[1:10 PM] BRIEF RECAP AND DOUBTS

[1:20 PM] AMERICAN CIVIL WAR (1861-65):

• The civil war was called "the central crisis" of American History and Society.
• Specific Reasons for the Civil War were -
• Two different systems of life and culture developed in America between the northern and the southern states. The northern states were industrially advanced and became quite prosperous.
• Secondly, the northern states enjoyed a protectionist policy of the federal government providing protection for their trade, commerce, and industry against competition from other countries.
• Thirdly, in the federal financing system, more expenditure was incurred for developing infrastructure which finally benefitted the northern states.
• North became the main center for higher education and learning. Boston, Yale, and Pittsburg universities concentrated in the north naturally made northern society educated and advanced in learning.
• In contrast to the North, a different system of life and culture developed in the South. South dependent more on agriculture, farming, and pastoralism.
• The problem of the South was, she was contributing to federal financing but not benefitting to the extent the North was benefitting.
• Her agriculture turned more expansive, cotton and tobacco crops were labor-intensive crops as such agriculture became costly. Moreover, southern states constantly required new tracts of soil.
• For import and export trade south depended upon the ports developed in the North. This added more to the cost of production.
• The federal government completely dominated by the northern states neglected the concept of development in the south.
• Being a society dependent on agriculture, the South became highly aristocratic and conservative whereas the North was liberal.
• Just as the South lagged behind in education.
• Thus two different systems of life and culture developed in America making civil war unavoidable.
• In other words, it was a clash between the well-developed capitalist economy of the northern states and the developing agricultural economy of the south.
• The question of slavery was a secondary issue the real reasons for the Civil War were entirely different, slavery was only an excuse.
• In the Southern states which were into agriculture slavery unavoidable and a necessary evil. Whereas for the North it was "nation's shame" as America stands for human rights.
• In 1808 slave trade was banned against the interest of the southern states.
• In the city of Boston, a lawyer by profession David Lloyd Garrison started a movement for liberating slaves and also founded a journal called Liberator.
• The propaganda against slavery started in the North was "unwanted interference" for the South in their internal affairs.
• South took a very serious objection against the North for invoking religion and branding them as "sinners". Northern states even boycotted the South in political and social interaction.
• The main issue connected with slavery was it was going to affect the balance between the North and the South in the legislative assembly congress, in other words, slavery had political considerations.
• The new states joining the union as states with slavery would be advantageous for the South, as free states would tilt the balance in favor of the North.
• This question very often created serious differences, to begin with, Missouri, finally joined as a state with slavery.
• The same issue arose with Texas and California joining the Union, California as a free state and Texas as a slave state.
• American intellectual and novelist Madame H.B. Stowe wrote the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" giving a vivid picture of the plight of the slaves.
• For that South's reaction was to remind the Northern states of the exploitation of white labor in North American Industries.
• In 1854 presidential candidate Stephan Douglas introduced an Act called Kansas Nebraska Act, according to which the question of whether a state should join the union as a free state or not would be decided by Plebiscite.
• Nebraska joined as a free state whereas the contest was quite severe in the case of Kansas, finally, Kansas also joined as a free state and it tilted the balance in favor of the northern states. This was definitely not acceptable to the South.
• In 1867 the chief justice of the Supreme Court in his judgment on the Dred Scott case ruled that -
• Nigros were not citizens of America as such they had no rights.
• They were purchased as such they were the property of the owners.
• The legislature had no right to divest the owner of his property
• The judgment was a major jolt for the North American State's campaign against slavery.
• In the presidential election, the Lincoln-Douglas debate the question of slavery figured quite prominently. Lincoln supported by the northern states got elected as the president.
• Southern states decided to separate from the union, they declared their candidate Winston David as President and General Lee as Chief commander. They formed into "confederate states of Southern America".
• For the president elected Abraham Lincoln "preserving the union was more important than the question of slavery". Thus it became quite clear that the issue of slavery was secondary and the union is primary.
• In the civil war started south offered stiff resistance. Sensing the role of Red Indians the Union army resorted to communal massacre.
• The southern states were exhausted of resources. War ended as the victory of the north 
• [2:43 PM] Results of the War:
• The war did not solve the problem of slavery
• XIV^th and XV^th Amendments to the Constitution had not addressed the problem of slavery.
• XIV^th Amendment declared all liberated Nigros were to be treated as citizens of America.
• Amendment XV provided for not denying citizenship rights to anyone on the basis of community, color, creed, and background of service.
• However, the relevant questions were the criterion, the basis for judging whether a slave is liberated or not is not specified clearly.
• Discrimination of Nigro slaves continues. A leader like Martin Luther King had to wage a fight against racial discrimination which means that blacks continued to be discriminated.
• After the Civil War America enjoyed tremendous political stability. She became the largest exporter of manufactured goods. The peace and prosperity of America naturally attracted migrations from Europe to America.
• America had to go for a quota system for granting visas.
• After the war America became highly aggressive in its foreign policy taking advantage of the civil war, France occupied Mexico by serving an ultimatum finally America got Mexico vacated by France.
• America openly supported Cuba in its revolt against Spain in 1898, Spain was defeated by America and America made Spain surrender the Philippines.

[3:15 PM] DISCUSSION ON FRENCH REVOLUTION

NEXT CLASS TOPICS - CONTINUATION OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION