The civil rights movements in the USA
It refers to the whys and wherefores the Afro-American had to fight for their rights. It reaches its summit during the Civil War.
Before it, blacks were considered as animals, slaves… If they tried to fight they get killed. They are free to fight.
The Civil War: 1861-1865. In 1860 Lincoln was elected president of the USA, he came to office in 1861. He was a Republican. As soon as he was elected, the Southern states decided that they did not want to be a part of the country led by Lincoln. They seceded from the country in 1860. 11 states seceded from the Union. Lincoln declared a war to gain the states back. It opposed 2 sides: the 11 Southern States = the Confederate States = Democrats = Slave States; the head was Jefferson Davis.
So Lincoln wages a war against Davis. He gathered the Union.
General Grant was on Lincoln’s side VS General Lee.
In 1863 Lincoln decided to emancipate the slaves => for a certain amount of time you must “free” them. He did that to gather more men. He claimed them as “war property”. Lincoln wanted to restore the Union it’s obviously illegal: infringement of the executive he was not the owner of the slaves. He became a slave owner. The slaves did come to fight on his side.
2 battles:
* Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: 1863 Lee won the battle.
* Appomattox took place in 1865 and led to the end of the war. It is located in North Virginia => it led to the surrender of Lee and to the victory of the Union, the “Yankees”.
But, what should they do with the Slave? 5 States of the Union were still practicing slavery: Delaware, New Jersey, Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland.
Lincoln had to make a decision. He promised to free the slaves, and he needed to act. He decided to fight for the abolition of slavery. But he can’t decide such a thing on his own; he needed 2/3 of the vote on the Representatives. But republican were not enough => Lincoln bribed few democrats. There was an...