What policy did General Patrick Cleburne recommend regarding blacks in the Confederacy? Why was this recommendation ironic? What was the outcome of his recommendation? What does this tell you about the South at that time?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ideal Answer: The ideal answer should:
1. Identify General Cleburne.
2. Outline Cleburne's recommendations to arm slaves in exchange for their freedom.
3. Explain that his recommendation was ironic because the Confederacy fought to perpetuate slavery and prevent the abolition of slavery by northern whites.
4. Point out that the outcome of the recommendation included President Jefferson Davis stopping the discussion because southern whites did not support it.
5. Note that the desperate Confederate Congress finally authorized the use of black troops in exchange for emancipation and pay but the war ended soon after.
6. Conclude that this experiment in arming black men was symbolic of the contradictions inherent in southern society and the Confederacy in attempting to enslave half of its population.