Download THE CIVIL WAR

THE
CIVIL WAR
1861 - 1865
I. Early Events
A. “Bleeding Kansas” (1856)
 “Free Soilers” competed with “Ruffians” to
control Kansas.
 In response to an attack on abolitionists, John
Brown led raids on pro-slavery settlements
killing five men.
 John Brown became the face of abolition to slave
supporters & a wanted man.
I. Early Events
B. Election of 1856
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Candidates:
 Democrat – James Buchanan of Pennsylvania
 Republican – John C. Fremont
Despite Buchanan’s victory, Fremont’s campaign
slogan “Free Speech, Free Soil, & Fremont” & the
tight race showed the increased support for
abolishing slavery.
I. Early Events
C. Dred Scott Decision (1857)


Chief Justice Roger B. Taney ruled that Scott did not
have the right to sue for his freedom, the Missouri
Compromise was unconstitutional, and that Congress
had no right to exclude slavery from the territories.
The Supreme Court’s decision defended slavery &
intensified the slavery debate rather than end the
slavery controversy.
BAD MOON RISING
New York Tribune:
“We are not one people. We are two
peoples. We are a people for Freedom
and a people for Slavery. Between the
two, conflict is inevitable”.
I. Early Events
D. Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

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A series of debates between Illinois senator Stephen
Douglas & Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln brought
the controversy of slavery national.
Despite his defeat, Lincoln used his belief that “. . . A
house divided against itself cannot stand” to challenge the
unchecked extension of slavery granted by the Dred Scott
decision.
These debates established Abraham Lincoln as a legitimate
Republican candidate for President.
VS.
I. Early Events
E. Raid at Harper’s Ferry (1859)

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John Brown believed that only through insurrection could
the “slave-cursed Republic be restored to the principles of
the Declaration of Independence”.
Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry,
Virginia in an attempt to incite a slave uprising in the
south.
The failure of this raid caused many to consider violence
the only option to solve the slavery crisis.
THE IMPENDING CRISIS
"I...am now quite certain that the crimes of
this guilty land will never be purged away
but with blood."
- John Brown prior to his execution
II. Immediate Causes
A. Election of 1860



This election signified the “sectional” differences that
existed in our country at this time.
Political Party
Candidate
Position on Slavery
Republican
Northern Democrats
Southern Democrats
Lincoln
Douglas
Breckinridge
Constitutional Union
Bell
No slavery in territories
Popular Soveirgnty
Supported Dred Scott
Decision
Save the Union
Abraham Lincoln won the election, which directly
leads to southern leaders decision to secede from the
Union.
II. Immediate Causes
B. End of the Union (1860-1861)



On December 20, 1860 South Carolina became the
first of many southern states to secede from the
Union.
Despite the absence of a popular consensus, by the
end of 1861 eleven southern states had seceded from
the Union.
The Confederate States of America was formed with
Jefferson Davis serving as President.
II. Immediate Causes
C. Attack on Fort Sumter (1861)


At 4:30 am, on April 12, 1861 Confederate forces led
by Gen. Pierre Beauregard fired on Fort Sumter &
forced federal troops led by Major Robert Anderson to
surrender.
The battle lasted for 33 hours, yet no fatalities
occurred.
The
Civil War
1861 - 1865
Underlying Causes, Advantages & War Strategies
III. Underlying Causes
A. Differences in Lifestyles




North vs. South
Urban vs. Rural
Industrial vs. Plantation
Federal Rights vs. State Rights
III. Underlying Causes
B. Sectionalism

Each section of the nation were only looking
out for its own interest.
C. Slavery

How to decide the issue of slavery?
IV. Advantages
A. Union (North)

More Population & States




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
21 million to 7 million, 24 to 11
More Manufacturing Capacity & Access to
Food.
Better Transportation
More Money
More Ships to Blockade the South
Slaves Sympathized with the North
IV. Advantages
B. Confederacy (South)

Home Field Advantage

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
Allowed the Confederacy to fight a defensive war
More Capable Army Officers
Foreign Assistance

Countries such as Great Britain & France would be
more willing to aid the Confederacy because of their
dependence on King Cotton
V. War Strategies
A. Union (North) – Goals:


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Blockade the Southern coastline to cut off
supplies to the Confederacy.
Split the Confederacy in two by taking control
of the Mississippi River & capture interior
railroads.
Capture the Confederate capital of Richmond &
join Union forces moving east from the
Mississippi.
V. War Strategies
B. Confederacy (South) – Goals:


Fight a defensive war so that a war-weary
Union would agree to Confederate peace
terms.
Two exceptions:


Capture the Union capital Washington D.C.
Strike northward through the Shenandoah Valley
through Maryland & Pennsylvania, which would split
the Northeast from the Midwest & disrupt lines of
communication.
Civil War
1861 - 1865
Changes in the North & South
during the Civil War
VI. Changes in the North
A. Raising An Army


Two million soldiers served in the Union forces.
Troops were recruited through volunteer enlistments,
then a conscription act was passed & later a bounty
system was established.
VI. Changes in the North
B. Raising Northern Finances

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Morrill Tariff Act (1861) – raised import duties an
average of 25%.
National Banking Act (1863) – provided for the sale of
war bonds
Income Tax – first tax on national wages.
Greenbacks – new paper money.
VI. Changes in the North
C. Economic Expansion

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Manufacturers increased factory production, which
resulted in some profiteering.
Labor saving machines & inventions were patented:
 Sewing & Shoemaking Machines
 Canned Foods & Camera
Agricultural Expansion – more food was produced using
new farm machinery.
Growth of Railroads – Government subsidies helped pay
for new rails.
Canned Food
Camera
VI. Changes in the North
D. Political Problems

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Great Britain sold warships to the Confederacy to
try to break the Union Blockade.
Copperheads – a radical wing of the Democratic
Party, led by Clement Vallandigham, opposed Union
efforts in the North & South.
Women in the War – some women provided needed
medical services on the battlefields such as Clara
Barton the founder of the American Red Cross.
Freedman in the Union Army - were first excluded
from enlisting, but later served yet they were still
discriminated against.
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Colonel Robert Gould Shaw led one of the first official black units
on an assault of Fort Wagner near Charleston, South Carolina.
Their courage & bravery encouraged other African-American
enlistments on the Union side.
Their story is depicted in the film “Glory”.
VII. Changes in the South
A. Raising an Army

The confederates first allowed enlistments, but then went to
conscription.
B. Raising Southern Finances

Money was raised through Confederate War Bonds.

More than one billion in bank notes were printed.
VII. Changes in the South
C. Southern Industry

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Factories in the confederacy could not supply the needs
of the army or civilians.
The northern blockade proved to be very effective
D. Agriculture & Transportation
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There was enough food production & labor to work the
farms & plantations to supply the army.
The biggest problem was lack of transportation as there
were too few rail lines & a lack of adequate railroad
equipment.
VII. Changes in the South
E. Political Problems

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Many southerners insisted on the principle of states’
rights on such issues as conscription.
When President Davis suspended the writ of habeas
corpus, South Carolina threatened to secede from the
confederacy.
The Civil War 1861-1865
Events of the Civil War
VII. Early Land Battles
A. First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas)

Hopes for a quick northern victory were dashed as the
Confederates led by Gen. Joseph Johnston & Gen. Pierre
Beauregard defeated General Irvin McDowell & the
Union Army in August 1862.
Why two different names for the same battle?
VII. Early Land Battles
B. Battle of Antietam (1862)

Union Gen. George B. McClellan defeated Gen. Robert E.
Lee in the bloodiest single day of the war, but Lincoln
dismissed McClellan for not pursuing Lee.
Lincoln’s Major Goal
“If I could save the Union without freeing any
slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by
freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could
save it by freeing some and leaving others alone
I would also do that.”
- President Abraham Lincoln
August 1862
IX. Emancipation Proclamation
September 22, 1862
A. After the Union victory at Antietam, President Lincoln
announced the Emancipation Proclamation as a propaganda
tactic.
B. On January 1, 1863 the Proclamation freed the slaves of
the rebel states as a war measure & an “act of justice”, but
it only became official with the adoption of the 13th
Amendment in 1865.
IX. Major Sea Battles
A. Battle at Hampton Roads, Virginia

USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia – the Northern Ironclad
Monitor held off the former USS Merrimack, which
ended Confederate attempts to break the Union
blockade – March 1862.
B. Battle of New Orleans

Capt. David Farragut & Union Gunboats captured the
city along the Mississippi, which split the confederacy
in two – April 1862.
USS Monitor vs. CSS Virginia
X. Later Events (1863 – 1865)
A. Battle of Gettysburg

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Union Gen. George Meade defeated Gen. Robert E.
Lee in the last major offensive in the North – July
1863.
This battle proved to be the turning point of the war
in the Union’s favor.
X. Later Events (1863 – 1865)
B. Gettysburg Address

In this historic address, President Lincoln dedicated
the battlefield to all the soldiers that fought there.
Why did Lincoln dedicate the battlefield to all soldiers?
X. Later Events (1863 – 1865)
C. Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi

Gen. Ulysses S. Grant forced a Confederate surrender
at Vicksburg giving the North complete control of
river traffic in the Mississippi River – July 1863.
X. Later Events (1863 – 1865)
D. Battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee
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Tennessee was cleared of Confederates, which
opened Sherman’s invasion of Georgia – November
1863.
Lincoln rewarded Grant by naming him General-InChief of the Union Army.
X. Later Events (1863 – 1865)
E. Election of 1864

Lincoln is re-elected with a new running mate Andrew
Johnson
F. Sherman’s March to the Sea

Gen. William T. Sherman burned Atlanta, then
marched to Savannah using the scorched-earth
policy.
Sherman’s Total War
"We are not only fighting hostile armies, but
a hostile people, and must make old and
young, rich and poor, feel the hard hand
of war.“
- Gen. Sherman justifying his actions
Results of the War

Lee surrenders at Appomattox Courthouse
in Virginia on April 9, 1865.


The Confederacy was defeated & the nation
was reunited.
Slavery ended & one million lives were lost or
wounded