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Full-text articles to support research in history and genealogy and lesson plans to support student learning.
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More Confederate soldiers died in Chicago's Camp Douglas than on any Civil War battlefield. Originally constructed in 1861 to train forty thousand Union soldiers from the northern third of Illinois, it was converted to a prison camp in 1862. Nearly thirty thousand Confederate prisoners were housed there until it was shut down in 1865. Today, the history of the camp ranges from unknown to deeply misunderstood. David Keller offers a modern perspective...
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One of the most significant and far-reaching events in U. S. history, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 sharpened and brought to a head a number of crucial questions concerning slavery, states' rights, the legal status of blacks, and the effects of the Dred Scott decision. The debates were held as part of the campaign for the Illinois senatorial seat, pitting the two-term incumbent, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, against the lesser-known Abraham Lincoln,...
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The Civil War was over by the spring of 1865, and all the Confederate armies had surrendered, but for the victors, the peace was marred by the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The long, painful process of rebuilding a united nation free of slavery began. The 13th Amendment, ratified in December 1865, ended slavery in the United States. Each title in this series contains photos throughout, and back matter including: an index, further reading lists...
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The first African slaves were brought to Jamestown, Virginia in 1619 to work on plantations. However, it wasn t until the early 1830s that the modern abolition movement emerged in an effort to end slavery in a nation that viewed all men were created equally. The abolitionists condemned slavery on moral grounds while the slave owners wanted to perpetuate it. Over the following decades, the abolitionists strengthened their demands, fueling divisiveness,...
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The North and South sections of the United States developed along very different lines. The South s economy remained predominantly agricultural, while the North s evolved as a powerhouse of industry. Over time, different social cultures, attitudes, economics, and politics developed, resulting in simmering tensions. However, the final catalyst for conflict, ultimately leading to war, was over slavery. Each title in this series contains photos throughout,...
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"When the first shots of the Civil War were fired in 1861, Washington, D.C., was a small, essentially Southern city. The capital rapidly transformed as it prepared for invasion-- army camps sprung up in Foggy Bottom, the Navy Yard on Anacostia was a beehive of activity and even the Capitol was pressed into service as a barracks. Local citizens and government officials struggled to accommodate the fugitive slaves and troops that crowded into the city....
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The North and the South had evolved in very different ways both economically and politically. In particular, the South s agricultural economy revolved around the institution of slavery. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, the victory was seen by the South as the North s attempt to impose its anti-slavery measures on it. This ultimately led to secession when Southern states started to cut their ties with the Union. Each title in this...