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The Presidential Election of 1860

The Spread of Cotton and of Slavery 1790-1860

PS. Abraham Lincoln was not a Freemason. He did apply for membership in Tyrian Lodge, Springfield, Ill., shortly after his nomination for the presidency in 1860 but withdrew the application because he felt that his applying for membership at that time might be construed as a political ruse to obtain votes. He advised the lodge that he would resubmit his application again when he returned from the presidency. ( http://www.mastermason.com/wilmettepark/pres.html ) PPS. There are loads of untold stories in academic books...

Youtube Playlist The Civil War and Reconstruction - 1850 -1861 Discover how the issue of slavery came to dominate American politics, and how political leaders struggled and failed to resolve the growing crisis in the nation. A House Divided: The Road to Civil War, 1850-1861 is a course that begins by examining how generations of historians have explained the crisis of the Union. After discussing the institution of slavery and its central role in the southern and national economies, it turns to an account of the political and social history of the 1850s. It traces how the issue of the expansion of slavery came to dominate national politics, and how political leaders struggled, unsuccessfully, to resolve the growing crisis. We will examine the impact of key events such as Bleeding Kansas, the Dred Scott decision, the Lincoln-Douglas debates, and John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, and end with the dissolution of the Union in the winter of 1860-61. This course is part of the series, The Civil War and Reconstruction, which introduces students to the most pivotal era in American history. The Civil War transformed the nation by eliminating the threat of secession and destroying the institution of slavery. It raised questions that remain central to our understanding of ourselves as a people and a nation - the balance of power between local and national authority, the boundaries of citizenship, and the meanings of freedom and equality. The series will examine the causes of the war, the road to secession, the conduct of the Civil War, the coming of emancipation, and the struggle after the war to breathe meaning into the promise of freedom for four million emancipated slaves. One theme throughout the series is what might be called the politics of history - how the world in which a historian lives affects his or her view of the past, and how historical interpretations reinforce or challenge the social order of the present. Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor o

A collection of over 8000 photos from East Africa from 1860-1960. Probably useful for classroom resources (you know, stick 'em on a worksheet, that type of thing), assessment pieces or in student research. I found with my year 12s that they needed some guidance on how to extract historical information from images ('thinking historically') but after that they used images like these well in their research for their assignments.

Well-organised and searchable database of American newspapers. The time frame and states available are somewhat limited.

Searchable archive of papers from across the United States, 1860 - 1922

An interactive map showing the spread of slavery. It gives you a variety of ways to look at the date (absolute numbers, percent of population, etc.) and also includes data for the free black population.

American primary historical documents from 1860 to 1877.

Over 700 daguerreotypes (early photos) from the period just before the US Civil War.

Excellent source site for American political history.