What was the treatment of American prisoners of war?
Mar 03, 1991 · Treatment of prisoners of war has traditionally been one of the touchstones by which people judge the humanity and decency of their enemies. Obviously atrocities – to prisoners and of other kinds – occur in all wars. The test is whether they appear exceptional or make up a regular pattern of inhumane conduct. The English Civil War offered ...
What happened in the American Civil War prison camps?
The debate over slave treatment. In the decades before the American Civil War, defenders of slavery often argued that slavery was a positive good, both for the enslavers and the enslaved people. They defended the legal enslavement of people for their labor as a benevolent, paternalistic institution with social and economic benefits, an ...
What was the American Civil War like in terms of healthcare?
During the Civil War, both sides had terrible prison camps, but one particular Georgia camp has become synonymous with inhumane treatment. Fort Sumter outside the town of Andersonville housed 30,000 prisoners in a facility designed for 10,000. Union reenactor Mark Stivitz and World War II POW and Andersonville National Historic Site volunteer Bob Windham describe the filthy …
What happened to medical and trauma care in the 19th century?
But the war was highly publicized in the newspapers of the day. After the war, there was a great public outcry about disease. The so-called “typhoid board,” often called the Reed commission, was set up during the war, and made a number of recommendations about sanitation, malaria control, and mosquito control.
Why did slaves receive medical care?
The quality of medical care to slaves is uncertain; some historians conclude that because slaveholders wished to preserve the value of their slaves , they received the same care as whites did. Others conclude that medical care was poor. A majority of plantation owners and doctors balanced a plantation need to coerce as much labor as possible from a slave without causing death, infertility, or a reduction in productivity; the effort by planters and doctors to provide sufficient living resources that enabled their slaves to remain productive and bear many children; the impact of diseases and injury on the social stability of slave communities; the extent to which illness and mortality of sub-populations in slave society reflected their different environmental exposures and living circumstances rather than their alleged racial characteristics. Slaves may have also provided adequate medical care to each other. Previous studies show that a slave-owner would care for his slaves through only "prudence and humanity." Although conditions were harsh for most slaves, many slave-owners saw that it was in their best interest financially to see that each slave stayed healthy enough to maintain an active presence on the plantation, and if female, to reproduce. (In the northern states of Maryland and Virginia, children were openly spoken of as a "product" exported to the Deep South .) An ill slave meant less work done, and that motivated some plantation owners to have medical doctors monitor their slaves in an attempt to keep them healthy. ( J. Marion Sims was for some years a "plantation doctor".) Other slave-owners wishing to save money would rely on their own self-taught remedies, combined with any helpful knowledge of their wives to help treat the sickly. Older slaves and oftentimes grandparents of slave communities would pass down useful medical skills and remedies as well. Also, large enough plantations with owners willing to spend the money would often have primitive infirmaries built to deal with the problems of slaves' health.
How were slaves treated in the United States?
The treatment of enslaved people in the United States varied by time and place, but was generally brutal, especially on plantations. Whipping and rape were routine, but usually not in front of white outsiders, or even the plantation owner's family.
Why did some slaveholders improve the living conditions of their slaves?
After 1820, in response to the inability to legally import new slaves from Africa following prohibition of the international slave trade, some slaveholders improved the living conditions of their slaves, to influence them not to attempt escape.
Why did slave owners fear slave rebellions?
The desired result was to eliminate slaves' dreams and aspirations, restrict access to information about escaped slaves and rebellions, and stifle their mental faculties .
How many lashes did the Virginia slaves get?
In 1841, Virginia punished violations of this law by 20 lashes to the slave and a $100 fine to the teacher, and North Carolina by 39 lashes to the slave and a $250 fine to the teacher. In Kentucky, education of slaves was legal but almost nonexistent.
What is the title of the book A concise view of the slavery of the people of color in the United States?
Another collection of incidents of mistreatment of slaves appeared in 1834, from an otherwise unknown E. Thomas, under the title A concise view of the slavery of the people of color in the United States; exhibiting some of the most affecting cases of cruel and barbarous treatment of the slaves by their most inhuman and brutal masters; not heretofore published: and also showing the absolute necessity for the most speedy abolition of slavery, with an endeavor to point out the best means of effecting it. To which is added, A short address to the free people of color. With a selection of hymns, &c. &c.
What did ex slaves write about?
As there began to be a significant number of literate ex-slaves (freedmen or fugitives), some wrote of their earlier experiences as slaves, reporting mistreatment they witnessed and suffered themselves. Shortly after, a growing number of former slaves were able to speak in public, sometimes eloquently, about what they had experienced and seen. Starting with James Bradley, in Ohio, then William G. Allen, so well-educated that he taught Greek at New-York Central College, in Massachusetts and upstate New York, Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth across the free states, and the list could be extended. Both the slave narratives and the lectures were for free state audiences, who were mostly naware of the reality of enslaved peole's lives.
Who was the Union reenactor in the Wake of Sherman's March?
Union reenactor Mark Stivitz and World War II POW and Andersonville National Historic Site volunteer Bob Windham describe the filthy conditions and wonder how Americans could possibly treat one another like that. In the Wake of Sherman's March. The Civil War: Savannah's Loss, Atlanta's Gain.
What was Georgia's role in the Civil War?
As the threat of abolition intensified with the presidential election of Abraham Lincoln, Georgia joined other slave-holding states in seceding from the Union to form a new nation, the Confederate States of America. Over the next four years, Georgia witnessed success on the battlefield and devastation in its capital as Sherman marched from the Atlanta campaign to the sea. At the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865, America had suffered its deadliest war, and the charred remains of Georgia were readmitted to the United States.
How many prisoners were in prison in Georgia during the Civil War?
Fort Sumter outside the town of Andersonville housed 30,000 prisoners in a facility designed for 10,000.
What is a commissary in the military?
commissary: a store on a military base where food and equipment are sold. countenance: facial expression. decoy: a lure used as a means to divert attention, usually used to draw someone into peril. dysentery: a disorder of the lower intestine caused by bacteria or parasites; symptoms include pain, fever, and diarrhea.
What is the meaning of "atrocious"?
atrocious: cruel, exceptionally bad. barracks: housing for soldiers, usually in a large building. blockade: a closing off of a city, harbor, or port to prevent passage of trade or traffic. calumny: slander, malicious falsehoods. commissary: a store on a military base where food and equipment are sold.
What were the major events that led to the Civil War in Georgia?
Explain Georgia's role in the Civil War; include the Union blockade of Georgia's coast, the Emancipation Proclamation, Chickamauga, Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and Andersonville. 1.
When did the Civil War end in Georgia?
At the conclusion of the Civil War in 1865 , America had suffered its deadliest war, and the charred remains of Georgia were readmitted to the United States.