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All right, Kim, so we left off in, I guess, early, mid-1861. You have Lincoln gets inaugurated, Fort Sumter, which is kind of the first real conflict of the war, if not the first major battle. Lincoln forms this volunteer army, and then the rest of the southern states secede, four more states secede. Right. And then what was the first major conflict? So, the first major conflict comes after a number of months. There are a couple of little skirmishes here and there, but nothing super large until about 60,000 troops meet outside of Manassas, Virginia, at a place called Bull Run.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Right. And then what was the first major conflict? So, the first major conflict comes after a number of months. There are a couple of little skirmishes here and there, but nothing super large until about 60,000 troops meet outside of Manassas, Virginia, at a place called Bull Run. An interesting fact, I think, is that Union armies and Confederate armies actually named battles different things, if you've ever been confused about this. Union armies tended to name battles after bodies of water, whereas the Confederate armies tended to name them by nearby towns. So, if you've ever heard the Battle of Manassas and the Battle of Bull Run, they're actually the same thing.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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There are a couple of little skirmishes here and there, but nothing super large until about 60,000 troops meet outside of Manassas, Virginia, at a place called Bull Run. An interesting fact, I think, is that Union armies and Confederate armies actually named battles different things, if you've ever been confused about this. Union armies tended to name battles after bodies of water, whereas the Confederate armies tended to name them by nearby towns. So, if you've ever heard the Battle of Manassas and the Battle of Bull Run, they're actually the same thing. It's just the Union officers are talking about this creek, Bull Run, whereas the Confederates are talking about the town nearby. I see, and 60,000 troops between the two of them. Right.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So, if you've ever heard the Battle of Manassas and the Battle of Bull Run, they're actually the same thing. It's just the Union officers are talking about this creek, Bull Run, whereas the Confederates are talking about the town nearby. I see, and 60,000 troops between the two of them. Right. So, they meet, and this is very close to Washington, D.C., so much so that people go out and they bring picnics to watch this battle like it was... They think it's going to be entertaining. Yeah, they think it's going to be like a football game, and it is not like a football game.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Right. So, they meet, and this is very close to Washington, D.C., so much so that people go out and they bring picnics to watch this battle like it was... They think it's going to be entertaining. Yeah, they think it's going to be like a football game, and it is not like a football game. It is a gigantic battle. 800 people die that day, which doesn't sound like a lot to us, but it was the most deadly battle ever in American history up until that point. So, it's a Confederate victory, which is very surprising to the Union because they think that they have such superior forces that this is really going to be a very short war.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Yeah, they think it's going to be like a football game, and it is not like a football game. It is a gigantic battle. 800 people die that day, which doesn't sound like a lot to us, but it was the most deadly battle ever in American history up until that point. So, it's a Confederate victory, which is very surprising to the Union because they think that they have such superior forces that this is really going to be a very short war. This is a quick rebellion in 90 days. We're going to be able to suppress this rebellion, and that'll be it. But Bull Run is really the first sign that this is going to be a major war.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So, it's a Confederate victory, which is very surprising to the Union because they think that they have such superior forces that this is really going to be a very short war. This is a quick rebellion in 90 days. We're going to be able to suppress this rebellion, and that'll be it. But Bull Run is really the first sign that this is going to be a major war. It's not going to be quick, and it is going to be very deadly. This was July of 1861. Okay, so now it's clear to both sides, especially, I guess you could say, the North, that this is not going to be a short war.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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But Bull Run is really the first sign that this is going to be a major war. It's not going to be quick, and it is going to be very deadly. This was July of 1861. Okay, so now it's clear to both sides, especially, I guess you could say, the North, that this is not going to be a short war. So, they need to prepare. How are they approaching this? Well, so both sides have some advantages and disadvantages.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Okay, so now it's clear to both sides, especially, I guess you could say, the North, that this is not going to be a short war. So, they need to prepare. How are they approaching this? Well, so both sides have some advantages and disadvantages. For the South, they have some of the same advantages that the United States would have had during the war for independence. They have home court advantage, we could say, which is that they know the territory very well, and also there's a real incentive for people to protect their homes. You're going to care more about a war that's happening on your property than a war that's going to happen very far away.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Well, so both sides have some advantages and disadvantages. For the South, they have some of the same advantages that the United States would have had during the war for independence. They have home court advantage, we could say, which is that they know the territory very well, and also there's a real incentive for people to protect their homes. You're going to care more about a war that's happening on your property than a war that's going to happen very far away. The other advantage that they have is just really, really terrific military leadership. So, they have Robert E. Lee, who is widely considered the greatest general of his era. He's truly a military genius.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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You're going to care more about a war that's happening on your property than a war that's going to happen very far away. The other advantage that they have is just really, really terrific military leadership. So, they have Robert E. Lee, who is widely considered the greatest general of his era. He's truly a military genius. He, in fact, was offered a commission in the Union Army, but when Virginia seceded, he went with Virginia. He preferred his home state. So, he is a terrific general, and the Union is going to really struggle to come up with the kind of military leadership that the South has.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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He's truly a military genius. He, in fact, was offered a commission in the Union Army, but when Virginia seceded, he went with Virginia. He preferred his home state. So, he is a terrific general, and the Union is going to really struggle to come up with the kind of military leadership that the South has. Who's in charge of the Union or the Northern Army, excuse me, the United States Army? The United States Army. The first general that Lincoln puts in charge is George B. McClellan.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So, he is a terrific general, and the Union is going to really struggle to come up with the kind of military leadership that the South has. Who's in charge of the Union or the Northern Army, excuse me, the United States Army? The United States Army. The first general that Lincoln puts in charge is George B. McClellan. This is problematic for a lot of reasons. One is that George McClellan is a Democrat, so he doesn't agree politically with Lincoln. I think he would have preferred peace.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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The first general that Lincoln puts in charge is George B. McClellan. This is problematic for a lot of reasons. One is that George McClellan is a Democrat, so he doesn't agree politically with Lincoln. I think he would have preferred peace. In fact, in 1864, he runs against Lincoln for president on a platform of letting the South go, basically. And so, Lincoln is struggling to match the South when it comes to military leadership, but he does have other advantages. For one thing, there are four times as many free people in the North as there are in the South.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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I think he would have preferred peace. In fact, in 1864, he runs against Lincoln for president on a platform of letting the South go, basically. And so, Lincoln is struggling to match the South when it comes to military leadership, but he does have other advantages. For one thing, there are four times as many free people in the North as there are in the South. And that's an interesting, you made the point, free people. Right. Because the South, as you mentioned, has a majority of the population was not free.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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For one thing, there are four times as many free people in the North as there are in the South. And that's an interesting, you made the point, free people. Right. Because the South, as you mentioned, has a majority of the population was not free. I wouldn't say a majority of the population. Not a majority. In many states, that was the case.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Because the South, as you mentioned, has a majority of the population was not free. I wouldn't say a majority of the population. Not a majority. In many states, that was the case. In the deep South states. In the deep South states. That was more likely to happen.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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In many states, that was the case. In the deep South states. In the deep South states. That was more likely to happen. Right, so there are only about 9 million people living in the South, and of those 9 million people, 3.5 to 4 million of them are enslaved. So they're not going to be fighting to continue the institution of slavery. By contrast, the North has 22 million people, and it also has a terrific industrial base.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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That was more likely to happen. Right, so there are only about 9 million people living in the South, and of those 9 million people, 3.5 to 4 million of them are enslaved. So they're not going to be fighting to continue the institution of slavery. By contrast, the North has 22 million people, and it also has a terrific industrial base. One of the major cultural differences between the North and South that leads to the Civil War is that the South is primarily agrarian, and the North becomes very industrial. But industry is really helpful in a war. They've got miles and miles of railroad tracks, which means that they can move supplies very quickly, and they also have hundreds and hundreds of factories that make it easy for them to make munitions.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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By contrast, the North has 22 million people, and it also has a terrific industrial base. One of the major cultural differences between the North and South that leads to the Civil War is that the South is primarily agrarian, and the North becomes very industrial. But industry is really helpful in a war. They've got miles and miles of railroad tracks, which means that they can move supplies very quickly, and they also have hundreds and hundreds of factories that make it easy for them to make munitions. And this is the middle of the Industrial Revolution. So an industrial base matters a lot. And so given the North's advantages and the South's advantages, how do they vote?
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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They've got miles and miles of railroad tracks, which means that they can move supplies very quickly, and they also have hundreds and hundreds of factories that make it easy for them to make munitions. And this is the middle of the Industrial Revolution. So an industrial base matters a lot. And so given the North's advantages and the South's advantages, how do they vote? What's their strategies? How do they try to play to their strengths? Right, so the South, they are basically trying to outlast the North.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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And so given the North's advantages and the South's advantages, how do they vote? What's their strategies? How do they try to play to their strengths? Right, so the South, they are basically trying to outlast the North. They know that they have this territory, and if the North wants them to come back into the Union, they're going to have to conquer this territory. And even though it's hard to kind of tell, the territory of the South is actually larger than Western Europe. So in a way, the North has a bigger job to conquer the South than the Allies did in World War II to conquer Europe.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Right, so the South, they are basically trying to outlast the North. They know that they have this territory, and if the North wants them to come back into the Union, they're going to have to conquer this territory. And even though it's hard to kind of tell, the territory of the South is actually larger than Western Europe. So in a way, the North has a bigger job to conquer the South than the Allies did in World War II to conquer Europe. So they know that the North is going to have to fight a war to conquer them, whereas the South just needs to win the war of waiting. Of attrition. Yeah, they're hoping that the North will get tired of fighting.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So in a way, the North has a bigger job to conquer the South than the Allies did in World War II to conquer Europe. So they know that the North is going to have to fight a war to conquer them, whereas the South just needs to win the war of waiting. Of attrition. Yeah, they're hoping that the North will get tired of fighting. Fighting in another person's land. You're not defending your own land. Right, and they know that there are plenty of whites in the North who don't care about slavery.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Yeah, they're hoping that the North will get tired of fighting. Fighting in another person's land. You're not defending your own land. Right, and they know that there are plenty of whites in the North who don't care about slavery. It's not in their... They're indifferent. What do they care?
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Right, and they know that there are plenty of whites in the North who don't care about slavery. It's not in their... They're indifferent. What do they care? What do they care? In fact, some people are afraid that if the slaves are freed in the South, they're all going to come up North and they're going to compete for labor with poor white people. So there are plenty of whites in the North who have no interest in the slaves in the South being freed, even if that's not an early war aim of the North.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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What do they care? What do they care? In fact, some people are afraid that if the slaves are freed in the South, they're all going to come up North and they're going to compete for labor with poor white people. So there are plenty of whites in the North who have no interest in the slaves in the South being freed, even if that's not an early war aim of the North. So the South is hoping that maybe they can win a couple of really big battles that show that this isn't going to be a big war. Or it would be so painful for the North to try to conquer the South, so to speak. Right, and they're also trying to show that they're serious to an international audience, particularly England, because the South is producing three-quarters of the world's supply of cotton at this point.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So there are plenty of whites in the North who have no interest in the slaves in the South being freed, even if that's not an early war aim of the North. So the South is hoping that maybe they can win a couple of really big battles that show that this isn't going to be a big war. Or it would be so painful for the North to try to conquer the South, so to speak. Right, and they're also trying to show that they're serious to an international audience, particularly England, because the South is producing three-quarters of the world's supply of cotton at this point. And England is an industrial nation which is built, in many cases, around textile manufacturing. So they're hoping that if they show that they are serious about their own nationhood, that they're going to win this war against the North, that England will intercede on their behalf to protect their supply of cotton. So this would be an appeal to England on purely economic grounds.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Right, and they're also trying to show that they're serious to an international audience, particularly England, because the South is producing three-quarters of the world's supply of cotton at this point. And England is an industrial nation which is built, in many cases, around textile manufacturing. So they're hoping that if they show that they are serious about their own nationhood, that they're going to win this war against the North, that England will intercede on their behalf to protect their supply of cotton. So this would be an appeal to England on purely economic grounds. Right. Fascinating. Because England, I mean, they didn't have slavery.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So this would be an appeal to England on purely economic grounds. Right. Fascinating. Because England, I mean, they didn't have slavery. They weren't. But purely economically, at least appeal to them. So on the other hand, the North's strategy is what they call the Anaconda Plan.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Because England, I mean, they didn't have slavery. They weren't. But purely economically, at least appeal to them. So on the other hand, the North's strategy is what they call the Anaconda Plan. And the idea of the Anaconda Plan is that they are going to squeeze the South economically. What they want to do is... Like an anaconda. Like an anaconda, right.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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So on the other hand, the North's strategy is what they call the Anaconda Plan. And the idea of the Anaconda Plan is that they are going to squeeze the South economically. What they want to do is... Like an anaconda. Like an anaconda, right. So they want to blockade the Atlantic Ocean because they don't want the South to be able to sell their cotton to get money. And they also don't want the South to be able to buy the kinds of things that they're going to need to make a war happen. They also want to control the Mississippi River because that's the real main artery of commerce in the West.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Like an anaconda, right. So they want to blockade the Atlantic Ocean because they don't want the South to be able to sell their cotton to get money. And they also don't want the South to be able to buy the kinds of things that they're going to need to make a war happen. They also want to control the Mississippi River because that's the real main artery of commerce in the West. Anyone who is going to be shipping their grain or their cotton is going to be shipping it down the Mississippi to the port of New Orleans. So the Union hopes that if they can basically surround the South and make sure nothing gets in or out, then eventually they're just going to starve to death. And this also goes to the industrial base.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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They also want to control the Mississippi River because that's the real main artery of commerce in the West. Anyone who is going to be shipping their grain or their cotton is going to be shipping it down the Mississippi to the port of New Orleans. So the Union hopes that if they can basically surround the South and make sure nothing gets in or out, then eventually they're just going to starve to death. And this also goes to the industrial base. It can also produce more ships and etc. Right. And it takes them a while to do that.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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And this also goes to the industrial base. It can also produce more ships and etc. Right. And it takes them a while to do that. In fact, at the start of the war, the Union only has 90 ships. I've heard it compared to five leaky boats. We're not a naval power at this point.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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And it takes them a while to do that. In fact, at the start of the war, the Union only has 90 ships. I've heard it compared to five leaky boats. We're not a naval power at this point. And so it's going to take them a while to build up the kind of naval power they need to do that because this is 3,500 miles of coastline that they're going to need to patrol. It looks interesting. I'm just looking at this map, not getting too much into the details.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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We're not a naval power at this point. And so it's going to take them a while to build up the kind of naval power they need to do that because this is 3,500 miles of coastline that they're going to need to patrol. It looks interesting. I'm just looking at this map, not getting too much into the details. It looks like a lot of the battles are concentrated right in this Virginia, Maryland area. And then there's more, it's a little bit more sparse, but you have a few that are in the deep south and along this Mississippi corridor. Right.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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I'm just looking at this map, not getting too much into the details. It looks like a lot of the battles are concentrated right in this Virginia, Maryland area. And then there's more, it's a little bit more sparse, but you have a few that are in the deep south and along this Mississippi corridor. Right. So there are two major theaters of the war. We'd say the Eastern Theater, and this is that sort of 100-mile corridor between Washington and Richmond where a huge amount of the fighting takes place. It's important to remember that the capital of the Confederacy and the capital of the United States are only 100 miles apart.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Right. So there are two major theaters of the war. We'd say the Eastern Theater, and this is that sort of 100-mile corridor between Washington and Richmond where a huge amount of the fighting takes place. It's important to remember that the capital of the Confederacy and the capital of the United States are only 100 miles apart. So its capital is, you can't see it in this map, but it's someplace in the middle of Virginia and then D.C. So it's literally, as you mentioned, you said it was 100 miles apart? Yep.
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Strategy of the Civil War The Civil War era (1844-1877) US History Khan Academy.mp3
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And in the first years of the Civil War, things went relatively well for the South. They defeated the North at the Battle of Bull Run, which was a great surprise to many people because they thought that this was going to be a pretty short war that the South would be quickly defeated and scared away into returning to the Union. But the South had many advantages, including very good leadership in the person of Robert E. Lee, and also kind of a home court advantage at large since the vast majority of the war was fought in the South. So in this early stage, the Confederacy does quite well until we get to Antietam. And Antietam was this first foray by Robert E. Lee in trying to attack the states of the North in Maryland. And after the Battle of Antietam, which was the bloodiest day in US history, more than 4,000 Americans died on that day, the South was defeated. And that was a major turning point in the war, as we've talked about in previous videos, in that it led to the Emancipation Proclamation and was kind of the moment at which the nations of Europe ceased to consider intervening on the side of the South.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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So in this early stage, the Confederacy does quite well until we get to Antietam. And Antietam was this first foray by Robert E. Lee in trying to attack the states of the North in Maryland. And after the Battle of Antietam, which was the bloodiest day in US history, more than 4,000 Americans died on that day, the South was defeated. And that was a major turning point in the war, as we've talked about in previous videos, in that it led to the Emancipation Proclamation and was kind of the moment at which the nations of Europe ceased to consider intervening on the side of the South. So in the next few videos, I wanna talk about the later stages of the Civil War. So we get into 1863, and the South is doing relatively well here in Virginia, wins the Battle of Chancellorsville, and now, nearly a year after Antietam, in June and July of 1863, Robert E. Lee decides that he is going to try again to invade the North. Now, he has several reasons for doing this.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And that was a major turning point in the war, as we've talked about in previous videos, in that it led to the Emancipation Proclamation and was kind of the moment at which the nations of Europe ceased to consider intervening on the side of the South. So in the next few videos, I wanna talk about the later stages of the Civil War. So we get into 1863, and the South is doing relatively well here in Virginia, wins the Battle of Chancellorsville, and now, nearly a year after Antietam, in June and July of 1863, Robert E. Lee decides that he is going to try again to invade the North. Now, he has several reasons for doing this. One is that the war has been taking place largely in the South. So it's summer, people are trying to harvest their crops, and Lee wants to give the South a break. So he wants to take the attention away from this area in Virginia where lots of fighting has happened, and he wants to take the war up into the North.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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Now, he has several reasons for doing this. One is that the war has been taking place largely in the South. So it's summer, people are trying to harvest their crops, and Lee wants to give the South a break. So he wants to take the attention away from this area in Virginia where lots of fighting has happened, and he wants to take the war up into the North. And if the North is distracted by having to defend its own territory, then it can't go on the offensive elsewhere as easily. So Lee's plan is to take the war to the North. And Lee has another reason in his sleeve, which is that he is really hoping that in the election of 1864, which is coming up not too long after this period in mid-1863, many people believe that Lincoln is gonna be kicked out of office.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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So he wants to take the attention away from this area in Virginia where lots of fighting has happened, and he wants to take the war up into the North. And if the North is distracted by having to defend its own territory, then it can't go on the offensive elsewhere as easily. So Lee's plan is to take the war to the North. And Lee has another reason in his sleeve, which is that he is really hoping that in the election of 1864, which is coming up not too long after this period in mid-1863, many people believe that Lincoln is gonna be kicked out of office. Now, remember that not a single American president has been elected to a second term or re-elected since Andrew Jackson in 1832. So there's been a 30-year drought of two-term presidents. So Robert E. Lee has good reason to expect why Lincoln might not be re-elected in 1864, and he thinks that maybe one of Lincoln's competitors in the Democratic Party, which will turn out to be one of his own former generals, George B. McClellan, will actually want to end the war and make peace with the South.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And Lee has another reason in his sleeve, which is that he is really hoping that in the election of 1864, which is coming up not too long after this period in mid-1863, many people believe that Lincoln is gonna be kicked out of office. Now, remember that not a single American president has been elected to a second term or re-elected since Andrew Jackson in 1832. So there's been a 30-year drought of two-term presidents. So Robert E. Lee has good reason to expect why Lincoln might not be re-elected in 1864, and he thinks that maybe one of Lincoln's competitors in the Democratic Party, which will turn out to be one of his own former generals, George B. McClellan, will actually want to end the war and make peace with the South. So there's kind of a morale aspect to this. You can see that many of the things done in the Civil War, and especially as we get into the later stages, are designed at making one side or the other tired of being at war. Now, you may wonder why I'm spending so much time talking about battles, because most American history courses do not emphasize military history whatsoever.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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So Robert E. Lee has good reason to expect why Lincoln might not be re-elected in 1864, and he thinks that maybe one of Lincoln's competitors in the Democratic Party, which will turn out to be one of his own former generals, George B. McClellan, will actually want to end the war and make peace with the South. So there's kind of a morale aspect to this. You can see that many of the things done in the Civil War, and especially as we get into the later stages, are designed at making one side or the other tired of being at war. Now, you may wonder why I'm spending so much time talking about battles, because most American history courses do not emphasize military history whatsoever. But I think it's important to keep in mind in this war and in some earlier wars, like the American Revolution, the battles really determine the policy, right? Because you can't make a decree, like the way that Abraham Lincoln decreed the Emancipation Proclamation, if you don't have the force of military power behind you. So winning battles, winning the war, those kinds of victories give politicians the popular mandate they need to get things done.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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Now, you may wonder why I'm spending so much time talking about battles, because most American history courses do not emphasize military history whatsoever. But I think it's important to keep in mind in this war and in some earlier wars, like the American Revolution, the battles really determine the policy, right? Because you can't make a decree, like the way that Abraham Lincoln decreed the Emancipation Proclamation, if you don't have the force of military power behind you. So winning battles, winning the war, those kinds of victories give politicians the popular mandate they need to get things done. So that's why I think it's important to talk at least a little bit about the battles of the Civil War. Now, obviously, Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Appomattox were not the only battles of the Civil War. There were hundreds of battles of the Civil War.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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So winning battles, winning the war, those kinds of victories give politicians the popular mandate they need to get things done. So that's why I think it's important to talk at least a little bit about the battles of the Civil War. Now, obviously, Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Appomattox were not the only battles of the Civil War. There were hundreds of battles of the Civil War. But I've chosen these as particular turning points just to kind of give you a very brief overview of the way that military victories and defeats were trending because along with those military victories and defeats went the policy of the United States and the policy of the South. And if you're interested in the Civil War, it's one of the most written-about topics in American history, and there are many wonderful books that will go into great detail about the politics, society, and military history of the Civil War, and lots of great television shows and miniseries that I definitely suggest that you check out. All right, well, with that said, let's talk about Gettysburg.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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There were hundreds of battles of the Civil War. But I've chosen these as particular turning points just to kind of give you a very brief overview of the way that military victories and defeats were trending because along with those military victories and defeats went the policy of the United States and the policy of the South. And if you're interested in the Civil War, it's one of the most written-about topics in American history, and there are many wonderful books that will go into great detail about the politics, society, and military history of the Civil War, and lots of great television shows and miniseries that I definitely suggest that you check out. All right, well, with that said, let's talk about Gettysburg. So Lee has brought his forces into the North, and again, he's interested in kind of distracting the North from attacking in the South by bringing the war to them. He's hoping to prolong the war so that perhaps another administration that's more favorable to allowing the South to go peacefully might be in office in the North. And the other thing that he's looking for is supplies.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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All right, well, with that said, let's talk about Gettysburg. So Lee has brought his forces into the North, and again, he's interested in kind of distracting the North from attacking in the South by bringing the war to them. He's hoping to prolong the war so that perhaps another administration that's more favorable to allowing the South to go peacefully might be in office in the North. And the other thing that he's looking for is supplies. So once again, the vast majority of the Civil War has been fought in the South, and it's been fought here in this sort of Shenandoah Valley, Tidewater region of Virginia, which is really the breadbasket of the South. So when men are out fighting battles and when battles are being fought on fields instead of crops being grown on them, there's gonna be a serious dearth of food in the South. You know, I once heard it said that the most salient political fact of the 20th century was that the Americans speak English, which means that the United States repeatedly allied with Britain in 20th century wars.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And the other thing that he's looking for is supplies. So once again, the vast majority of the Civil War has been fought in the South, and it's been fought here in this sort of Shenandoah Valley, Tidewater region of Virginia, which is really the breadbasket of the South. So when men are out fighting battles and when battles are being fought on fields instead of crops being grown on them, there's gonna be a serious dearth of food in the South. You know, I once heard it said that the most salient political fact of the 20th century was that the Americans speak English, which means that the United States repeatedly allied with Britain in 20th century wars. But if I had to choose the most salient fact of the American Civil War, it might be that you can't eat cotton. You know, the South went to war to protect its system of labor so that it could continue to produce these cash crops like cotton or tobacco. And cash crops they may be, which means that you can sell them for money, but you can't eat cotton or tobacco.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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You know, I once heard it said that the most salient political fact of the 20th century was that the Americans speak English, which means that the United States repeatedly allied with Britain in 20th century wars. But if I had to choose the most salient fact of the American Civil War, it might be that you can't eat cotton. You know, the South went to war to protect its system of labor so that it could continue to produce these cash crops like cotton or tobacco. And cash crops they may be, which means that you can sell them for money, but you can't eat cotton or tobacco. And when it comes down to it, being able to feed your troops and feed your populace is something that's going to really help you when it comes to winning a war. So Lee is taking his troops up into the North and he takes them into Southern Pennsylvania, which is very lovely farmland. It's a very beautiful place.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And cash crops they may be, which means that you can sell them for money, but you can't eat cotton or tobacco. And when it comes down to it, being able to feed your troops and feed your populace is something that's going to really help you when it comes to winning a war. So Lee is taking his troops up into the North and he takes them into Southern Pennsylvania, which is very lovely farmland. It's a very beautiful place. If you've never been there, I absolutely recommend you take a look, go to Gettysburg. It's a very well-preserved battlefield. And as Lee goes through Southern Pennsylvania, his troops are taking horses and grain supplies and all sorts of things that the army needs to survive, which are in short supply in Virginia.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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It's a very beautiful place. If you've never been there, I absolutely recommend you take a look, go to Gettysburg. It's a very well-preserved battlefield. And as Lee goes through Southern Pennsylvania, his troops are taking horses and grain supplies and all sorts of things that the army needs to survive, which are in short supply in Virginia. So this is like a run to the store for Lee going through Southern Pennsylvania. On the northern side, General George Meade has been trying to catch up with Lee and cut him off from his invasion of the North. President Abraham Lincoln asks for many volunteers to try to stave off the invasion of the North by Lee.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And as Lee goes through Southern Pennsylvania, his troops are taking horses and grain supplies and all sorts of things that the army needs to survive, which are in short supply in Virginia. So this is like a run to the store for Lee going through Southern Pennsylvania. On the northern side, General George Meade has been trying to catch up with Lee and cut him off from his invasion of the North. President Abraham Lincoln asks for many volunteers to try to stave off the invasion of the North by Lee. And they end up meeting at Gettysburg. And Gettysburg is just a small farm town in Southern Pennsylvania. That's just where these two troops happen to meet as Lee was on his way to the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and Lee's forces and Meade's forces meet on July 1st, 1863.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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President Abraham Lincoln asks for many volunteers to try to stave off the invasion of the North by Lee. And they end up meeting at Gettysburg. And Gettysburg is just a small farm town in Southern Pennsylvania. That's just where these two troops happen to meet as Lee was on his way to the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and Lee's forces and Meade's forces meet on July 1st, 1863. Now the Battle of Gettysburg goes on for three days. So there's July 1st, July 2nd, and July 3rd. And the first day goes relatively well for the Confederates.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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That's just where these two troops happen to meet as Lee was on his way to the capital of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, and Lee's forces and Meade's forces meet on July 1st, 1863. Now the Battle of Gettysburg goes on for three days. So there's July 1st, July 2nd, and July 3rd. And the first day goes relatively well for the Confederates. They break some of the Union lines around the edges. The second day is kind of a stalemate where Northern forces and Southern forces, they sustain a lot of losses, but don't make any real headway toward victory. And then the third day, Lee decides that he is going to try to break the center of the Union forces, which means that he is going to try to hit the Union line, and remember this is in the era of military history where people are still kind of fighting in lines, right through the center and win the day.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And the first day goes relatively well for the Confederates. They break some of the Union lines around the edges. The second day is kind of a stalemate where Northern forces and Southern forces, they sustain a lot of losses, but don't make any real headway toward victory. And then the third day, Lee decides that he is going to try to break the center of the Union forces, which means that he is going to try to hit the Union line, and remember this is in the era of military history where people are still kind of fighting in lines, right through the center and win the day. Unfortunately for him, that is not what happens. So he tries all day to break the Union lines. There's a very famous sort of last hurrah for the Southern forces in this called Pickett's Charge.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And then the third day, Lee decides that he is going to try to break the center of the Union forces, which means that he is going to try to hit the Union line, and remember this is in the era of military history where people are still kind of fighting in lines, right through the center and win the day. Unfortunately for him, that is not what happens. So he tries all day to break the Union lines. There's a very famous sort of last hurrah for the Southern forces in this called Pickett's Charge. When General George Pickett's units charge up this hill at Cemetery Ridge trying to break the line, and they sustain over 50% casualties. So it's kind of a bloodbath for Pickett's unit. And after Pickett's Charge does not succeed, the Union forces have officially won the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee realizes that there's no way that he's going to be able to make anything out of his invasion of the North and so he turns around and starts heading back to the South.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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There's a very famous sort of last hurrah for the Southern forces in this called Pickett's Charge. When General George Pickett's units charge up this hill at Cemetery Ridge trying to break the line, and they sustain over 50% casualties. So it's kind of a bloodbath for Pickett's unit. And after Pickett's Charge does not succeed, the Union forces have officially won the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee realizes that there's no way that he's going to be able to make anything out of his invasion of the North and so he turns around and starts heading back to the South. Now what's important about Gettysburg is that this was what many have called the high water mark of the Confederacy. And by that they mean this is as far as the Confederacy ever managed to get into the northern part of the United States. This is the second attempt at an invasion by Lee and it failed.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And after Pickett's Charge does not succeed, the Union forces have officially won the Battle of Gettysburg, and Lee realizes that there's no way that he's going to be able to make anything out of his invasion of the North and so he turns around and starts heading back to the South. Now what's important about Gettysburg is that this was what many have called the high water mark of the Confederacy. And by that they mean this is as far as the Confederacy ever managed to get into the northern part of the United States. This is the second attempt at an invasion by Lee and it failed. And many people see this as a really important turning point in the Civil War. On July 4th, and imagine the good news of receiving word that your troops had triumphed on July 4th, Independence Day. President Lincoln and the United States get another really good piece of news, which is that Ulysses S. Grant, who will be the future commander of U.S. forces, has succeeded in his siege of Vicksburg, which is a town on the Mississippi River.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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This is the second attempt at an invasion by Lee and it failed. And many people see this as a really important turning point in the Civil War. On July 4th, and imagine the good news of receiving word that your troops had triumphed on July 4th, Independence Day. President Lincoln and the United States get another really good piece of news, which is that Ulysses S. Grant, who will be the future commander of U.S. forces, has succeeded in his siege of Vicksburg, which is a town on the Mississippi River. And when he takes the town on the Mississippi River, Grant has complete control of the Mississippi, which is sort of the major highway in the West. So July 3rd and July 4th are really good days for the United States. And this is kind of the moment when it becomes clear that victory is going to be outside the reach of the Confederacy.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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President Lincoln and the United States get another really good piece of news, which is that Ulysses S. Grant, who will be the future commander of U.S. forces, has succeeded in his siege of Vicksburg, which is a town on the Mississippi River. And when he takes the town on the Mississippi River, Grant has complete control of the Mississippi, which is sort of the major highway in the West. So July 3rd and July 4th are really good days for the United States. And this is kind of the moment when it becomes clear that victory is going to be outside the reach of the Confederacy. And with an unsuccessful invasion of the North and the loss of the control of the Mississippi, the South's time is kind of coming to an end. The other important thing about the Battle of Gettysburg is that it is a tremendously destructive battle. About 50,000 casualties took place at Gettysburg, which makes it the single bloodiest battle in American history, which is different from the single bloodiest day, which was at Atenum, because it took place over three days.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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And this is kind of the moment when it becomes clear that victory is going to be outside the reach of the Confederacy. And with an unsuccessful invasion of the North and the loss of the control of the Mississippi, the South's time is kind of coming to an end. The other important thing about the Battle of Gettysburg is that it is a tremendously destructive battle. About 50,000 casualties took place at Gettysburg, which makes it the single bloodiest battle in American history, which is different from the single bloodiest day, which was at Atenum, because it took place over three days. And this is not 50,000 people dying, just 50,000 casualties, which means either deaths or injuries. Those are men who can no longer fight on both sides. So the tremendous loss of life at Gettysburg is going to lead to the foundation of a cemetery at Gettysburg to bury these military dead.
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Gettysburg.mp3
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This is a chart that shows the percentage of the total population of each of these colonies and then later states that was made up by enslaved Africans. Starting in the year 1754, which we'll show in purple, and comparing that to the year 1800, which we'll show here in green. Now, some of these numbers are estimates, since the census didn't exist before 1790, but this can help us get an overall sense of how the institution of slavery changed in these years. Now, on the left side here, we have the data from the northern part of the country. Now, in purple, you can see the percentage of the population of each colony that was enslaved in 1754, and generally, it wasn't a very large amount. I think New York here had the most at about 14%. By 1800, however, you can see that the percent went down considerably.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Now, on the left side here, we have the data from the northern part of the country. Now, in purple, you can see the percentage of the population of each colony that was enslaved in 1754, and generally, it wasn't a very large amount. I think New York here had the most at about 14%. By 1800, however, you can see that the percent went down considerably. Some, like Massachusetts, outlawed slavery altogether, so they're at 0%, and others, like New York or Rhode Island, began a process of gradual emancipation, phasing out slavery. Another thing to note is that new territories in the West that were claimed by the United States either had very small amounts of slavery, like in the Indiana Territory, or none at all, like in the Northwest Territory, where slavery was outlawed. Now, let's compare that to the same period in southern regions.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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By 1800, however, you can see that the percent went down considerably. Some, like Massachusetts, outlawed slavery altogether, so they're at 0%, and others, like New York or Rhode Island, began a process of gradual emancipation, phasing out slavery. Another thing to note is that new territories in the West that were claimed by the United States either had very small amounts of slavery, like in the Indiana Territory, or none at all, like in the Northwest Territory, where slavery was outlawed. Now, let's compare that to the same period in southern regions. In most of the South, in 1754, enslaved people made up a very significant portion of the population. In some cases, like in South Carolina, outnumbering whites at a rate of more than 60% of the population. And unlike in the North, as you see here in teal, in 1800, enslaved people remained a really quite large percentage of the population.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Now, let's compare that to the same period in southern regions. In most of the South, in 1754, enslaved people made up a very significant portion of the population. In some cases, like in South Carolina, outnumbering whites at a rate of more than 60% of the population. And unlike in the North, as you see here in teal, in 1800, enslaved people remained a really quite large percentage of the population. In some cases, the percent of people who were enslaved grew considerably, like in Delaware or in Georgia, and in other places, it stayed about the same. In places like Virginia and South Carolina, the percent of the population that was enslaved actually dropped over this time period, but not because there were fewer slaves, but rather because the white population had grown faster than the enslaved population in the same time period. And unlike in the Northern Territories, the percentage of enslaved people in the new Southern Territories claimed by the United States, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, was quite significant as well.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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And unlike in the North, as you see here in teal, in 1800, enslaved people remained a really quite large percentage of the population. In some cases, the percent of people who were enslaved grew considerably, like in Delaware or in Georgia, and in other places, it stayed about the same. In places like Virginia and South Carolina, the percent of the population that was enslaved actually dropped over this time period, but not because there were fewer slaves, but rather because the white population had grown faster than the enslaved population in the same time period. And unlike in the Northern Territories, the percentage of enslaved people in the new Southern Territories claimed by the United States, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, was quite significant as well. So what's happening here? Why, over this 50-year period, did slavery begin to die out in the North while surviving and even expanding West in the South? How much change was there over this time period in the regional attitudes about slavery?
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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And unlike in the Northern Territories, the percentage of enslaved people in the new Southern Territories claimed by the United States, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, was quite significant as well. So what's happening here? Why, over this 50-year period, did slavery begin to die out in the North while surviving and even expanding West in the South? How much change was there over this time period in the regional attitudes about slavery? And how would we even go about figuring that out? One way that we can attempt to measure the extent of change is by identifying the things that stayed the same during this time period, which we call continuities, or aspects of society that continued on being the same as they were before, and changes, aspects of society that were different than before. There are many different aspects of society that historians can trace changes and continuities in over time, like changes in politics, or art, or gender roles.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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How much change was there over this time period in the regional attitudes about slavery? And how would we even go about figuring that out? One way that we can attempt to measure the extent of change is by identifying the things that stayed the same during this time period, which we call continuities, or aspects of society that continued on being the same as they were before, and changes, aspects of society that were different than before. There are many different aspects of society that historians can trace changes and continuities in over time, like changes in politics, or art, or gender roles. But for this video, I'm gonna choose economics and ideas. Why am I choosing those two? Well, first and foremost, because slavery was an economic practice.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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There are many different aspects of society that historians can trace changes and continuities in over time, like changes in politics, or art, or gender roles. But for this video, I'm gonna choose economics and ideas. Why am I choosing those two? Well, first and foremost, because slavery was an economic practice. It was a source of labor that supported the production of agricultural products. Second, I know that in this time period, the American Revolution introduced radical changes in ideas about liberty and equality, which stand in stark contrast to the institution of slavery. So let's compare the economic systems and ideas about slavery in each of these regions in 1754 and 1800 to see what changed and what stayed the same.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Well, first and foremost, because slavery was an economic practice. It was a source of labor that supported the production of agricultural products. Second, I know that in this time period, the American Revolution introduced radical changes in ideas about liberty and equality, which stand in stark contrast to the institution of slavery. So let's compare the economic systems and ideas about slavery in each of these regions in 1754 and 1800 to see what changed and what stayed the same. So first, let's look at the economic systems. In the North, where the climate and the soil was not suited for large-scale plantation agriculture, the economy centered around family farms in 1754. Proximity to the coast facilitated fishing and shipping, and the people who actually did this work tended to be either the owners of the farms or the boats, or indentured servants, and a small number of enslaved laborers who worked for them.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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So let's compare the economic systems and ideas about slavery in each of these regions in 1754 and 1800 to see what changed and what stayed the same. So first, let's look at the economic systems. In the North, where the climate and the soil was not suited for large-scale plantation agriculture, the economy centered around family farms in 1754. Proximity to the coast facilitated fishing and shipping, and the people who actually did this work tended to be either the owners of the farms or the boats, or indentured servants, and a small number of enslaved laborers who worked for them. None of these activities really required the labor of a large number of enslaved people. All right, well, what about in 1800? Farming and fishing and shipping were still going strong.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Proximity to the coast facilitated fishing and shipping, and the people who actually did this work tended to be either the owners of the farms or the boats, or indentured servants, and a small number of enslaved laborers who worked for them. None of these activities really required the labor of a large number of enslaved people. All right, well, what about in 1800? Farming and fishing and shipping were still going strong. But as the First Industrial Revolution began to take off in the late 1700s, factories began to spring up in the North, and the cheapest labor source for these factories was immigrant laborers, not slaves, not indentured servants. Now let's look at the economic systems of the South in 1754 and 1800. In 1754, plantation agriculture, based on enslaved labor, was the central economic system, and it was also the central economic system in 1800.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Farming and fishing and shipping were still going strong. But as the First Industrial Revolution began to take off in the late 1700s, factories began to spring up in the North, and the cheapest labor source for these factories was immigrant laborers, not slaves, not indentured servants. Now let's look at the economic systems of the South in 1754 and 1800. In 1754, plantation agriculture, based on enslaved labor, was the central economic system, and it was also the central economic system in 1800. But unlike in the North, where the technological innovations of the Industrial Revolution made indentured servants or enslaved laborers unnecessary, the major technological innovation of the cotton gin made cotton easier to process, and therefore saved it as a profitable crop, which made slave owners eager to expand the institution of slavery rather than phase it out. Next, let's take a look at the ideas about slavery which were commonly held in each of the regions. In 1754 in the North, I would say few people questioned the existence of slavery.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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In 1754, plantation agriculture, based on enslaved labor, was the central economic system, and it was also the central economic system in 1800. But unlike in the North, where the technological innovations of the Industrial Revolution made indentured servants or enslaved laborers unnecessary, the major technological innovation of the cotton gin made cotton easier to process, and therefore saved it as a profitable crop, which made slave owners eager to expand the institution of slavery rather than phase it out. Next, let's take a look at the ideas about slavery which were commonly held in each of the regions. In 1754 in the North, I would say few people questioned the existence of slavery. Northern shipping was involved in the Atlantic slave trade. The idea that masters deserved to rule slaves was as natural as the idea that kings deserved to rule their subjects. Even free people of color were rarely considered full British citizens, the way people of English descent were.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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In 1754 in the North, I would say few people questioned the existence of slavery. Northern shipping was involved in the Atlantic slave trade. The idea that masters deserved to rule slaves was as natural as the idea that kings deserved to rule their subjects. Even free people of color were rarely considered full British citizens, the way people of English descent were. How did things change in 1800? The Revolutionary War had a strong effect on the ideas about slavery in the North. Northerners applied the revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality to longstanding ideas about social roles, and they found that slavery was incompatible with them.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Even free people of color were rarely considered full British citizens, the way people of English descent were. How did things change in 1800? The Revolutionary War had a strong effect on the ideas about slavery in the North. Northerners applied the revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality to longstanding ideas about social roles, and they found that slavery was incompatible with them. So after the Revolution, Northern states either abolished slavery or began to phase it out with gradual emancipation. But I wanna caution you into thinking that this turned the North into a racial utopia. People of African descent were still not permitted to become American citizens, even though the immigrants who were beginning to flood in from Europe were.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Northerners applied the revolutionary ideals of liberty and equality to longstanding ideas about social roles, and they found that slavery was incompatible with them. So after the Revolution, Northern states either abolished slavery or began to phase it out with gradual emancipation. But I wanna caution you into thinking that this turned the North into a racial utopia. People of African descent were still not permitted to become American citizens, even though the immigrants who were beginning to flood in from Europe were. So I think it would be fair to say overall that the North had never really needed slavery, and therefore when the Revolution led many to question the institution of slavery, it was pretty easy to abolish it. How does that compare to the South's transition in this time period? Well, by 1754, the notion that slavery was natural and enslaved Africans were property was pretty well ingrained.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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People of African descent were still not permitted to become American citizens, even though the immigrants who were beginning to flood in from Europe were. So I think it would be fair to say overall that the North had never really needed slavery, and therefore when the Revolution led many to question the institution of slavery, it was pretty easy to abolish it. How does that compare to the South's transition in this time period? Well, by 1754, the notion that slavery was natural and enslaved Africans were property was pretty well ingrained. But the ideas of the Revolution didn't have quite the same effect on the South as they did in the North. If anything, by 1800, white Southerners were determined to enact harsher slave codes than ever because they feared uprisings, since the ideals of the American Revolution had inspired the Haitians to overthrow the French. So why do these changes and continuities over time matter?
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Well, by 1754, the notion that slavery was natural and enslaved Africans were property was pretty well ingrained. But the ideas of the Revolution didn't have quite the same effect on the South as they did in the North. If anything, by 1800, white Southerners were determined to enact harsher slave codes than ever because they feared uprisings, since the ideals of the American Revolution had inspired the Haitians to overthrow the French. So why do these changes and continuities over time matter? Well, because by 1800, you start to see attitudes around slavery crystallizing in the United States, creating a North where slavery was rare and considered a perversion of the ideals of the Revolution and a South where slavery was central and considered natural and perhaps even a desirable way to organize society. And as white settlers from each of these regions moved farther and farther west into territories that were opened up by the American victory in the Revolutionary War and by Indian removal, both Northerners and Southerners would export their economic systems and their ideas about slavery into these adjacent Western lands. By 1820, this gradual process would erupt into sectional crisis over slavery.
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Regional attitudes about slavery, 1754-1800 US history Khan Academy.mp3
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Eight new states entered the Union between 1876 and 1896, and not until nearly the turn of the 20th century did the superintendent of the US Census declare that the frontier was now closed. US territory stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean. We've talked a bit about what caused people to move west and what effects the immigration of millions of non-native people west of the Mississippi had on that region and on the United States as a whole before and during the Civil War. In this video, I wanna pick up the story after the Civil War and discuss how westward expansion affected the society and culture of the West at the end of the 19th century. Let's quickly review some of the causes of westward expansion that were already established by the end of the Civil War. Starting in the 1840s, Americans and European immigrants began moving west looking for farmland, and the California Gold Rush of 1849 brought people from all over the world into the region to either pan for gold or to make some money off the people who were panning for gold. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad also provided many jobs for those who didn't strike it rich.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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In this video, I wanna pick up the story after the Civil War and discuss how westward expansion affected the society and culture of the West at the end of the 19th century. Let's quickly review some of the causes of westward expansion that were already established by the end of the Civil War. Starting in the 1840s, Americans and European immigrants began moving west looking for farmland, and the California Gold Rush of 1849 brought people from all over the world into the region to either pan for gold or to make some money off the people who were panning for gold. The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad also provided many jobs for those who didn't strike it rich. The US government facilitated this westward expansion by granting millions of acres to railroad companies, making it easier to get west and to get goods from the west back east. The government also encouraged settlement through grants of 160 acres of free land to anyone willing to improve it over the course of five years. Lastly, many American migrants were convinced through cultural messaging that American civilization was divinely ordained to occupy North America from Atlantic to Pacific in an ideology known as manifest destiny.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad also provided many jobs for those who didn't strike it rich. The US government facilitated this westward expansion by granting millions of acres to railroad companies, making it easier to get west and to get goods from the west back east. The government also encouraged settlement through grants of 160 acres of free land to anyone willing to improve it over the course of five years. Lastly, many American migrants were convinced through cultural messaging that American civilization was divinely ordained to occupy North America from Atlantic to Pacific in an ideology known as manifest destiny. All of these things continued to motivate westward expansion in the years after the Civil War, but there were a few unique aspects in this era that intensified the changes wrought by westward expansion. First, the US government began to take a new approach towards its interactions with Native Americans. Instead of treating Native American tribes as independent nations, the government began to cast them as wards of the state, relics of an earlier time that had to take up American ways or face extinction.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Lastly, many American migrants were convinced through cultural messaging that American civilization was divinely ordained to occupy North America from Atlantic to Pacific in an ideology known as manifest destiny. All of these things continued to motivate westward expansion in the years after the Civil War, but there were a few unique aspects in this era that intensified the changes wrought by westward expansion. First, the US government began to take a new approach towards its interactions with Native Americans. Instead of treating Native American tribes as independent nations, the government began to cast them as wards of the state, relics of an earlier time that had to take up American ways or face extinction. They began to confine Native Americans to reservations and classify any individual or group that refused as hostile. Another related thing that changed was that after the Civil War, the US Army could apply its full might to subduing the west through a series of conflicts with Native Americans called the Indian Wars. One thing I find fascinating about these conflicts was that many of the generals who led campaigns in the Indian Wars were former Union generals who had fought to end slavery in the South during the Civil War, including Oliver O. Howard, the commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Instead of treating Native American tribes as independent nations, the government began to cast them as wards of the state, relics of an earlier time that had to take up American ways or face extinction. They began to confine Native Americans to reservations and classify any individual or group that refused as hostile. Another related thing that changed was that after the Civil War, the US Army could apply its full might to subduing the west through a series of conflicts with Native Americans called the Indian Wars. One thing I find fascinating about these conflicts was that many of the generals who led campaigns in the Indian Wars were former Union generals who had fought to end slavery in the South during the Civil War, including Oliver O. Howard, the commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau. What do you think their approach to Native Americans versus African Americans says about how they conceived of American citizenship in this time period? The effects of westward expansion also intensified after the Civil War. As we've already mentioned, one effect of Americans' westward push was violence against Native Americans and other minorities.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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One thing I find fascinating about these conflicts was that many of the generals who led campaigns in the Indian Wars were former Union generals who had fought to end slavery in the South during the Civil War, including Oliver O. Howard, the commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau. What do you think their approach to Native Americans versus African Americans says about how they conceived of American citizenship in this time period? The effects of westward expansion also intensified after the Civil War. As we've already mentioned, one effect of Americans' westward push was violence against Native Americans and other minorities. The US Army forced Native Americans onto reservations or hunted them down when Native Americans attempted to prevent white settlers from encroaching on those reservations, like when gold was discovered on the Sioux Reservation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The US Army also prevented Native Americans from engaging in rituals like the ghost dance, which they feared would kindle resistance among Native Americans. In 1890, an Army regiment disarmed a Lakota Sioux encampment near Wounded Knee Creek, and while the Lakotas were giving up their weapons, one rifle accidentally discharged.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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As we've already mentioned, one effect of Americans' westward push was violence against Native Americans and other minorities. The US Army forced Native Americans onto reservations or hunted them down when Native Americans attempted to prevent white settlers from encroaching on those reservations, like when gold was discovered on the Sioux Reservation in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The US Army also prevented Native Americans from engaging in rituals like the ghost dance, which they feared would kindle resistance among Native Americans. In 1890, an Army regiment disarmed a Lakota Sioux encampment near Wounded Knee Creek, and while the Lakotas were giving up their weapons, one rifle accidentally discharged. The US Army then massacred somewhere between two and 300 men, women, and children. Other minorities in the West were also subject to racial violence, including Mexican Americans, who were driven off their lands by force, and Chinese immigrants who were targeted in race riots throughout California. Minorities also faced the loss of their land and their cultures in the West.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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In 1890, an Army regiment disarmed a Lakota Sioux encampment near Wounded Knee Creek, and while the Lakotas were giving up their weapons, one rifle accidentally discharged. The US Army then massacred somewhere between two and 300 men, women, and children. Other minorities in the West were also subject to racial violence, including Mexican Americans, who were driven off their lands by force, and Chinese immigrants who were targeted in race riots throughout California. Minorities also faced the loss of their land and their cultures in the West. The most significant land loss came as a result of the Dawes Act of 1887. The Dawes Act sought to force Native Americans to stop living communally and take up American culture and farming by splitting up reservations and awarding 160 acres of land to each head of household, sort of like the Homestead Act. But unlike the Homestead Act, Native Americans had to improve the land and behave like whites for 25 years to get title and American citizenship, not just five.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Minorities also faced the loss of their land and their cultures in the West. The most significant land loss came as a result of the Dawes Act of 1887. The Dawes Act sought to force Native Americans to stop living communally and take up American culture and farming by splitting up reservations and awarding 160 acres of land to each head of household, sort of like the Homestead Act. But unlike the Homestead Act, Native Americans had to improve the land and behave like whites for 25 years to get title and American citizenship, not just five. And due to corruption in administering this policy, Native Americans were placed on the worst land for farming or their land allotments were given to white settlers instead. All in all, the Dawes Act resulted in the loss of over 80 million acres of Native American land. Similarly, government agents turned a deaf ear towards the claims of Mexican Americans whose land was claimed by white settlers, even though Mexican Americans had been US citizens since the end of the Mexican War.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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But unlike the Homestead Act, Native Americans had to improve the land and behave like whites for 25 years to get title and American citizenship, not just five. And due to corruption in administering this policy, Native Americans were placed on the worst land for farming or their land allotments were given to white settlers instead. All in all, the Dawes Act resulted in the loss of over 80 million acres of Native American land. Similarly, government agents turned a deaf ear towards the claims of Mexican Americans whose land was claimed by white settlers, even though Mexican Americans had been US citizens since the end of the Mexican War. The same impulse to force Native Americans to assimilate into American living patterns also drove the creation of Indian boarding schools in this era. Native children were removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There, they would be forced to cut off their long hair, change into American-style clothing, and take up new American-sounding names.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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Similarly, government agents turned a deaf ear towards the claims of Mexican Americans whose land was claimed by white settlers, even though Mexican Americans had been US citizens since the end of the Mexican War. The same impulse to force Native Americans to assimilate into American living patterns also drove the creation of Indian boarding schools in this era. Native children were removed from their homes and sent to boarding schools like the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There, they would be forced to cut off their long hair, change into American-style clothing, and take up new American-sounding names. These schools lasted until the 1970s. Chinese immigrants, by contrast, were judged incapable of assimilation. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first immigration restriction to prevent all members of an ethnic group from entering the United States.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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There, they would be forced to cut off their long hair, change into American-style clothing, and take up new American-sounding names. These schools lasted until the 1970s. Chinese immigrants, by contrast, were judged incapable of assimilation. In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first immigration restriction to prevent all members of an ethnic group from entering the United States. Restrictions on Chinese immigration would not be completely abolished until 1965. There were also some far-reaching environmental transformations resulting from westward expansion. One of these was the near extinction of the American bison, also known as the buffalo.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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In 1882, Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, the first immigration restriction to prevent all members of an ethnic group from entering the United States. Restrictions on Chinese immigration would not be completely abolished until 1965. There were also some far-reaching environmental transformations resulting from westward expansion. One of these was the near extinction of the American bison, also known as the buffalo. Huge herds of buffalo roamed the American West for all of recorded history in the area. Plains Indians had over-haunted them in the years before large-scale immigration to the West, but the coming of the railroad signed the buffalo's death warrant. There were about 15 million buffalo in the West at the end of the Civil War, but less than 20 years later, there were fewer than 1,000 buffalo remaining due to whites hunting them for sport or clearing them from rail lines.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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One of these was the near extinction of the American bison, also known as the buffalo. Huge herds of buffalo roamed the American West for all of recorded history in the area. Plains Indians had over-haunted them in the years before large-scale immigration to the West, but the coming of the railroad signed the buffalo's death warrant. There were about 15 million buffalo in the West at the end of the Civil War, but less than 20 years later, there were fewer than 1,000 buffalo remaining due to whites hunting them for sport or clearing them from rail lines. This left Plains Indians, who depended on the buffalo for meat and clothing, in a state of near starvation, making it even more difficult for them to resist being forced onto reservations. Plains Indians were also affected by the development of barbed wire in this era, which white settlers used to fence off what had been communal grazing lands. This was also a hardship for cowboys, who once had driven herds of cattle to railroad depots over long stretches of open range.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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There were about 15 million buffalo in the West at the end of the Civil War, but less than 20 years later, there were fewer than 1,000 buffalo remaining due to whites hunting them for sport or clearing them from rail lines. This left Plains Indians, who depended on the buffalo for meat and clothing, in a state of near starvation, making it even more difficult for them to resist being forced onto reservations. Plains Indians were also affected by the development of barbed wire in this era, which white settlers used to fence off what had been communal grazing lands. This was also a hardship for cowboys, who once had driven herds of cattle to railroad depots over long stretches of open range. By the end of the 19th century, there was little to no open range left at all. Lastly, the spread of settlers into the arid western part of the Great Plains led to massive irrigation projects in order to supply lands that weren't really naturally suited to farming with water. This meant damming and diverting rivers and the use of farming techniques that would later contribute to the ravages of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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This was also a hardship for cowboys, who once had driven herds of cattle to railroad depots over long stretches of open range. By the end of the 19th century, there was little to no open range left at all. Lastly, the spread of settlers into the arid western part of the Great Plains led to massive irrigation projects in order to supply lands that weren't really naturally suited to farming with water. This meant damming and diverting rivers and the use of farming techniques that would later contribute to the ravages of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s. Who has access to water and for what purposes is still a major source of conflict in the American West. So as we look forward into the 20th century, from our vantage point here at the edge of the American frontier, let's take some time to think about what the story of westward expansion tells us about how Americans thought about citizenship and access to resources in this time period. How will those ideas influence the United States once it begins to step on the world stage and look for new frontiers outside of North America?
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Westward expansion social and cultural development AP US History Khan Academy.mp3
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And even before that, you've had varying conflicts since the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. So Asia has been in conflict for some time. But as we go into 1942, the United States has just entered into World War II. You might remember, December 1941, Japan goes on a major offensive, tries to knock out the US Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, attacks Wake Island, attacks Guam, attacks Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaya, then shortly thereafter goes after other possessions, Burma, goes after the Dutch East Indies in its quest for natural resources. And so you can imagine, as we go into 1942, the Americans are eager to retaliate. And in these videos, these are overview videos, I'm not gonna be able to talk about every action and every battle that happens. I'm just trying to give you kind of the highlights.
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World War II in the Pacific in 1942 The 20th century World history Khan Academy.mp3
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You might remember, December 1941, Japan goes on a major offensive, tries to knock out the US Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, attacks Wake Island, attacks Guam, attacks Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaya, then shortly thereafter goes after other possessions, Burma, goes after the Dutch East Indies in its quest for natural resources. And so you can imagine, as we go into 1942, the Americans are eager to retaliate. And in these videos, these are overview videos, I'm not gonna be able to talk about every action and every battle that happens. I'm just trying to give you kind of the highlights. But the first notable action in 1942 are the Doolittle Raid, or is the Doolittle Raid, Doolittle Raid, named after Colonel Doolittle, who engineers, who's the architect of this raid. And the idea is not so much as a strategic victory, but more of a psychological one. If the US could somehow attack the mainland of Japan, bomb the mainland of Japan, it would be a huge morale booster for the Americans, and it might cause the Japanese people to question their own leadership.
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World War II in the Pacific in 1942 The 20th century World history Khan Academy.mp3
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