Henry McNeal Turner & Black Legislators, Ku Klux Klan

    Henry McNeal Turner was a minister from South Carolina, who was born on February 1, 1834. In 1867, He was elected to the Georgia General Assembly. African Americans were happy for him because this was a sign that blacks were making progress in society. Although, that all changed when McNeal and the other black members were banished from the group by the white Democrats. The white men believed that even if African Americans now had the right to vote, they didn’t have the right to be a part of what they were voting for. After a lot of protesting and arguments, Henry McNeal and the other black legislators were allowed to come back to their positions.

    If you thought Henry McNeal’s situation was bad, wait until you hear about the Ku Klux Klan (also known as KKK). The club started out as a secret society after the Civil War, but later became publicly known. They were also recognized as the first domestic terrorists in the U.S. The Ku Klux Klan hated blacks, but additionally hated anyone who agreed with African Americans and Radical Republicans. The goal was to stop blacks from being able to cote, but progressed into no blacks at all. The KKK did anything they could to make their lives miserable. They burned houses, took away black rights, and made black people live in constant fear. To put it simply and on easy terms, the KKK was like a group of bullies in a school. They follow you around in the hallway, steal your lunch money, hurt you physically and emotionally, and damage your belongings.

*Henry McNeal Turner*

*Original Photo of Ku Klux Klan*

*Ironic Symbol of Ku Klux Klan*

Sources
*http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-632
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_McNeal_Turner
*http://dixie.christogenea.org/node/389
*http://skyvalleychronicle.com/

Reconstruction and 13th - 15th Amendments

    After the Civil War, everything changed. With that change came new amendments. These new amendments were the 13^th, 14^th, and 15^th Amendments. Each amendment was different, but was around the same parameters as the last.

    The 13^th Amendment forbids slavery. This was great because slaves didn’t have to worry about the possibility of slavery coming back. The14^th Amendment granted citizenship to freedmen and equal protection under the law. It also prevented former Confederate officials from holding office. This too was a relief to slaves, and northerners because they didn’t have to fret about a Confederate winning the election, and repealing slavery being abolished, or any other law that had to do with it. The 15^th Amendment granted the right to vote to all men regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. In addition this was a joy because slaves were actually becoming American citizens rather than just living in America.

    With the new amendments in place, plans for reconstruction were created. Lincoln was quick to return to the Union. He made it so that southerners were pardoned if they took an oath of allegiance. Imagine the situation like club made by kids. A kid left the U.S.A club to make his own because he didn’t like how things were being ran. The club wasn’t a success, but the U.S.A club said that he could rejoin if he took an oath saying that he wouldn’t leave the club again, and he would abide by the rules. Except, there was one catch for the ACTUAL U.S.A club (America the country). When 10% of voters took the oath, the state was allowed to rejoin the country and form a state government.

      Politicians agreed with Lincoln’s philosophy, but some wanted to add things. For example, Andrew Johnson agreed with Lincoln’s plan, approved the 13^th Amendment, but also wanted to nullify ordinances of secession. The Congressional approved and required the 14^th Amendment to be in place, and placed states under military rule. 

*Representation of no slavery*

Sources

*http://griid.org/2010/12/24/the-largest-prison-strike-in-american-history-goes-ignored-by-us-media/

Freedman’s Bureau and Sharecropping

    The Freedman’s Bureau was an organization formed by radical Republicans that wanted a change in society- that change being no slavery. The Republicans knew however that slaves would need strong rights with little to no loopholes if freedom was going to happen. Enter the Freedman’s Bureau, an association that would protect these rights. The name was perfectly fitting of course, FREED MAN.  Missionaries who where a part of this group started their own black schools with northern school teachers. Other things that started were black colleges (some are still around today), and black church congregations. This is important because during slavery, blacks could not go to church without a white man present. The slave masters worried that slaves would schedule a rebellion at church because that was an easy place to meet and everyone would be there. It was kind of like school in the sense that you always have to have a teacher or adult present. White men would also assign the lessons the preacher would preach. They usually revolved around obedience. This was because masters thought that a lesson about following the rules would rub off on the slaves (making them follow the rules and not rebel against the white people). 

    While the idea of equality for blacks was growing in cities and government, many African Americans where still out at farms. A plethora of those people were sharecroppers. Sharecroppers were farmers that didn’t make too much of a profit, and lived on a farm not owned by them. Sharecroppers often paid rent with half of the crop they grew (the other half was taken home with them). They didn’t have many belongings at home, and didn’t live in very nice houses because they didn’t have many chances to earn money.

*Typical Sharecropper’s house*

*A Sharecropper*

*Freedmen’s School*

Sources

*http://www.glogster.com/danceginadance/sharecroppers-in-reconstruction/g-6lf4vmnl4rip851vqh87na0 
*http://therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/ 
*http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-civilwar/4439

Andersonville

    When most people hear Andersonville, they think of the Civil War prison full of poor and unhealthy conditions. The prison site located in Andersonville, Georgia was chosen because of the remote location. This made sense because not only did it have dangerous war captives, Andersonville also had a lot of prisoners on its hands. Originally, the space was designed for 10,000 people. However, it actually held 30,000. This was like having your normal sized classroom normally filled with 26, filled with 150 people! There wouldn’t be any space to move! 13,000 of 40,000 men died of lack of nutrition in the prison. The camp was basically a pigsty. Insects were everywhere you looked, along with filth and disease. All of these things were in existence because of the contaminated water supply. Prisoners did little to try to improve the horrible conditions they were living in. Firewood was shortened to begin with, but prisoners also used the wood to escape (or try to- usually informants would notify guards if an escape was going to happen). Wells were covered up because they too were escape routes. There were many gangs within the prison also. In addition, inmates preyed on each other. Like previously mentioned, the water supply was tainted as well. Personal spaces for soldiers didn’t get much better. Sleeping quarters were known as “Shebangs”. These were tent like dwellings made of cloth and made by the prisoner.

    The prison’s population suffered a loss in August of 1864. The reason was because Sherman’s march made many threats, and most men were transferred to other camps. Another change in the prison was who was in control. Originally, it was the infantry, but it later became the Georgia Militia. They tried to maintain control by creating a “Dead Line”. This was a strip of land that bordered the wall between guards and prisoners, cannons, and dogs.

    On a positive note, prisoners would create friendships. Some would share shebangs, and care for each other when they were sick. Some prisoners also tried to stay as clean as possible despite the poor living conditions. They would use sand as a replacement for soap. Can you imagine the feeling? Yes, smart and crafty, but I can barely stand when sand gets in my bathing suit at the beach! I don’t know how I would be able to bathe with it. Surprises occurred at the dreadful prison too. One inmate thought to be a man actually turned out to be a woman when taking off the clothes of the dead body. Other prisoners would be women too, although they were not discovered.

    Today, Andersonville is a state park. On the property, there are memorials and a cemetery. However, the land will always hold the daunting past that took place on it.

*Chaos of Andersonville*

*Shebangs*

*Malnourished Prisoners*

Sources
*http://americaincontext.wordpress.com/2008/01/10/andersonville-national-historic-site-andersonville-georgia/
*http://tdornton.blogspot.com/2012/09/ja-7-history-sept-17th-21st.html
*http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/civil_war_series/5/sec4.htm

Sherman’s Campaign & March to the Sea

    The Atlanta Campaign was a period of time where battles were fought in Georgia in the spring of 1864. There were two reasons for the Atlanta Campaign- strategic and political. It was strategic because the capture of Atlanta (a MAJOR railroad center) would cause a horrible blow to the south. It was political because there was a chance that Abraham Lincoln would not win his second election. With a huge win under the Union’s belt, Lincoln was sure to become president for a second time!

    During this violent time in Georgia, William T. Sherman came down to the state. He was planning something that would cripple Georgia, and the south. Sherman was going to burn or destroy everything in his sight (except for churches and houses by the request of the governor). The goal was to make southerners so baffled and tired of war so that they would quit. Some names given to Sherman’s approach were; Hard War, Total War, and Scorched Earth. Going into the march, Sherman knew it would be risky. By burning almost everything, he would be cut off from the world- no communication, no food, and no supplies.

    During Sherman’s March to the Sea (what the march was called), Sherman would run into slaves quite often. He was always very nice to them, and sometimes the slaves would join the march. It was a little ironic that Sherman was so cordial, because he didn’t believe that blacks and whites were equal, however he still fought for their freedom.

    In the end, about 400 buildings were burned, and there were about 3,100 casualties (2,100 of that number were Union soldiers). This march was important for numerous reasons. For one, Atlanta was crucial to the confederacy. It was a sign of industry and progress. With it being captured, it demoralized the south. In addition, railroads were demolished. Cracks in southern military leadership were also created because General Robert E. Lee replaced General Joseph E. Johnston with  General John Bell Hood. On the bright side however, the capture of Atlanta reassured Lincoln’s election in 1864, and support for the Union increased in the North. 

*Destruction from the march*

Sources
*http://www.yale.edu/terc/democracy/may1text/may1text.html
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherman’s_March_to_the_Sea
*http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2713

*http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarbattles/p/cwbattle_sherm.htm

Union Blockade of Georgia’s Coast

    The Union Blockade of Georgia’s coast is basically what it sounds like. The Union posted soldiers on ships on Georgia’s coast, and all around the southern coast of the United States. With the north around the Confederate’s borders they could intercept any incoming imports. This was very damaging to the south because that was their mean of food, clothing, and any other war and life necessities. Imports were like a grocery store to the south. Before the war, if southerners needed something they would go to the grocery store and buy it (import the item if it was not available in the south). But now, the grocery store was closed, and the southerners couldn’t buy anything (the north blocked any incoming supplies coming to the south). Except, instead of the grocery store being closed for a week or two before another comes to replace it, the grocery store stayed closed and empty for five years (the Union blockade lasted the whole Civil War)!

*Map of Union Blockade*

Sources

*http://www.juniorgeneral.org/civil%20war/anaconda/anaconda.html

*http://americancivilwar.com/tcwn/civil_war/Navy_Ships/Union_Blockade_run_Vicksburg.html

Battle of Gettysburg and Chickamauga

   On July 1, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg began. General Robert E. Lee was ready to invade the north again (instead of staying in the south and using the defensive strategy), to Adams County, Pennsylvania. A famous battle within this battle is Pickett’s Charge. In this battle, General George G. Meade’s Union soldiers were up on a hill at camp. Confederate soldiers were inching in, ready to strike at any moment. Except, there was one flaw- because the Union was on higher ground, they saw the Confederates coming! In the end, it was a Union victory. The Battle of Gettysburg was considered a turning point in the war because the south lost a lot of resources. 

    The Battle of Chickamauga has a similar story to the Battle of Gettysburg. Union General William S. Rosecrans was ready to start a battle in the south because he wanted the Civil War to end as soon as possible. He consolidated is troops, then proceeded into Chattanooga (Confederate territory). When Confederate General Braxton Bragg found out that the north was in Chattanooga, he was furious and wanted them out. So, a battle began. On September 18, 1863 they commenced that battle, and ended it on September 20, 1863. During the battle however, the Union also went to Chickamauga (in Georgia). The Confederates pushed the north back into Chattanooga, and while the Union was there, they got stronger. The north built railroads, which meant more supplies (food, clothing, other resources) where able to get to the soldiers. Think of it like a sponge. At first, the sponge is dry and withered away, but as water starts to land on it, it grows and grows, finally becoming a strong sponge. After their rehabilitation, the union soldiers broke through the surrounding Confederate Soldiers proceeding into Chattanooga. Soon, they were in Georgia setting the stage for William T. Sherman to come, which would then later lead to the Atlanta Campaign. The battle of Chickamauga was considered a Confederate Victory because the south regained their territory taken by the Union. 

*George G. Meade*

*Robert E. Lee*

Sources
*http://virtualfieldtripsforstudents.wikispaces.com/The+Story+of+the+Gettysburg+Address
*http://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm?id=188