I hope you had a wonderful weekend and are well-relaxed. We have only a short sprint to go before the end of the school year! Take every advantage of opportunities to get your grades in good shape between now and then!
150 years ago this week the US Civil War was in full roar. While slavery was the main issue, as we learned last year in US history (and will next year, for you sophomores) there were a great deal of issues that divided the North and the South. Take, for instance, the name of the war itself. In the North it was called a civil war (which means that different parts of the same country are fighting each other). In the South it was (is) referred to as "The War Between the States." To southerners the word "state" had always meant the same thing as "country" (look it up in a dictionary). Some have said, then, that the war was fought over a verb! The North liked to say "The United States is..." while the South said "The United States are...". And you thought verb conjugation brought trouble to YOUR life!
Can you actually imagine things getting so bad in our country today that an internal war would break out? How much tension and anger would have to build up before you were willing to take up arms and fight your neighbors...or your brother? For your assignment this week I want you to research a topic of the Civil War in Kentucky. You might consider the Breckinridge family - two brothers (one would be a US vice president) were generals on opposite sides of the war! President Lincoln's wife Mary Todd Lincoln was from Lexington, KY, and her brother was a Confederate general - which had to make the holidays a tad strained, wouldn't you think? You might consider a battle (there were many in Kentucky) or a community's involvement in the war.
In the light of the scope of world history, the US Civil War plays a fairly small role. However, it's implications would affect history on a global scale (for one thing, hundreds of Confederates fled the country after the war - there's a huge Rebel celebration held every year in Brazil for Portuguese-speaking descendants of southern soldiers!). It would also mark the end of western countries' holding onto the notion that slavery was acceptable. Everything happens for a reason!
Please remember to meet the requirements of these assignments. Good luck and happy hunting - be sure to cite your sources!
This week my essay is going to be about Kentucky in the civil war mainly about the historic site mill springs. To start Kentucky was one of the border states in the civil was there was neighbors fighting agenst neighbors and brothers agenst brothers it was a sad time in the united states which wasn’t very united at this point in history one of the battles in Kentucky was the battle of mill springs which is a historical site you can visit today and take a hike around it. And once a year they have a civil war re-enactment and when I was in 5th grade we took a field trip to see it. And I’m not a history person but I found it pretty interesting. There were deferent stations I guess you could call it. One was a soldier’s campsite and it showed the kinds of food they ate which didn’t look very appetizing and then there was the cannon station and we got to watch them load the cannon and shoot it off. And another station was a tent where they took their mail to send it to their families and where they went to receive mail from their families and then there was an open field where they were fighting and it looked pretty realistic. I really don’t like history but I think mill springs is a very interesting place and you have to go see one of these re-enactments if you live in the state of Kentucky especially if you live within an hour from it which we do.
ReplyDeleteThe Civil War, fought from 1861 to 1865, was a very bloody war that cost the lives of over 600,000 American soldiers and slaves. The main issue of the Civil War was slavery but it was also fought about states’ rights. Should rights be carried over from state to state? Can a state choose to secede from the Union at any point and time? These were questions that brought up great arguments and violence among citizens living at that time in history.
ReplyDeleteKentucky was a border state during the beginning of the Civil War. In 1861 after a Confederate army traveled through Kentucky, its neutrality was then broken and the Union army followed shortly after. Kentucky was then split by the Union and Confederacy. In the autumn of 1862, Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg invaded the outskirts of Louisville and Cincinnati, but was forced to retreat. On October 7th, that same year, Major Gen. Don Carlos Buell of the Federal army marched the crossroads of small town Perryville, KY with nearly 55,000 troops. At first, the Union forces clashed with Rebel cavalry on Springfield Pike before the infantry arrived. At dawn, the next morning, fighting started at Peters Hill halting just before the Union reached the Confederate line. Later that day, the Confederates invaded, which the stubborn Union tried to counteract, but finally fell back. General Buell unaware that the Union had been reinforced by two brigades sent no reserves. The fighting stalled until later a Rebel Brigade attacked the Union on Springfield Pike, but fell back before dark. General Bragg withdrew overnight because of their lack of men and supplies, thus making their way toward Eastern Tennessee. An estimate of 4,211Union soldiers were killed and 3,196 Confederates at the Battle of Perryville. The Union then had control of Kentucky and the Confederate offensive was over.
I could not have imagined living during a time when America was at war with itself, and watching as brothers and neighbors fought to the death to see their side win. I believe it was a very sad and difficult time for the citizens of America. I hope America never has to go through another great Civil War like the terrible one of 1861.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War#Causes_of_secession
http://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Kentucky_in_the_Civil_War#General_Histories
http://www.nps.gov/hps/abpp/battles/ky009.htm
Great job on your assignment, Sarah!
Deletethe Civil War, was a war fought from 1861 to 1865 between the United States beetween the "North" and several[3] “Southern” slave states that declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America (the "Confederacy" or the "South"). The war had its origin in the issue of slavery, especially the extension of slavery into the western territories.[4] Foreign powers did not intervene. After four years of bloody combat that left over 600,000 soldiers dead and destroyed much of the South's infrastructure, the Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, and the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring national unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1860 presidential election, Republicans, led by Abraham Lincoln, opposed expanding slavery into United States' territories. Lincoln won, but before his inauguration on March 4, 1861, seven cotton-based slave states formed the Confederacy. Outgoing Democratic President James Buchanan and the incoming Republicans rejected secession as illegal. Lincoln's inaugural address declared his administration would not initiate civil war. Eight remaining slave states continued to reject calls for secession. Confederate forces seized numerous federal forts within territory claimed by the Confederacy. A Peace Conference failed to find a compromise, and both sides prepared for war. The Confederates assumed that European countries were so dependent on "King Cotton" that they would intervene; none did and none recognized the new Confederate States of America.
Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces fired upon Fort Sumter, a key fort held by Union troops in South Carolina. Lincoln called for each state to provide troops to retake the fort; consequently, four more slave states joined the Confederacy, bringing their total to eleven. The Union soon controlled the border states and established a naval blockade that crippled the southern economy. The Eastern Theater was inconclusive in 1861–62. The autumn 1862 Confederate campaign into Maryland (a Union state) ended with Confederate retreat at the Battle of Antietam, dissuading British intervention.[5] Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which made ending slavery a war goal.[6] I cannot personally imagine our country going into a war with one and another as these men did.
Excellent job on your Civil War report for this week’s assignment, Logan! It was well-thought out and written with many different interesting facts about the war. I agree with your statement that it would be crazy to imagine our country going to war with each other as the men at that time did. That would have been a very hard and difficult time in history to live in. Awesome job this week, Logan!
DeleteKentucky was one of the most key important states during the time of the Civil War. T was a border state not only geographically but politically. It was fixed on the diverging line of both the Northern and Southern regions of the United States. Officially, the state (Commonwealth) had neutrality, but the people among it were divided because of the issues that began the Civil War itself.
ReplyDeleteAt the time of the war, Kentucky was a slave state. Slaves were a very good profit for some people. They were mostly found out in cotton fields on huge plantations. From 1790 to 1860, slaves made up one quarter of the entire population in the state. Wealthy plantation owners stood to lose a lot if the slave trade were to ever be abolished. When Lincoln addressed the Emancipation Proclamation in the year 1863, every single slave who was in the Confederacy was set free. However, slaves in the state were not free because Kentucky was still a part of the Union. The President said in 1864 that any slave who signed up for the Union army would be given freedom for he and his family. A whole lot of Kentucky slaves came to Camp Nelson to enlist. Soon, the camp in southcentral Kentucky became a recruitment center for "coloured" troops, as well as a refugee center for their families.
The war came to a close shortly in the year 1865, and slaves were finally legally free when the 13th amendment to the constitution of the United States was introduced.
http://www.ket.org/civilwar/kyrole.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_in_the_American_Civil_War
Great essay McKenzie!
DeleteGreat work on your essay, McKenzie! I didn’t know that the slaves made up one quarter of the population at that time or that if they enlisted in the Confederate army they and their family was given freedom. Nice job as always!
DeleteMary Todd Lincoln had her many battles in life. The Civil War occurred during her life time. Though the country around her was in a horrible battle, she faced one too. Her life. In early childhood she lost her mother, when her father remarried, she was horrible to her. Despite this she had a phenomenal education for a girl in that time period. When she was a teenager she moved to Illinois to live with her older sister. There she met Abraham Lincoln. In spite of her family disapproving because he had a poor education and came from an even poorer back ground they got married on November 4, 1842. Nine months later they had their first born son Robert Todd Lincoln. (Named after her father) In the years following they had two more sons. Mrs. Lincoln supported her husband in his political journey. Two years after President Lincoln was elected they lost their youngest son Willie. Mrs. Lincoln was horribly upset and it cause President Lincoln to worry of her insanity. Ten years before his election they lost their middle son Edward, she had reason to be upset. April 14, 1865, three years after they lost Willie, and five short years after President Lincoln was elected, they were sitting in the Ford Theater when he was shot, he died the following day. Grief stricken Mary headed back to Illinois. Shortly after her remaining and eldest son took her to court claiming she was insane. The court sided with him and sent her to insane asylum. She was released a few months later. She then went back to court and proved she was as they called it a “sole mind” and she won. The war in her life cost her a lot she lost her mother at a very young age, her middle son, her youngest son, her husband, and in the end her oldest and remaining son disowned her. Her life ended in Springfield, Illinois due to a stroke fifteen years later, after many years of her own civil war.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biography.com/people/mary-todd-lincoln-248868?page=2
Good essay, Luci. I enjoyed your essay because it was well written and because you were the only person to write about Mary Todd Lincoln. Mary Todd defiantly did have a hard life and it is no wonder why she would have gone crazy.
DeleteWhen we talk about the Civil War, a lot of things come to mind; the Union and the Confederate States, slavery, President Lincoln, or maybe even the Emancipation Proclamation. But our home state, Kentucky and even our county was a very large part of the war. We sometimes take for granted how rich in history our state and county are which brings me to this week’s assignment: the Civil War in Kentucky. As most of (should) know, Kentucky was a border state during the Civil War and a lot of families were divided “brother against brother.” A very famous example of families being split during this time was Mary Todd Lincoln’s family. A resident of Kentucky (and later the White House), Mary Todd Lincoln’s brother was a Confederate General while she was the wife of the President who wanted peace and unification of the states. I couldn’t imagine being on completely opposite sides on a very serious and life altering matter with someone I love and care about so much. The Civil War was a physically gruesome and exhausting war, but it was also very emotionally taxing and exhausting as well. If you didn't lose a family member to physical pain, sometimes you lost family due to picking sides. Hopefully, as a country, we never have to reach the point of such turmoil again to have another civil war. This is only one of the many reasons it is imperative that we remain and strive to be a nation that seeks after God’s Will.
ReplyDeleteGood essay Rebecca! I really learned a lot!
DeleteKentucky was one of the "border states" in the Civil War, both geographically and politically. It was situated on the dividing line between the northern and southern regions of the United States. And it was one of only a few slave states that opted to stay in the Union. Though the Commonwealth was officially neutral, its citizens were deeply divided over the issues that caused the Civil War, and over the war itself, a division symbolized by the fact that both Civil War presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis, were Kentucky native sons. Kentuckians had ties to both the North and South. The tobacco, whiskey, snuff, and flour produced in the state were shipped to Southern and European markets via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers and to the Northern cities by rail. Losing either of these markets because of war would be a blow to Kentucky's economy. n 1861 and 1862, Kentucky saw a number of battles and skirmishes. By the end of 1862, after the battle of Perryville, Confederate forces retreated from the state. But the destruction caused by war was not over for Kentuckians. From December 1862 to January 1865, famous Confederate raids by John Hunt Morgan, Nathan Bedford Forrest, Quantrill, and "Sue" Mundy destroyed Union supply depots, bridges, county courthouses, and people's personal property. Kentucky also experienced a period of lawlessness in 1864, when "Bushwhackers" -- small bands of unruly soldiers from both sides -- looted small towns and robbed local farmers of produce and livestock. The Civil War ended in 1865, and Kentucky slaves were legally freed when the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States was ratified soon afterward. But Confederate sentiment was still high in Kentucky after the war. The Kentucky General Assembly failed to ratify either the 13th Amendment; the 14th, which gave equal protection under the law to blacks; or the 15th, which gave African Americans the right to vote.
ReplyDeleteGood essay, Hunter. i thought your essay was very well written. I like how you mentioned that both the Confederate President, Jefferson Davis, and the union president, Abraham Lincoln were born in Kentucky.
DeleteThis week our prompt is to write an essay about America's Civil War. At first glance the Civil War may seem like it only impacted the United Sates, but it in fact impacted the whole world. The Civil War produced many pivotal leaders in America's history. I have decided to write my essay on the a pivotal leader from the Union. This particular leader was a woman, Lousia May Alcott. Lousia May Alcott was born November 29, 1832 (she died March 6, 1888, in Concord, Massachusetts). She was born in Germantown, Pensilvania. Lousia May Alcott was a nurse during the Civil War. She is best known for her book "Little Women," which was published in 1868. Lousia was an American novelist for years and wrote over 30 books and several stories. At the beginning of the Civil War, Lousia May Alcott sewed clothes for the soldiers and provided other supplies. She decided that she wanted to do more for her country, and so November 29, 1862, Lousia volunteered as a Union nurse on her 30th birthday. She volunteered as a nurse in Washington, D.C. Lousia May Alcott got typhoid fever while in Washington, D.C., and was treated with mercury, which burdened her all of her life. In conclusion, Lousia May Alcott was one of the many influential woman in the Civil War. Not only was she part of the war, but she became an American icon later in history based on her novel "Little Women."
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ReplyDeleteMy apologies, I had technical difficulties when I first tried to post my homework.
DeleteFor my assignment this week I decided to write about the civil war that took place in Paducah, Kentucky. The Civil War in Paducah resulted in a short occupation of the city in 1864 by Confederate troops.
ReplyDeleteIn response to the Confederate Occupation of Columbus of September 6, 1861, General U. S. Grant moved his army from Cairo, Illinois, and occupied Paducah. From Paducah's strategic location on the Ohio River, the Union army was eventually able to strike the Confederate forts on the inland waterways. To secure the town, Union forces constructed Fort Anderson near the river.
In March of 1864, Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest's 1800 Cavalrymen, on a raid from Tennessee, attacked the fort and its 665 defenders. The confederate attack was led by a native of Paducah, Colonel A.P. Thompson, who was killed for his effort. The smaller Federal garrison was able to successfully defend the fort against the larger rebel force, and the Confederates withdrew the next day.
Perhaps Paducah's most famous Civil War son is Confederate Brigadier General Lloyd Tilghman. Commander of Fort Henry on the Tennessee River early in the war, he was killed on May 16th, 1863, at the Battle of Champion's Hill near Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Today there is a monument to Tilghman in Lang Park. His home is being renovated to house the Regional Civil War Museum. There are numerous historical markers scattered throughout town relating Paducah's significance in the war's western theater.
Nice work on your Civil War essay, Allisha! It was very informational and full of facts about many different Generals and soldiers fighting in the war and accomplishing great victory battles. Not only was it well-written, but it also taught me a lot about what was going on in Paducah, KY during that part of the Civil War. Great job on your assignment this week Allisha!
DeleteFor my assignment this week I decided to talk about the Battle of Perryville. The Battle of Perryville was fought on October 8, 1962. It was the bloodiest Civil War battle fought in Kentucky and one of the bloodiest during the entire war. During the Civil War, Kentucky was a truly divided state that was important to both sides because of its location, its resources and its rivers. Kentucky had declared that it was neutral from the war and were not going to succeed, even though it was a slave state and much of the population was for the South. It was because of this that the Confederates (the South) launched the “Kentucky Champaign” to try to take Kentucky. The Confederate army first invaded from Tennessee and established a military presence in the state. The Union (North) responded by sending their troops into Kentucky as well. In the Battle of Perryville, the Union was lead by Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell and the South was lead by Gen. Braxton Bragg. The Battle started as a small skirmish but quickly escalated into a major fight. The Confederates started attacking more severely, attacking, first from the right, then the center then the left. The battle, which only lasted for a day, resulted in 4,276 Union Casualties and 3,401 Confederate casualties. Although many say that the battle was a strategic Union victory, there is still controversy today over who won the war. As Private Sam Watkins of the 1st Tennessee said Both sides claim victory—both whipped
ReplyDeleteKentucky played a very important role in the civil war partly because of its location. Since Kentucky was the state that divided the north and south, it had many opposing views. The commonwealth was officially neutral so many people were for the south, and many for the north. As you can imagine, I’m sure this caused a lot of conflict between friends and possibly even family members. The majority of Kentuckians wanted to still be in the union, but they also wanted to keep their slaves. For this assignment, I will talk about the battle of mill springs that was fought in my very county. I think it is very neat that we have a historic civil war site so close to home. When I was in the 5th grade, my class took a field trip to this battlefield. It was definitely one of the most interesting school trips I’ve ever been on. It was a blast. This battle was fought on January 19, 1862. About 671 people died during this battle. It was the second largest battle in all of Kentucky behind Perryville. It was also the first significant union battle won. They do reenactments fairly often. I have some distant relatives that are actually buried in the Mill Springs Battlefield Cemetery. The Zollie tree represents the place Felix Zollicoffer fell. It isn’t there anymore because lightning struck it down. I love the town of nancy, and I’m very glad to have this such nice museum so close to home.
ReplyDeleteFor my assignment this week I am going to write about Kentucky in the Civil War in general. Kentucky was the border state of the Civil War. Many question well are you Kentuckians for the South or the North. Because Kentucky was the border of the war, Kentucky was well-known for their battle called “Brother against Brother.” That type of battle(s) is when people in the same state fight against each other simply because they are the border line. Many know that Kentucky had some pretty famous battles occur in it, just like Mill Springs and Perryville. Also, most of us know that Kentucky is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary Todd. Kentucky was the border of the Civil war and also it was one of only a few slave states that stayed to the Union. Kentucky held proud and really preserved the Union. Because of Henry Clay confliction was prevented for nearly 30 years. Kentucky always had arguments between tariffs, rights, and mostly slavery. Around 1863 Abraham Lincoln presented the Emancipation Proclamation, which meant that slaves were supposed to be free. Since Kentucky remained in the Union, Slaves didn’t leave until Abraham Lincoln in 1864 declared that any slave enlisted in the Union was granted freedom from slavery and the home.
ReplyDeleteLexie Turpin: Great Job on your essay! I enjoyed ready it and thought it was very interesting and very informative. The Battle of Mill Springs is an amazing site to go to and it was amazing in general. It is pretty awesome the you can trace back so far and find distant relatives that were buried in the cemetery. I thought the little fact about the Zollie tree was very interesting! Great Job Lexie!
ReplyDeleteBobby Heckel: Awesome job on your essay that you wrote! The battle of Perryville is very interesting and I can say that I learned something from your essay! I thought it was very informative and had some great information in it and I thought you presented it very nice! You did great telling everyone about the Battle of Perryville. I really liked the last sentence! Great Job Bobby!
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ReplyDeleteGreat job on your essay, Bethany! Your essay was written well and full of good information. Again, great job on your essay!
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your essay, Bobby! Your essay was full of information and written very well. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, Sara! Your essay was full of information and written well. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, Allisha! It was full of good information and written well. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, Luci! It was full of good information and written well. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, McKenzie! Your essay was full of information and written very well. Again, great job on your essay!
Great job on your essay, Rebecca! Your essay was full of information and written well. Again, great job on your essay!
For this week’s assignment I chose to write about the Shriver Brothers of Union Mills. These two brothers shared their family homestead in Union Mills, Maryland. Andre Shriver stayed in the main house with wife Catherine and their four children. William Shriver lived across the street with his wife Mary and their eleven children. One of their descendants said, “The road was not the only thing that divided the brothers.” Andrew, who was an owner of a few slaves, sided with the Union. However William, who didn’t have any slaves, sided with the Confederates. In 1963 the brothers both had an opportunity to host the opposing side’s army. General Jeb Stuart’s Confederates were the first to arrive to Andrew Shriver’s house. They were asking for shelter for the night, but Andrew Shriver replied by saying that he was a Union man. Even the threat of being put in prison didn’t make him change his mind. Andrew made them stay in the orchards and refused to give them any supplies. The next morning the Confederate soldiers moved across the road to William Shriver’s house where he was eager to feed and entertain the soldiers. That evening a group of Union soldiers went to Andrew’s house, and this time he was very welcoming. The next morning the men in both houses marched on to Gettysburg. Even though they were said to be living peacefully as neighbors, there was definitely some tension between the two families during the war. I hope American never has to go through anything like this again.
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