T
HE
A
MERICAN
C
IVIL
W
AR
C
OMES TO
P
ENNSYLVANIA
Pennsylvanians Fight against Slavery
A
civil war
is a war fought between citizens in the same country. From1861 to
1865, the great
American Civil War
was fought to keep the United States together.
During this time, the Northern Free States and the Southern Slave States engaged in the
most
titanic
struggle that ever occurred in North America.
Recall that the
Mason-Dixon Line
divided the Northern and Southern states. There
weremany different, complex issues between the Northern and Southern states that led
up to the Civil War. The bitterest issue was that of slavery. Most people in southern
states and some in northern states were in favor of slavery. With a
plantation
system in
place, Southern states were dependent upon slave labor. Northern states’ economies
were basedmore on industrial output which required workers, but not slaves. Prohibiting
slavery throughout the United States would have ended a way of life for Southern
plantation owners and imposed economic hardships. People who were opposed to
slavery were known as
abolitionists
. Hence, the growth of the abolitionist movement in
Northern states became another dividing point.
Another issue was states’ rights versus federal rights.
Politicians
in Southern states felt
that states’ rights weremore important than federal rights. They wanted to be able to
secede
from the Union (United States) if they so chose. They did not like being “bossed
around” by the Federal government. In addition,
AbrahamLincoln
was elected President.
Southerners thought Lincoln was anti-slavery and favored Northern business interests.
President Lincoln was in favor of stopping slavery for every new state that entered the
Union. He also was opposed to the
secession
of Southern states from the Union.
F
OCUS
Q
UESTIONS
1. How did Pennsylvanians fight slavery prior to the American Civil War?
2. What were Pennsylvania’s contributions to the American Civil War?
LESSON
17
KEY
WORDS
civil war
titanic
plantation
abolitionists
politicians
secede
secession
prohibiting
conductors
gallantry
greenbacks
converge
casualties
KEY
EVENTS & PLACES
American Civil War
Mason-Dixon Line
Underground Railroad
Mercersburg
Chambersburg
Gettysburg
KEY
PEOPLE
AbrahamLincoln
LucretiaMott
Harriet Tubman
Thaddeus Stevens
James Buchanan
GeorgeMcClellan
GeorgeMeade
Winfield Hancock
Galusha Pennypacker
The American Civil War Comes to Pennsylvania
75
Union troops were
from theNorthern
“Free” states.
Confederate troops
were from the
Southern “Slave”
states. Border states
sent troops to both the
Union and
Confederate armies.
