Civil War and Reconstruction Era

From 1619 to 1864, the United States was known as a slave country. Majority of men who owned land also owned slaves. In 1857, Dred Scott argued that if he was in a state where slavery was illegal, then he was not a slave. The judge said that he was a slave and not a citizen, despite the states laws. This started to stir an issue among the public, and creating a division between the north and the south. When President Lincoln was elected in 1860, he suspended Habeas Corpus, which means the government cannot arrest a citizen without a reason. Lincoln’s election also created a war on the press, because of his attempts to suppress anti-war voices. The civil war officially started in 1861 in Fort Sumter. In 1863, the emancipation proclamation was created, making it clear that the civil war was about slavery, not states rights. The Reconstruction Era started when the ending of the civil war and the 13th amendment in 1864. The ratification of the 14th amendment in 1865 made African Americans citizens. There were 3 clauses/freedoms to the 14th amendment: privilege, due process, and equal protection clause. In 1870, the 15th amendment was created to give African Americans the right to vote. The Civil Rights act in 1875 banned discrimination in public areas. In all of these cases, freedom of speech and the first amendment were important in order for people to speak their minds about discrimination and equal rights.

Credit: Notes via Prof. Smith