Lesson 11.03: Heart of Dixie

• Introduction
• Learn
• Try It
• Task

Introduction

How does Alabama generally compare to other states in our country? In other words, is Alabama usually ranked among the top states in areas like education, jobs, health, etc.?

Believe it or not, in 1860, Alabama was one of the top ten richest states. In retrospect, the American Civil War was a disaster for the state of Alabama. What could have motivated Alabamians to break from the Union and bring such a disaster down on the state?

Before moving on to the final events before the secession of southern states and start of the Civil War, we will examine the state of Alabama before and during secession.

The image below shows the rundown shell of what was once a beautiful thriving plantation home in Alabama before secession and the Civil War.