American Civil War

Paper instructions:

You are a 24-year old living in a small town near Boston in September 1860. You receive a letter form a distant cousin, born and raised in Louisiana, asking if what she has heard could possibily be true-that you and your order brother are supporting Abraham Lincoln in the upcoming presidential elections. Your cousin remembers that when you visited her in New Orleans about 10 years ago, you didn’t seem to have strong feelings one way or another about slavery. She wonders what has changed your mind and what you expect Abraham Lincoln to accomplish if he does become president.

Write a 5 page letter answering your cousin’s questions. Be specific as possible in identifying ideas, events, or people that have influenced your thinking about slavery since 1850. Try to mention literary, religious economic and political factors that have shaped your opinion. Then tell what you hope and expect to happen when Lincoln assumes the presidency.

Remember to write in the voice of a young Northerner in the heat of the 1860 presidential campaign.