Category: American Civil War
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40 Acres and a Mule
It was on this date in 1865 when General William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order #15. The phrase, “40 acres and a mule” has become permanently tied to this wartime occupation order. Sherman issued the order after consultation with Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton, the latter having met with a group of prominent…
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OTD in 1860 – the Crittenden Compromise is introduced
It was on this date in 1860 that Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden introduced the famous compromise legislation he and others hoped would head off a civil war. Too much, too late The doomed Crittenden Compromise called for six new amendments to the Constitution that would essentially revive the Missouri Compromise borders for slavery, strip…
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Gettysburg at 150
Gettysburg: A question of cost For all its fame, its glory, its countless acts of sacrifice and honor, for all of the reverence now bestowed, Gettysburg was a costly, missed opportunity for the Union. As we honor, and rightfully so, those who fought to preserve the Union during this sesquicentennial of the great battle, a…
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Engaging History Lesson: The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln first shared with his entire cabinet a draft of what would become the Emancipation Proclamation on July 22, 1862. His plan received a mixed reception among his advisers given the dire times in which the administration faced. When teaching about the Emancipation Proclamation, the dynamics surrounding the processes leading up to…