Unit 6: Slavery and Emancipation

The economy of the South prospered in the mid 1800s. Its main cash crop was cotton. Those who lived in the South included wealthy planters, and enslaved African Americans. Many enslaved workers tried to resist slavery by escaping using the Underground Railroad.

Between 1819 and 1860 disagreements between the North and the South caused increased tension. The major disagreement was over slavery in the territories. As territories sought statehood, compromises were reached between proslavery and antislavery supporters. When Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860, several Southern states left the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. This was the beginning of the Civil War.

The North and the South had unique strengths and weaknesses. On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all enslaved people in the Confederacy. After many fierce battles the Confederacy surrendered, ending the long, terrible conflict. One week after the war ended, President Lincoln was assassinated.

As the nation mourned the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and the President, Reconstruction began in the South. Three important Constitutional Amendments were passed during Reconstruction, granting freedom, citizenship, and voting rights to African Americans who had been enslaved.