Slavery after the war -- Lincoln was ambiguous as to his ideas about abolishing slavery. -- Some slavery states fought for the Union, and Lincoln wanted to preserve their loyalty. -- After the war, Lincoln didn t feel the need to compromise. However, he was assassinated only one week after the Lee s surrender (successor Andrew Johnson). -- Emancipation proclamation of 1 January, 1863. -- Many blacks became share-croppers (aparceros) -- In December 1865 the 13th constitutional amendment finally abolished African slavery in the US.
The Emancipation Proclamation -- Emancipation proclamation of 1 January, 1863. -- 4 Million slaves were freed. -- In December 1865 the 13th constitutional amendment finally abolished African slavery in the US.
The Emancipation Proclamation And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.
The Reconstruction -- Andrew Johnson was especially interested in reestablishing the Union: General pardon and amnesty. -- After the war, many Southern states had no civil authority (Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, ) --Those defeated immediately assumed the same positions of power, and things went back to what they were before the war. -- All blacks became American citizens in 1868 as established in the 14th amendment to the Constitution.
The South during Reconstruction -- The Civil Code of 1875 sanctioned the discrimination against blacks in many public spaces (bars, restaurants, buses, etc.), known as the Jim Crow Laws. -- Many blacks continued to work for the owners of the land under very similar conditions to before the war.
The Jim Crow Laws -- System of legal segregation -- Blacks were not allowed to be unemployed. Quitting a job was illegal.
The Jim Crow Laws II -- Blacks could not testify in court except in cases involving their race.
The Jim Crow Laws III -- Legal segregation in public schools.
The Fear of Negro Rule -- Blacks, homeless and without a job, wandered aimlessly
The Knights of the Klan
The reconstruction of the South - Pressing demand: to reconstruct the war-torn South on the basis of free labor. Cities and countryside had been devastated by the Union Army
From Slavery to Capitalism -- Eric Williams, Caribbean intellectual -- The birth of capitalism requires the quick and easy accumulation of capital. -- The slavery system facilitates the creation of incredible fortunes, which would later be instrumental in the birth of capitalism. -- However, the poor rural communities would continue their almost feudal systems, even into the present. And there would be very few important urban centers (New Orleans, Atlanta)
Industrial Revolution in the North -- The North East was mostly responsible for the economic boost of the nation. -- The development of communications in the 1840s and 1850s (rail, boats through the Erie canal, roads, etc), allowed for the North East to abandon agriculture. -- By 1910 the whole railway lines of contemporary US were already completed. -- Good communications allowed for the quick exchange of products (cotton, grain, manufactured products, etc.) and immigrants
Andrew Carnegie--Wealth Andrew Carnegie's life was a true "rags to riches " story. He stands as the self-made man. Born to a poor Scottish family that immigrated to the United States, Carnegie became a powerful businessman and a leading force in the American steel industry. Today, he is remembered as an industrialist, millionaire, and philanthropist. Carnegie believed that the wealthy had an obligation to give back to society, so he donated much of his fortune to causes like education and peace.
Wealth Carnegie believed in an elite of millionaires who had the role of administering wealth entrusted to them, and then distributing it back to society through free libraries, parks or museums. For Carnegie, the accumulation of wealth is OK; it provides progress and secures the foundation of economy and civilization. Yet, it needs to return to the community, not to each individual, but to thecommunity as a whole. This wealth is not for the state to distribute, but goes straight from The millionaire to the community. For Carnegie, the system is OK, it just needs to be refined at the end of the process.
The Industrial North East -- Boston, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, controlled both the trade with Europe as much as the trade with the American Midwest and West. -- As a result, by the turn of the century, Wall Street was already the financial center of the world. -- Thanks to its privileged location, near lake Superior, and as a railroad juncture, Chicago also became an economic power. -- Chicago controlled the grain of the west, as much as its meat production.
Immigration and industrialization -- After the war, and as a result of the economic boost of the country, immigration increased enormously. -- Industrial development required increased population. - Railroad lines needed more passengers to be profitable. - Growing industries needed more workers. - The population density was not high enough - Trade needed more consumers for its products.
Immigration and industrialization II --Up until the turn of the century, immigration was mostly from Western and Northern Europe. -- From 1896 to 1921, immigration was mostly from Southern, Eastern Europe. -- In 1921 and 1924, Laws established restrictive rules to European immigration. -- Since then, Latin American and Asian immigration has replaced European immigration
Immigration and industrialization III --In May 1921 Congress passes a law allowing for an annual immigration quota of 3% of the total number of people of every ethnic group. -- In 1924 that quota was reduced to 2%