CONTENT WARNING
Materials in the Library of Virginia’s collections contain historical terms, phrases, and images that are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical and mental ability; and gender and sexual orientation.
Context
On February 3, 1865, Confederate Vice President Alexander H. Stephens and two other commissioners met with United States President Abraham Lincoln on the steamship River Queen near Fort Monroe in Hampton to discuss a potential treaty to end the Civil War. At this point, Union forces had Lee's army surrounded in Petersburg, and the end was in sight. Lincoln proposed that the Southern forces lay down their arms and agree to restore the Union immediately. He told the southern negotiators that Congress had sent the Thirteenth Amendment to free enslaved people for ratification by the states, but offered compensation to enslavers as part of the manumission process. The southern negotiators refused, so the war continued.
When news of the failed negotiations became known, many communities that supported the Confederate cause issued resolutions such as this one from white residents of Powhatan County. These residents met at the courthouse to adopt a series of resolutions in support of the Confederacy. The resolutions expressed their objection to the proposed plan, praised the actions of the Confederate army, and pledged to support the war effort and the families of those fighting in the war. Two months later, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. Charles Carter Lee, the president of the committee that wrote the resolution, was the eldest son of Revolutionary War officer and Virginia governor Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee and the older brother of Robert E. Lee.
Citation: Powhatan County Citizens, Resolutions Adopted by a Meeting of the People of Powhatan, held in the Courthouse on February Court Day, 1865 [pledging loyalty to the cause of the Confederacy]. Broadside 1865.P6 BOX, Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
For further reading: National Park Service, "Hampton Roads Peace Conference," https://www.nps.gov/foth/hampton-roads-peace-conference.htm
When news of the failed negotiations became known, many communities that supported the Confederate cause issued resolutions such as this one from white residents of Powhatan County. These residents met at the courthouse to adopt a series of resolutions in support of the Confederacy. The resolutions expressed their objection to the proposed plan, praised the actions of the Confederate army, and pledged to support the war effort and the families of those fighting in the war. Two months later, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. Charles Carter Lee, the president of the committee that wrote the resolution, was the eldest son of Revolutionary War officer and Virginia governor Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee and the older brother of Robert E. Lee.
Citation: Powhatan County Citizens, Resolutions Adopted by a Meeting of the People of Powhatan, held in the Courthouse on February Court Day, 1865 [pledging loyalty to the cause of the Confederacy]. Broadside 1865.P6 BOX, Special Collections, Library of Virginia.
For further reading: National Park Service, "Hampton Roads Peace Conference," https://www.nps.gov/foth/hampton-roads-peace-conference.htm
Standards
VS.7, USI.9, VUS.7
Suggested Questions
Preview Activity
Scan It: Scan the transcription of the document. What word or phrases stand out to you? What do those word or phrases tell you about the people involved in writing the resolution?
Post Activities
Up for Debate: Imagine you are a white citizen of Powhatan County. The county has called a meeting asking whether you still support the Confederate war effort or if you are ready for peace. What are your arguments? Why would you make those arguments? How do you think Black residents would have reacted to this resolution?
Social Media Spin: Create social media post in which summarize the document and your position on promoting the resolutions passed by Powhatan County residents.
Analyze: In the third resolution, the residents pledge "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honors" to continue the fight. Why might they have quoted this phrase from the Declaration of Independence (find it online at the National Archives)?
Scan It: Scan the transcription of the document. What word or phrases stand out to you? What do those word or phrases tell you about the people involved in writing the resolution?
Post Activities
Up for Debate: Imagine you are a white citizen of Powhatan County. The county has called a meeting asking whether you still support the Confederate war effort or if you are ready for peace. What are your arguments? Why would you make those arguments? How do you think Black residents would have reacted to this resolution?
Social Media Spin: Create social media post in which summarize the document and your position on promoting the resolutions passed by Powhatan County residents.
Analyze: In the third resolution, the residents pledge "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honors" to continue the fight. Why might they have quoted this phrase from the Declaration of Independence (find it online at the National Archives)?