A Tale of Two Nations: Slavery/Civil War

Essay questions:

  1. In what ways were cotton production and slavery more a burden to the South than a benefit?
  1. It was argued by some that the slaves were better off than both wage earners in northern industry and free blacks back in Africa.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?
  1. Did extreme abolitionists do more harm than good?  In what way?  How would you have solved the slavery problem?
  1. In what way did the Compromise of 1850 contribute to the Union victory in the Civil War?
  1. Compare and contrast the views of Clay, Webster, and Calhoun in the congressional debate that produced the Compromise of 1850.
  1. Do you think that by the end of 1854 the two sections had reached an impasse and the Civil War was inevitable sooner or later?  Why or why not?
  1. What were the implications of the Dred Scott decision for

    a).  the status of free blacks in the United States?

    b).  the concept of popular sovereignty?

    2. c).  the future of slavery in America?

  2. Assess the extent to which each of these individuals contributed to the coming of the Civil War:  John Brown, Stephen Douglas, Abraham Lincoln.  Who else should be put on the list?  Why?
  3. Always—in 1787, 1820, 1833, and 1850—the North and South had been able to compromise over their differences.  Why not in 1861?
  1. Rank the following in order of their importance to the coming of the Civil War:  Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott decision, John Brown’s raid, Lincoln’s election.  Justify your ranking.
  1. Do you think President Lincoln was justified in his violations of ordinary civil liberties during the Civil War?  Why or why not?
  1. Identify the significance of the Border States to both North and the South.  How did they influence the shaping of Union strategy?
  1. Assess the role of blacks, free and slave, in both North and South, in the Civil War.  Did they in any way affect the outcome?  If so, how?
  1. List the three most significant immediate consequences of the Civil War.  Justify your selection and indicate which one consequence you think was the most important and why.

Internet-based assignment:

Read James Stirling’s account of slavery written in 1857.  What is his position on how slaves are treated and what is his view of Africans in general?

The Life of Plantation Field Hands by James Stirling, (1857)

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