The Civil War Era in Wisconsin A Look at Society During These Changing Times
Industrial Landscape Milwaukee was a growing city Lake shore area developing Madison was developed Smaller towns emerged in between the two Timber speculators began to move to Chippewa and St. Croix River valleys
Women Frontier promised opportunity Earn money 3x faster Teaching Mainly men at first Women were willing to work for less $ Women were able to change teaching schedules, when kids needed for planting/harvesting
Women Married? No independent access to law courts Restricted in job activities Women s newspaper- Mathilde Anneke No voting rights 1850- could have property independent from husband s 1855- could use own wages without husband s approval, only if husband couldn t provide support
Native Americans Not counted in census until 1860 Based off of: civilized half-breeds Indians taxed broken bands and scattered remnants of tribes tribal (reservation)
African Americans First brought as slaves by Missourian lead miners Slavery prohibited, but no enforcement Not allowed to serve in militia More freedoms in the North- Allowed to: interracially marry own property hold any occupation send children to public schools appeal to courts testify against whites serve on juries hold public meetings
African Americans Summer 1850 Exercised right to assemble and protest Fed law allowing Southern slave catchers to apprehend blacks in the North, if person was a runaway Recognized threat to security Assisted in Underground Railroad to Canada
Anti-Slavery Movement Liberty Party- 1840- forced national politics to take a stand Great support in WI w/ Yankees Free Soil - ignore slavery where it already was and focus on where it could move to Fugitive Slave Law- 1850- California as free state to the Union
Challenging the Fugitive Slave Law Joshua Glover (slave)/ Sherman Booth (white) Booth protested Glover s arrest Mob rushed the jail and set Glover free Booth arrested for violating Fugitive Slave Law
Joshua Glover Rescue
Kansas-Nebraska Act Option to allow all new states in the West a choice- slave or free Northerners felt this was a way to support slavery Undermined previous ruling in Missouri Compromise of 1820
Birth of the Republican Party Congregational church in Ripon, Fond du Lac County Men and women attended If Nebraska bill passed? New party would form on basis of anti-slavery Alan E. Bovay proposed the name Republican Suggested equality Republican was a good name w/ foreign nations
Birthplace of the Republican Party
Birth of the Republican Party Nationwide: attracted religious-minded reformers Temperance advocates Nativists- stop influx of immigrants Wisconsin: Anti-slavery No mention of temperance or nativism to get immigrant vote Successful in many elections Republicans control state for next 17 yrs
Wisconsin vs. the United States Issues over Booth U.S. Supreme Court said Fugitive Slave Law stood Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Randall said U.S. Supreme Court overstepped bounds Personal liberty law prohibited use of state agencies to recover fugitives Lincoln not Republicans first choice Free Soil issue- Lincoln supported
Wisconsin and Lincoln Divided over matters of ethnicity and political party support Radical* Republicans wanted candidate to support emancipation * Those ahead of Lincoln & other Free Soilers on the question of emancipating slaves Lincoln won: 86,116 to 66,063
The Onset of the Civil War South Carolina seceded from the Union Hoped to trigger chain reaction among other Southern states Confederate States of America elected Jefferson Davis as president of the new nation WI said no to compromise of states rights and the Fugitive Slave Law Ft. Sumter, Charleston, SC (last to be abandoned) Lincoln supplied, didn t reinforce Southern guns opened fire Lincoln issued proclamation- supply gov t with 75,000 men to serve for three months
Abolitionist Broadside Usually produced for passing commercial or political purpose Standard communication in the 1850s Purpose: Use powerful and persuasive text Catch attention with large print Convince them to act in few words
Questions Who created this document? Where? When? To whom is the document addressed?
Questions How does the information in the document connect with the historical context of the mid-1850s? Identify the central argument made in the text. Specifically, identify two points the author makes to support this argument. How does the author refer to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850? What political party do you think the author of the document supported? Explain. Study the design and layout of the document. Visually, what words and phrases are emphasized?
Wisconsin Goes to War Impact on the State Fiscally and Emotionally
Governor Alexander Randall April 15, 1861- received telegram asking for WI to supply one regiment (780 men) Within one week able to reach this By the end of the year: 14,002 men Aided in Legislature getting $100,000 for uniforms and equipment Got $200,000 war loan Ok by state to go into debt for military defense
Why WI s high involvement? About 9% of white males military age Higher proportion that s ever stepped up in any war in U.S. history Patriotic fervor (support) WI s strong backing of anti-slavery and hatred for anything Southern
Camp Randall 20 companies of men left over Gov. Randall assembled at fairgrounds outside of Madison Colonel of the first regiment, the Second Wisconsin, named the site Camp Randall Some 70,000 recruits got basic training here
Camp Randall
Race of Volunteers State and Fed authorities wanted Northern army to be lily white Black citizens wanted to fight, Randall turned them down Turned down white company commander who offered services of 200 Menominees Randall s successor wanted to change this, President declined request
Eau Claire Eagles (8 th Regiment) Regiment from this area Became famous as having a live eagle (Old Abe) as their mascot Did well in battle, according to General
Black Hat Brigade/ Iron Brigade Only all-western Brigade Special black hats w/ plumes Renamed Iron Brigade based off of great military strength Most famous unit in the Army
Draft Wisconsin was supplying more and more, but enlistments lagged Nov. 1862- WI Governor Edward Salomon ordered a draft in some counties Provoked rioting because many immigrants fled their homeland to avoid drafting into the military Provide substitute or pay $300 exemption fee Summer 1862- invited enlistment of Afr-Amer and Nat-Amer
War by the Numbers 80,595 people from WI 51% of the males military age 1 in 7 failed to return