouraged prohibition much more and wanted it to be a thing. 

5. Some questions that were left wondering went towards a concept of what if the prohibition of alcohol really went through ? In ways it did, but if alcohol was to be fully prohibited, what would have changed, what would the community become, and how the residents in the community would have lived. Alcohol was such a demand to many many residents in the Rowan County, but if there were none whatsoever, I would like to see how many people depended on it.