Today in class, we started a documentary about Custer’s
Last Stand at Little Bighorn. This
documentary is online if you didn’t get all of the answers and to finish this
weekend. So far, what we learned is that the Native American tribes and the whites were having conflicts because of the whites' expansionist ideas. The Laramie Treaty was signed with the Lakota tribe. This treaty gave the Lakota a large amount of territory that included the sacred Black Hills and agreed that the whites would not go there for the time being. However, General Sherman warned the natives that this peace was only temporary and urged them to learn the white man's ways. Then the Panic of 1873 occurred and caused railroad companies trying to avoid bankruptcy to want more people to move west. They demanded that all Native Americans be removed. Custer had a plan to march three separate columns into Montana and attack the natives, but he didn't realize that there were thousands of them gathered there. Custer was ordered to scout out the tribes and wait, but he didn't, and he and all of his men died.
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Since the Civil War test is tomorrow, here is a link to
some practice quizzes to help you prepare. They’re pretty straightforward, but
they can help you figure out what to review before you take the full practice test:
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This is off-topic, but I’ve been wondering how things
would have turned out had Lincoln not been assassinated. Personally, I think the
rise of hate groups like the KKK would have been prevented, since Lincoln’s
sympathy towards the South might have appeased the southerners. I also think
Lincoln’s policies could have helped lessen segregation and the ensuing
struggle for black rights. This means black equality might have been truly
accepted many years before it actually was. Lincoln was a stronger president
than Johnson, so the radical Republicans who controlled Congress and the Senate
would not have had as much power. More moderate views would have had more of an
impact, and the future of both blacks and whites may have been affected.
What do you guys think?
What do you guys think?
About your comment on if Lincoln was not assassinated, I think your ideas are valid, but I disagree with the concept. Although Lincoln may have appeased the Southern states by more easy re-admittance into the union and less harsh treatment, he would have also advocated for equal rights for blacks. The KKK and other hate groups were established for the suppression of blacks (wanted them to stay as lowest class--for labor purposes and for social satisfaction). I think Lincoln would have more quickly passed the 13, 14, and 15 amendments, directing some of the attacks towards him as well. Therefore, anti-slavery/anti-union/anti-Lincoln sentiment would be boosted. Even though the S states would have had less harsh treatment, they would not have acted as a union because of lasting ideas about the union (states rights, etc.) and more importantly, slavery. We can only guess what would have happened if Lincoln had not been assassinated.
ReplyDeleteHey Analisa! I really liked your question (mostly because I was thinking the same thing), so I looked up what other people thought on the internet. There are a LOT of ideas out there. Here is one link that I found…
ReplyDeletehttp://civilwartalk.com/threads/if-abraham-lincoln-had-not-been-assassinated-by-booth-would-reconstruction-have-been-as-severe.89109/
I agree with Audrey in that Lincoln would have been able to control the radical Republicans better than Johnson had, passing the 13/14/15th amendments more smoothly and enforcing them. On the other hand, Lincoln was already beginning to be very lenient towards the South (seen in the 10% plan). I wonder if Lincoln would have had the same struggles as Johnson, and how he would have handled groups like the KKK and the social inequality and discrimination. Would he have defended unity or freedmen’s rights more? Like Audrey said, all we can do is guess.
(Sidenote, take a look at an interesting post from a woman in Bulgaria. She says that Lincoln and Grant were nice on the outside but “cruel and evil” men on the inside. Clearly Lincoln did a lot of good for our country, but it is fascinating to see what some other people think.)