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Chapter 20 Girding for War; The North & the South 1861-65
A. Lincoln wins the election of 1860 (defeats Stephen A. Douglas) and takes office March 4, 1861
1. S. Carolina secedes + MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX (7) = Confederate States of Am. with Jefferson Davis
as president (later Virginia, Arkansas, N. Carolina & Tennessee join the Confederacy, 11 total)
2. Lincoln sends badly needed provisions to Fort Sumter, South Carolina (1 of 2 southern US forts)
3. Confederates sees it as an act of aggression and bombards it (April 12th, 1861)
4. Lincoln called for 75,000 militiaman/volunteers (turned some away!) to blockade southern seaports
5. Lincoln is fighting to save the Union (not free blacks…initially)
B. Union’s civil liberties were limited for the war, but still had less restrictions than the South
1. Lincoln declared he was not fighting to free blacks (this would turn away border states)
2. border state West Virginia legally tore itself apart from Virginia mid-1861 because “the North did not
shoot first” in this war over “states rights”
3. (the border states still were permitted to have slaves, just to keep them in the Union) – other border
states: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware & Indian Territory, 6 total – SEE MAP P. 437
4. these important border states could double the manufacturing capability of the Confederacy
5. most of the civilized tribes sided with the North
C North – yankees
South - rebels
Billy Yank
Johnny Reb
Union – United States of America
Confederacy – Confederate States of America
Grant / McClellan
Lee & Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
Blue – most of US population, industry, $, navy
Gray – homefield advantage, crops & bred to fight
population = 22 million = immigrants
population – 9 million, but 3.5 million were slaves
D. Foreign affairs and diplomacy (political “friendship”) did not work smoothly
1. Europe’s ruling classes were sympathetic to the Confederate cause & aristocratic social order
2. the masses of Europe wanted to see the North win
3. Confederacy asked British & French for help, but the influence of Uncle Tom’s Cabin stopped them
4. the world has a surplus or glut of cotton, surprisingly, so King Cotton did not help the South
5. Trent affair - Union warship stopped a British ship (Trent) and forcibly removed 2 Confederate
diplomats bound for Europe = British are outraged, time heals & Lincoln released the diplomats
6. British built the ship Alabama for the Confederates – the Confederates “turned it into” a warship – it
destroyed/captured many Union ships – this violated US/British “peace” = shaky diplomacy
a. with even more problems came eventual British repentance and in 1872 paid $15.5 to the US
b. US forces were mad at Britain/Canada and tried to gain some land – to protect their dominion,
Britain permits Canada to become the Dominion of Canada in 1867 (a free country)
7. French forces move into Mexico (when the US was weak) in violation of the Monroe Doctrine,
Secretary of state Seward prepared to move forces south = Maximilian/French leave
E. When the Civil War began Congress was not in session so Lincoln singularly (South “drafted” many)
1. advanced $2 million to private citizens for military purposes = violation of US Constitution
2. suspended the writ habeas corpus (anyone can now be arrested without reason) = violation again
3. rich people could buy their way out of the war ($300) – “a rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight”
4. after volunteerism slowed, Lincoln started the draft (conscription) in 1863 = riots & anger
5. taxes on alcohol & tobacco were substantially increased in the North
6. in 1861 the Morrill Tariff Act passed boosting existing duties 5-10%, bonds were sold to raise $
7. the North printed greenbacks (paper currency) but it was worth little = inflation grew
8. this gave birth to the National Banking Act/System – this helped US banking
9. Northern industry grew and created the 1st millionaires, i.e. the “59ers” to Pennsylvania (oil barons)
10. the South tried to sell bonds and have “blue-backs” but it was all next to worthless, in 1860 cotton
was only 30% of US wealth but on 12% in 1870
11. women had a few new opportunities (jobs in DC) + Clara Barton & D. Dix nursed many to health