The Civil War in the USA (1861—1865)

14.2.1. During the first half of the centuryopposition to slavery grew in the North. A ll the Northern states had outlawed slavery. In the South, however, the rich planters needed much slave labor on their huge plantations, so the Southern states remained slave states. More and more people in Amer­ica were beginning to understand that slavery was shameful, that there should be no place for slavery in a democratic society. With time, the abolitionist movement grew stronger. It gained many more supporters after a New En­gland woman named Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, a story about slavery.

14.2.2. Before the American Civil War start there was a man who spoke about the abolishment of slavery. His name was John Brown. Brown began in 1857 to formulate a plan, which he had long entertained, to free the slaves by armed force. He secretly recruited a small band of supporters for this project, which included the establishment of a refuge for fugitive slaves in the mountains of Virginia. His force was surrounded by the local militia, which was reinforced by a company of U.S. Marines under the command of Colonel Robert E. Lee. He was arrested and charged with various crimes, including treason and murder. He became the subject of a famous song, known generally by the first line as John Brown's body lies a-mould'ring in the grave. Later the melody was used for another song, known as the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

14.2.3. The election of 1860 showed clearly that the United States was a divided country. Abraham Lincoln became President. Lincoln had been known nationally when he staked out the Republican position on slavery in the territories and held his own in a series of public debates in a Senate race. He was also known for a speech in which he stated that the United States could not long endure as a “house divided” between Northern free–labor capitalism and Southern slavery. On the crucial question of slavery in the territories, Lincoln assured the South that no president could constitutionally dismantle the institution in the states. But he would preserve the territories for free labor, thus putting slavery “in the course of ultimate extinction.”

14.2.4. The result of Lincoln's becoming President was the splitting of the nation into two parts. South Carolina voted to withdraw, or se­cede, from the United States. By February 1, 1861, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas had also voted to secede. The seceding states decided to form their own nation. The Southern states formed the Con­federate States of America. Jefferson Davis became President. The war became inevitable, and the smallest pretext would do. Of course, it came soon. Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Caroli­na, was still held by Union troops. On April 12, 1861, Confederate troops opened fire on Fort Sumter. The Union troops had to surrender the fort. It was the actual beginning of a civil war.

Дата добавления: 2014-01-07