History 164C - 1/6
Introduction
* The Civil War important, Why study it?
* 3 million Americans, including 200,000 African-Americans fought in the war.
* 620,000 deaths from both sides. Bloodiest conflict up to that time in world history.
* many things originated from the Civil War: nicknames like Tar-heels and Jayhawkers, Red Cross, paper money, income tax (a way to make money for the war)
* Great names: U.S. Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee
* Names: The War Between the States, The War of the Rebellion (Northern bias), The War Against Northern Aggression (Southern bias), The Lost Cause, The Brother's War
* Divided loyalties - Missouri sent 39 regiments, 22 Union, 17 Confederate. Lee turned down an offer to command the North because he couldn't draw the sword against his home and family.

Interpretation
* emphasize slavery and race relations.
* Lincoln's interpretation of the war was that it was a rebellion.

Course Themes
* significance - tie an event to a broader theme.
* causes of the war
Causes of the War
* slavery once considered a false trail, it was more about states' rights according to historians of generations past.
* Slavery by itself won't do much good on exams, rather it was one of the causes of the war
* different historians stress different things: economics, race, politics, was it a needless war caused by politicians and extremists?
* North vs. South - national difference or simpler?

Politics and Ideology
* defense of slavery vs. free-labor ideology
* War-transforming Effect that affected the South. What change did it bring? (i.e. the state, gender roles)

Individuals
* the role of slaves in the war - desertions of Southern Plantations, contraband, African-American soldiers, the Union had African-Americans helping their cause.
* Powerful individuals: Lincoln, Davis, etc.

Historical Methods
Historical Perspective
1. understand the perspective how it was lived back in the day.
2. to study historical events to shed light on today's problems.
* History rhymes a lot more accurate than "history repeats itself."

Evidence
* Historical Visual Sources
* Primary and Secondary Sources
* Compare and Contrast
- posted by catsagainstbush @ 11:46 PM

 
History 164C - all about one of my most favorite subjects to read about, the Civil War.
- posted by catsagainstbush @ 12:39 AM