Family+Life+Civil+War+A1S09

Every source you use is to be listed in your [|bibliography]. Every source you quote is to be cited in your paper or presentation. Tag your sources in [] with Civilwar, your name, and the topic Example tag= civilwar, paulb, africanamericansoldiers, soldiers, images
 * Topic: Why the south seceded**.


 * Focus: The reasons that the southern states separated themselves from the union.**


 * Reason for choice:** I chose this topic because I felt that it was one of the most important events in the Civil War and also interested me much more than any other topic I came across.


 * What's your point? (**[|**thesis**]**): The south seceded from the Union because they wanted to maintain a trade economy based on agriculture and slave labor.**

Bibliography: Garcia, Jesus, Donna M. Ogle, C. Frederick Ogle, and Joyce Stevos. __Creating America A History of the United States__. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2005 [] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln

What are two primary sources you have found to help your research?


 * What four reasons do you have that will back up your point?**

1. Southerns feared Lincoln would abolish slavery

2. Southerners felt they could rely on cotton production and support themselves without northern resources and didn't approve of the northern lifestyle

3. Southerners were tired of constantly fighting over views of slavery/control of border states

4. Southerners did not want to compromise their viewpoint

Southerns feared Lincoln would abolish slavery Felt north gained to much power with Lincoln in office Thought Lincoln was more involved with north and cared about their welfare more than that of the south Thought it was unfair how a president could be elected and not even be on ballots for many southern states making them feel weak
 * What is your first reason and three to five facts to support it?**

What can you conclude from these facts? From these facts I can conclude that the south had felt undermined by having Lincoln in office because most southerners had not even voted for him yet now he was their president and was in charge of making rules for them and the rest of the country.

Sources:

Southerners felt they could rely on cotton production and could support themselves without northern resources Disapproved of the large cities and immigration of the north and the northern "way of life" Could support themselves on cotton production and plantation farming Europen countries needed cotton for textile production = European support
 * What is your second reason and three to five facts to support it?**

What can you conclude from these facts? Southern states disagreed not only with the abolishionist movement but also with the North's economic standpoint.

Sources

Southerners were tired of constantly fighting over views of slavery/control of border states Thought whoever controlled the border states gained the upper hand Disagreement over Northern and new territories acquired and slavery laws Fighting within political party (Northern vs. Southern Democrats)
 * What is your third reason and three to five facts to support it?**

What can you conclude from these facts? The fighting over slave states, free states, and unaquired territories increased tension and reason for secession within the U.S.A. Sources

Southerners did not want to compromise their viewpoint Felt they had to give up too much with the Compromise of 1850 (California would be a free state), got Fugitive Slave Act & no laws against slavery in territories aquired from Mexico Attacks by John Brown (Bleeding Kansas & Harper's Ferry) Split between political party (Northern Democrats wanted popular sovereignty in 1860 election, Southern Dems wanted to defend slavery)
 * What is your fourth reason and three to five facts to support it?**

What can you conclude from these facts? Although Southerners gained things from the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, they felt they had to compromise their viewpoint too much (felt their was no solution) Sources

Ideas on how you are going to present? Involve the class? Be exciting? Interesting? Wow? Huh? Ahhh?
 * Based on your research, what conclusions would you make and how does your research connect to your life?**

Project Ideas: Intro 'Twas the night before secession, when all thro' the south, Tension was stirring, between the north and the south; With free states expanding, south thinks its unfair, In hopes that slave laws will always be there; Plantation owners were nestled all snug in their beds, While nightmares of freedom danc'd in their heads, Union in freedom and South in slavery, We cant seem to compromise or even agree,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window made it in a dash, Tore open the shutters, the news spread in a flash. The new President wasn't Beckinridge, oh no! The North was off celebrating, but not us down below; Lincoln is here, popular sovereignty is near, He'll abolish slavery, our number one fear.

The South had seceded more states came, Davis whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name : "Now! South Carolina, now! Texas, and Florida, "On! Mississippi, on! Alabama, on! Louisiana and Georgia; "Believing in slavery! We're in it for the long haul! "Seccession, Seccession, Seccession for all!"

Cotton production must now fly, So our nation can still survive; So down to plantations which grew grew and grew, Even Jefferson Davis was planting too: Now the Democrats are split, this must be a spoof, Some people even hope that there is no proof, As I thought in my head, and was turning around, My father told me that now more is unsound:

Debates on who'll control border states are afoot, Decisions so close it's hard to stay put, We want Califoria but they do to, But we get Nebraska, I guess that will do : The drama's so intense on who gets the territories, I wish I understood and knew all the stories; Fathers off somewhere leaving me at the plow; Because after secession, it's war-time now...

Final Essay: The topic I have chosen to study was the reason the Confederates chose to separate from the Union. The first reason I believe the South seceded was because the felt Lincoln would abolish slavery once and for all. The Southerners also felt that if they seceded, they would still have enough resources to support themselves without resources and help from the North. Another reason for the Southern secession was being fatigued and fed up with arguing about slavery and fighting over control of the border states. The final reason I feel the South disbanded from the Union is because they were tired of having to settle for compromises with the North and wanted to have their own viewpoint and control their own fate, not have to worry about the wants and needs of the Northern people. The first and one of the main reasons that the South seceded was because they felt the North gained to much power with Lincoln as the new President. They almost knew that he would try to abolish slavery by having almost all of his votes come from the North. They figured he was more involved with the North and had less passion for the growth of the South. All they thought Lincoln needed from them was the plantation production, nothing more, and that most of his time was spent devoted to the production of the North as well as its well being. Also, having Lincoln as the President made the South feel weak, like they didn't have a voice in the election. Southerners thought it was unfair how a president could be elected solely on the support of the North, after all, in 9 Southern states, Lincoln wasn't even on the ballots. Actually, in the entire Southern part of the U.S., Lincoln only had a majority vote in two counties. After this blow, the South definitely had feelings of unimportance and weakness. Another reason the South thought they could secede was because of the power in their plantations. The felt they really had no need for the North or their resources to support themselves. Southerners hadn't thought that money would be an issue because of how much they thought they could rely on the production of cotton, tobacco, and other resources exclusive or popular to their region. The South thought they could export cotton for textile production in Europe however, they later realized that Europeans had enough cotton and didn't need anymore, shooting their idea down the drain. Southern people also disliked the way the North operated so to speak. They thought the way they went about expanding their cities with immigrants and all the factories wasn't ethical or the right way to go about making money. Southerners thought more of hard work in the fields (which they didn't do) was the way to work make a living. The third reason I believe the South separated themselves from the Union was because they were tired of arguments over slavery and control of the ever so crucial border states. The North and South both knew that whoever gained the border states, gained the upper hand and a vital instrument in the victory of the Civil War to come. Either side would do whatever they could to persuade the border states to agree with their reasoning on whatever topic came up and after a while, I'm sure that became tiring as well as frustrating. They were also frustrated with debates on who would gain control of new territories that may be acquired in the future. Northerners wanted popular sovereignty to be the the deciding factor in the matter of slavery and the Southern people thought that no questions, there is slavery. There was also confusion on who got which territories like California and Nebraska. Another matter of slavery was between the Democratic political party. Northern Democrats again say, popular sovereignty should decide. And again, Democrats out of the South say slavery all the way. Overall, it was just a continuous struggle for power and this just drove the South to secede. The final reason Southerners felt the need to secede was because they were fed up with compromises and were ready to move on and do what they wanted without someone with a different viewpoint to oppose them. Southern people felt that in the Compromise of 1850, they gave up to much. Although the Mexican acquired territories would have the Fugitive Slave Act and would have no laws against slavery, the South felt they gave up to much when they lost California in the bargain. Also, attacks like Bleeding Kansas and John Brown's infamous raid of Harper's Ferry just made Southern people think that they wouldn't have to deal with these outbreaks if they weren't associated with the North and their views of slavery. Again, during the election of 1860 the South thought, "Why are we bothering in trying compromise with the North when we could leave and have our own views all to ourselves?" All of these facts just fueled the fire that was secession. In conclusion, the South felt they had been driven to secede by the events leading up to the Civil War. First off, they felt undermined by having a president they hadn't even voted for and hardly knew anything about. Southerners also disagreed with the Northern "way of life" and of course, the fact of the Northern views of abolition. Also, the tension caused from fighting over the border states, new territories, what would be pro-slavery, and what wouldn't also played a major factor in the Southern secession. They were also tired of compromising their viewpoints. In conclusion, all these reasons pushed the South to the edge and that is what really caused the South to secede and become the Confederate States of America.