lunes, 6 de junio de 2011

The Civil War

In 1861 eleven states declared their secession from United States in fear that the new president, Abraham Lincoln, would deny them the right to own slaves. This eleven states named themselfs the Confederacy, the north states that were left named themselfs the Union. Abraham Lincoln, in fear that the states would think they have the right to remove themselfs from the country when they dont like a law, decided to make a war to reunite the states again, this war is called The Civil War (Wikipedia). Later on the point of the war was changed and instead of uniting the states again the war was made to end slavery. The Union's freed slaves decided to take part of war to free their familys and friends from the Confederacy. After 5 years of war the Civil War ended when Abraham Lincoln decided to sign the Emanicipation Proclamation which otorged rights to all black men and slaves.

"all persons held as slaves within the designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free... recognize and  mantain freedom of said persons... abstain from all violence, unless  in necessary self-defense... they labor faithfully for reasonable wages."
 Emanicipation Proclamation

jueves, 2 de junio de 2011

Black Union soilders were fighting for the freedom and liberty of slaves.

"it will not be long before we shall crushed the system that now opreses you for in the course of three months you shall have your liberty..." Document #3 (Letter from a black Union soilder)

Samuel Cabble is writing to his wife how he will crush the system that opressed them for such a long time. This system is the white Americans of the confederacy that hold slaves and force them to do countless of unfair tasks for them. He is stating in this letter that the Union army will reach the place where they are held in a course of three months and that he will free her from the oppression of slavery. This is yet another example that the black people where fighting to free slaves. Frederick Douglass and other abolonists saw that without a good enough cause they would not fight in the war, then they stated that the war would only be justified if it were made to end slavery. Abolonists leaders would constantly try to persuade Abraham Lincoln to make the war a crusade against slavery, by the end of the war they had succeeded, the war was a battle fought to end slavery over uniting the states (Document #1). The fifty-fifth Massachussetts regiment (blacks) lead by Colonel Shaw participated in a scuicide misson to capture one of the Confederate forts in order to end slavery in the area (Glory). Many died including Shaw himself, another example of the reason the blacks fought. The blacks fought the Civil War to destroy the oppresion of slavery.

                                                   Poster to recruit black Union soilders