Download Study Notes for the Civil War

Study Notes
The Civil War
SS5H1b
SS5H1b
SS5H1a
SS5H1a
Unit 3
1861-1865
How did the beliefs of states’ rights and slavery cause conflict between the North
and South? (140-141)
 After the Revolutionary War, several northern states passed laws to abolish
slavery, but southern states chose not to.
 Although many people in government tried to stop slavery all over the United
States an agreement could not be made. Many hoped that it would die out on its
own.
 After the invention of the cotton gin slavery grew rapidly. Plantation owners used
profits from their cotton crops to buy more land and more slaves.
 Slavery became a source of deep conflict between the North and South. Many
southerners argued that slavery was too important to their economy to give it up.
Many northerners believed slavery was unfair and wrong.
How do the beliefs of the North compare to the beliefs of the South? (142-143)
 The North and the South had different economies.
 The South was mostly agricultural, or based on farming. The farmers who ran
plantations needed slaves to have a successful farm.
 The North was mostly industrial with cities growing quickly and factories being
built throughout the region. There was no need for slaves.
 The South began to argue for states’ rights. This is the idea that states, not the
federal government, should make the final decisions about matters that affect
them.
 As conflicts grew, the nation became divided with people beginning to show
loyalty to one part of the country.
How did John Brown’s beliefs and ideals influence his actions? (159)
 John Brown was an abolitionist.
 In 1859 he tried to start a rebellion against slavery.
 He attacked a U.S. Army post at Harpers Ferry, Virginia.
 He was captured and accused of treason.
 He believed he had done “no wrong but right.”
 He was found guilty and hanged.
 The North viewed him as a hero but the South viewed him as a violent man out to
destroy their way of life.
How did Uncle Tom’s Cabin increase tension between the North and South? (158)
 In 1852 Harriett Beecher Stowe wrote a book describing the cruelties of slavery.
 She was not a slave owner and did not have any experience with slavery.
 She wrote the book because she was against the Fugitive Slave Law.
 She believed slavery was not just the South’s problem but the nation’s problem.
 Her book convinced many northerners that slavery was wrong, however some
southerners insisted that her picture of slavery was false.
 Arguments over the book pushed the North and South further apart.
SS5H1c
SS5H1d
How did the attack at Fort Sumter create conflict between the North and South?
(168-169)
 When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 many southerners felt he
would try to end slavery. They believed secession was the only way to protect
their rights.
 South Carolina was the first state to leave the Union. Six states followed soon
after.
 The states that seceded from the Union formed their own “country” and called
themselves the Confederacy. They elected Jefferson Davis as their president.
 In Charleston, South Carolina, the state militia had surrounded Fort Sumter, a
federal fort with United States soldiers inside.
 Lincoln sent a ship with supplies to the fort and refused to surrender the fort to the
Confederates. Confederate leaders saw this as an act of war and fired on the fort.
 April 12, 1861 marked the beginning of the civil war. The attack drove the North
and South further apart. Four more states left the Union and joined the
Confederacy.
How did the actions of Lincoln, Lee, Grant, Davis, and Jackson affect the war?
Abraham Lincoln
 President of the United States from 1861-1865
 Lincoln did not argue for ending slavery, but he did not want it to spread across
the country.
 Emancipation Proclamation put into effect to end slavery. The war had started as
a war to save the Union. This made it a war to end slavery in the south.
 Gettysburg Address spoke about the meaning of the war and its terrible cost.
General Robert E. Lee
 A Confederate military leader
 Although he lost many of his battles he fought hard to keep going.
 His worst defeat was at the Battle of Gettysburg in July, 1863. He lost about half
of his soldiers and this became the turning point of the war.
 By the end of 1863 Lee was working hard to keep Richmond, Virginia out of
Union control.
General Ulysses S. Grant
 Grant was chosen by Lincoln to be the commander of all Union armies in 1863.
 He planned to lead an army into Virginia to defeat Lee.
 Grant’s strength was his determination. He kept attacking, even after a defeat.
 In 1865, Grant’s attacks on Richmond wore down the Confederate army in a
series of battles.
 Grant received a steady supply of food and equipment which helped keep his
army strong.
 The Union army was able to capture Richmond, the capital city of the
Confederacy.
Jefferson Davis
 Elected as the president of the Confederacy in 1861.
 He faced many problems as leader.
 A Union blockade closed most Confederate ports causing the South to have
trouble with getting enough food, weapons, or money to fight.
 People did not want to join the army so Davis had to start a draft. The
Confederate states often ignored Davis’s orders.
General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
 A Confederate general
 He fought many battles to defend the Confederacy, including the First Battle of
Bull Run.
 His main goal was to keep the Union army out of Richmond, Virginia.
SS5H1c Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point in the conflict? (180-181)
 This battle took place July 1, 1863 near the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
 General Grant marched the Union army north into Pennsylvania.
 This battle lasted 3 days with fighting taking place across open fields.
 About half of the 14,000 Confederate soldiers fighting the battle were either killed
or wounded resulting in a Union victory.
 The Gettysburg Address by Lincoln was the result of this battle. It stated the
Union was fighting to make sure that American Democracy would survive.
SS5H1c Why was the Atlanta Campaign and Sherman’s March to the Sea important to the
North’s plan to win the Civil War? (191)
Atlanta Campaign
 In May 1864, Atlanta was a center for southern supplies, factories, and railroads.
 William T. Sherman led the Union army into Atlanta. Capturing the city would
help the Union gain an advantage over the Confederacy.
 Confederate soldiers used the mountains and rivers of northern Georgia as
defenses but Sherman’s larger army was able to take control of Atlanta by
September.
March to the Sea
 After capturing Atlanta, Sherman’s soldiers marched to Savannah.
 Along the way, they destroyed anything southerners needed for war. They stole
food, killed animals, and wrecked railroad tracks and factories.
 Sherman used this strategy of total war to make southerners so tired of fighting
that they would give up.
 After reaching Savannah, Sherman turned his army north and continued to destroy
everything in his path.
SS5H1c What happened at Appomattox Court House? (192-193)
 On April 18, 1865 Grant and Lee met in a home at the village of Appomattox
Court House in Virginia.
 Lee agreed to surrender. Grant sent 25,000 meals to the hungry Confederate
soldiers.
 The Civil War was over.
 Grant told his soldiers not to celebrate. He said, “The war is over. The rebels are
our countrymen again.”
“Civil War” Vocabulary
1. abolish- to put an end to slavery
2. profit- the gain from a business
3. economy- management of affairs and resources of a country,
area, or business
4. agricultural-mostly based on farming
5. industrial- resulting from productive labor, such as factory
work
6. treason- betrayal of one’s country
7. secede- when part of a country leaves or breaks off from the rest
8. Union- another name for the United States
9. Confederacy- the name chosen by the states that left the Union
at the time of the Civil War
10. draft- government selection of people to serve in the military