Unit 5: Iowa and the Civil War

How To Use This Page

On this page, you will find a curated collection of videos, resources, guides, and opportunities for exploration that are tied specifically to Civil War Iowa (1861to 1870). Educators and lifelong learners can use the compelling and supporting questions to guide their learning and focus their exploration on the major topics. The lectures, videos, featured content, and readings can be completed at each learner's own pace and will provide necessary knowledge and background to craft and deliver Iowa History lessons in a K-12 classroom.

Compelling and Supporting Questions

Compelling and supporting questions are designed for each unit and the materials below will provide content and context for teachers, students, and lifelong learners.

Compelling Question

How did Iowans contribute to the Civil War?

Supporting Questions

1. How did Iowa soldiers contribute to the Union cause?
2. How did Iowa women support the war?
3. Why did some Iowans oppose the war?
4. How did Black Iowans contribute to the war effort?
5. To what extent were Black Iowans successful in expanding civil rights after the Civil War?

Overview

In 1860, American men elected Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln president. By the time of his inauguration in March of 1861, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union forming the Confederate States of America. In April, Confederate canons opened fire on Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, and the Civil War began. 

President Lincoln called for 75,000 soldiers to enlist from each state, and Iowa volunteers quickly met his request. Iowans volunteered in such large numbers that they mustered three regiments, with over 19,000 men joining the war effort in the first year. Leaders thought the war would be over quickly, so soldiers initially enlisted for only three months. The war did not end quickly, but instead dragged on for four years. Iowa soldiers fought mainly in the western battles, including Shiloh and Vicksburg. Iowa troops played an important role in the war efforts in Missouri and in General Sherman’s notorious March to the Sea. General Grenville Dodge from Council Bluffs proved his skill as a railroad builder and created an efficient spy network. By the end of the war, around 13,000 Iowans had died, mostly from disease.

On the home front, women shouldered the workloads of husbands, brothers, and sons who had left to fight. Their burdens were especially heavy on the farms. Women also organized to provide the troops with clothing, food, and medical supplies. Annie Wittenmyer of Keokuk became a national leader in improving conditions for the sick and wounded in Union hospitals. 

Victory for the Union had a significant impact on the political and social landscape of Iowa. After Southern surrender in 1865, many Iowans viewed Democrats as the party of the South, further solidifying Iowa’s strongly Republican politics. The service of Black men during the war changed many Iowans’ view of Black male voting rights. Republicans led efforts to amend the U.S. Constitution to expand civil rights. In 1865, Congress passed and states approved the 13th Amendment prohibiting slavery. In 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified granting “equal protection of the law” and “due process” to all citizens to prevent southern states from passing laws that would discriminate against African Americans. The Iowa legislature, controlled by Republicans, approved both amendments.

The migration of formerly enslaved people into the Midwest and the national focus on civil rights forced Iowa to reconsider its racial relations. Before the Civil War, African Americans were denied the right to vote in northern as well as southern states, and Iowa was no exception. During the war, civil rights advocate Alexander Clark of Muscatine rallied support to form an all-African American regiment. He went on to lead statewide efforts that resulted in a constitutional amendment in 1868 that enabled African American men the right to vote in Iowa. Iowa extended voting rights to men of color two years before the 15th Amendment that prohibited denying the vote to anyone based on race. Women would not achieve full suffrage until 1920. 

There were other legal developments on race relations in Iowa. In 1867, Susan Clark, a twelve-year old African American girl in Muscatine, was denied admission to the public school on account of her race. Her father, Alexander Clark, sued the school board. The school board appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court, which ruled in the Clarks’ favor that all students had a right to a public education, regardless of religion, race, or nationality. In practice, however, the laws were unevenly enforced and most white Iowans of the period continued to oppose full integration. Iowa made great progress toward racial equality in the post-Civil War era, but the state was still far from realizing the full extent of equal rights for people of color. 

Think Like a Historian

In this video, Midwestern historian Jon Lauck discusses historical thinking skills like contextualization, thinking regionally, and communicating conclusions. 

Major Topics of Study

When learning about Civil War Iowa, some of the key areas to cover might include:

• Life on the battlefield → training camps in Iowa
• Anti-war Democrats, “Copperheads”
• Mustering a Black regiment → Gov Kirkwood vs. Alexander Clark
• Life on the homefront
• How rights change for Black Iowans after the war
  • School desegregation, Black suffrage
  • Migration
• Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)
• Emancipation Events

Notable Iowans

Exemplary and significant people in Iowa history from this time period could include many of the below figures. Wherever possible, links to Iowa's digital biography provide opportunities for further exploration.

Historic Sites

Iowa is full of valuable historic sites. The below sites provide opportunities to explore the value of place-based learning and the importance of storytelling through historic sites.

• General Dodge House, Council Bluffs 

State Historical Society Objects, Documents, and Photos

Objects, documents, and photographs from the State Historical Society of Iowa are excellent catalysts for further inquiry in the classroom or for independent lifelong learners. 

Video Resources

If you are looking for longer, more detailed discussions or lectures related to the themes discussed in this unit, the following resources provide further context and information.

Further Reading

This curated collection of readings allow teachers, students, and lifelong learners to explored a curated collection of primary sources, articles, books, and essays that supplement and provide depth to the topics covered in this unit.