Chapter 1 In The South Analysis

The New South: an era of change, a time of transition away from the destruction of the Civil War and chaos of Reconstruction. However, while the institution of slavery and a cotton-based economy faded away into the past, feelings of intolerance and inequality resided in the hearts and minds of Southerners, shaping a new society that closely mirrored the old. Blacks and other minorities, such as women, remained in an underclass with strict social and economic rules as the South expanded outside it agrarian roots. William Faulkner captures the preconceived sentiments keeping the Civil War relevant in the South in his novel Light in August. He chronicles the stories of the outcasts Lena Grove and Joe Christmas, both people who break social

The thesis of the book is that segregation of black and whites was developed later in life than it did when slavery was just introduce. In the earlier years blacks and white would live within the same residence and or property, sharing the same premises if not equal facilities. The black and white would attend the same church and sit in the pews. As life progress and economics and Political conflicts took place that’s when the segregation began.

William W. Freehling's book The South vs. The South: How Anti-Confederate Southerners Shaped the Course of the Civil War tells a unique story about the Civil War and one that is not typically discussed in history books. The book is about divisions within the southern culture, which might have led to the outcome of the war in favor of the Union. Perhaps all black southerners had a vested interest in the North's victory, but many white southerners felt the same way for many reasons. In The South vs. The South, Freehling discusses the way the Union used divisions in the south as a war strategy, such as by recruiting potentially neutral Americans living in border states. Recruiting soldiers from border states and western states with less entrenched plantation cultures versus their Dixie counterparts was one of Lincoln's key strategies and also helped General Grant secure some key military victories.

In the beginning chapters of the book, we get a glimpse of the typical home and community of an African American during segregation. Many Africans Americans were too adjusted to the way of living, that they felt

The author uses characterization, symbolism, and theme to demonstrate African American viewpoints during the civil rights movement.

The novel, The South vs The South was written by William Freehling. Freehling's book argues that one of the key reasons for the defeat of the American South was that it was internally divided amongst itself. It could not raise the support needed to fight off the stronger North. In this paper I will answer question 3 in the topics given and discuss how reading this book changed my views on how the civil war was fought and won.

“I found that the negroes who had been declared free by the United States were not free, in fact that they were living under a code that made them worse than slaves; and I found that it was necessary, as commanding officer, to protect them, and I did” (pg. 55). Those are the words of Governor Adelbert Ames, a former general of the Union army, turned senator and later becoming the governor of Mississippi. Ames was advocate in ensuring that negroes receive the rights that they were promised. Nicholas Lemann uncovered some of the forgotten truths of racism in this novel, starting with displaying the importance that Ames played in the deep south during the post war and reconstruction period.

A Year in the South is a unique historical retelling of the lives of four individuals struggling to adjust in the years that followed the Civil War. The year 1865 was a major transitional period in American history. After the Confederate Army fell, Southern states were required to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery. Some Unionist resolved to make the South pay for their disloyalty. Railroads, factories, and farms were destroyed in some areas of the South, creating an enormous hardship. Although the war was over, resentment and fury still plagued the people. It can be described as a time filled with great despair, uncertainty, loathing, and poverty. The stories of Louis Hughes, Samuel Agnew, John

The future looked brighter than ever for African Americans in the year 1865; Union victory, emancipation, the right to vote, education and opportunity were on the horizon. However, the post-civil war time period proved to be much different than anticipated. Although blacks were eager to demonstrate their democratic participation and inclusion, they were often faced with opposition and disenfranchisement, especially during and after reconstruction. This oscillating and contradictory battle for African American equality is seen best in primary sources of the time; written by known historical figures such as Robert B. Elliott (but also everyday documents such as contracts and petitions) these sources take us back in time for a first hand and inside look of the struggle between blacks and whites on the definition of freedom.

When reading The South vs. The South I come across the problem that the white Southerners had with the Republican wanting to free slaves. The problem persisted as the war continued. The view of white Southerners and Republicans which were led by the president Lincoln were different.

Although Skeeter’s freedom is constantly abridged, it cannot compare to the magnitude of Aibileen Clark’s hardships. Aibileen Clark is a black woman who serves as a maid in Jackson, Mississippi. First, her freedom to use specific bathrooms is restricted by her race because of Mrs. Hilly’s rumor that all black people carry diseases. Also, she couldn’t even take care of her own child because of her race and social class, instead she had to care for the white babies. Her freedom of speech is even disregarded because of the color of her skin. Furthermore, it was even illegal for her to speak of equality, as it was to enter white only areas. Aibileen’s future was also hindered by when she

What made approximately 3 million men leave their homes and wage war across the country for four years- destroying crops, farms, and cities, taking the lives of 620,000 American Soldiers? A civil war as big as this could only be fought over something as important as a moral standard set by abolitionists pushing for the culmination of slavery. William Davis argues that slavery was the “single motive force that drove the flood towards war.” Although many claim that “state rights” was the reasoning behind the motivation of the south fighting the civil war, the underlying truth is revealed through the reliance southern states had on slavery at the time. The bloodiest war fought on American soil that tore our Nation apart was fought over the question of slavery differing in political, social, and economic reasons.

Known as the home of the brave and land of the free, America’s history represents one of progression, democracy, and freedom at first glance. However, when looking deeply at black history in America, the narrative changes drastically, leaving historians debating on how to explain black history in America. Since the beginning of American history, black people have been brought over as indentured servants, which gave way to slavery, lynching, the Jim Crow era, and the inherited belief that black people are considerably less than others. Nevertheless, black people persevered and challenged this belief by taking on government positions during the Reconstruction Era, expressing themselves during the Great Migration, and protesting in many ways during

From 1861 to 1865 America witnessed one of the most significant events forming the course of U.S. History: the Civil War. This war was a conflict between the Union, consisting of the Northern states, and the Confederacy, formed by the Southern states that seceded from the Union. In the early stages, the Southern states believed they would take over the Union but as the war progressed this proved false and by 1865 the war was coming to an end. This was the year the Old South was becoming the New South and slavery decreasing. The war produced tragedies, hardships, hopes, and many more feelings throughout the people

After the civil war, the south went through many changes, economically, socially and politically. The south saw a standstill to their economy. Factories, banks and businesses were closing their doors. Cotton fields that were carpeted white are now nothing but weeds, livestock had been driven off by Yankees and seed was scarce. The slave labor system collapsed and the slaves became free. Freedom is a wonderful and powerful way of living. Houston H. Holloway, a former slave, described his feelings towards freedom as: “I felt like a bird out of a cage. I could hardly ask to feel any better than I did that day….The week passed off in a blaze of glory” (Kennedy 467). Many of the freed slaves had mix emotions about their new freedom. Certainly