Download Lesson 24 AEC Short term causes of Civil War

Recap: Why was the United States of America
heading to war in 1860?
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best 3 tweets.
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your answer in
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What were the short term causes
of the American Civil War?
Learning Objectives:
• To identify the short
term causes of the
American Civil War
• To analyse and evaluate
the short term causes of
the American Civil War
Lincoln’s election as President of the
USA, 1860
Jefferson Davis elected as President of
the Confederacy, 1861
APRIL 1861
START OF THE
AMERICAN CIVIL
WAR
The secession of South Carolina and
formation of the Confederacy, 1860
The attack on Fort Sumter, 1861
The short term causes of
the American Civil War
The short term causes of the American Civil War
1. Lincoln’s victory in the Presidential election of 1860
Why do many historians consider these results as the immediate push for the outbreak of the Civil War?
1. Lincoln’s victory in the Presidential election of 1860
• Lincoln and his party, (The Republicans) were not
abolitionists, (wanting to end slavery in the South) and
they were not in favour of full equality. They wanted to
contain slavery – prevent if from moving into the western
territories.
• In the Presidential Election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln is
elected the next President of the USA without a single
southern vote. This is because he won so many votes in
the northern states, which had the largest population,
and so won the biggest percentage of the votes.
• The Sothern states felt that they had no representation or
voice in the national government after the election. They
feared Lincoln and his party wanted to end slavery
everywhere.
• The era of compromise was over.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGg5uDYHEQA
Abraham Lincoln
The short term causes of the American Civil War
2. The secession of South Carolina and other states leading
to the Confederacy
What does the word secession mean?
• Within weeks of the election of Lincoln as President of
the United States, South Carolina acted. On 20th
December 1860 they seceded (split) from the Union.
• South Carolina claimed they had a right under
American law to split from the Union if the Federal
government failed to uphold its ‘obligations’ to a state.
They thought the government was planning to restrict
slavery in new territories and then attempt to ban
slavery altogether, in all states. They believed their
farming economy would collapse without slavery.
South Carolina splits from the Union
How could Lincoln keep the
Union of the United States of
America together?
• 10 other states followed within months.
• The people of the seceded states elected Jefferson
Davis as President of the newly formed Southern
Confederacy.
3. Jefferson Davis – President of the Confederacy, 1861
• In the late 1850s as a Senator, Davis had tried to
prevent southern states seceding, (breaking away from
the Union) over slavery.
• Whilst he believed states had the right to secede, he
did not believe it would be a wise move for the South.
• With the election of Lincoln as President, Davis
resigned as a Senator and left home for Mississippi.
• In February 1861, Davis became President of the
Confederate States of America. He faced an almost
impossible job. The confederacy was vastly
outnumbered with a population of 9 million, (3 m of
those were slaves) compared to 22 million in the North.
• As tension increased Davis spoke to the North and
South, urging peace between both sides.
Jefferson Davis
How likely is Davis to succeed?
The short term causes of the American Civil War
3. Jefferson Davis – President of the Confederacy, 1861
The spark which ignited the American Civil War
4. The attack on Fort Sumter, 1861
• Jefferson Davis (President of the Southern
Confederacy) wanted to control all government
forts which were in Confederate territory.
• Davis was particularly concerned about Fort
Sumter, in Charleston Harbour, in South Carolina.
President Lincoln had sent ships to re-supply the
fort.
• Davis was in a difficult position. If he attacked the
fort he would be seen as the aggressive side, but
he could not allow the fort to be re-supplied.
• On the 12th April 1861 Davis ordered the fort to be
taken by the South. Confederate forces fired on the
fort and the Civil War began.
http://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history/videos/us-inches-closer-to-war
Lincoln’s election as President of the
USA, 1860
Jefferson Davis elected as President of
the Confederacy, 1861
APRIL 1861
START OF THE
AMERICAN CIVIL
WAR
The secession of South Carolina and
formation of the Confederacy, 1860
The attack on Fort Sumter, 1861
The short term causes of
the American Civil War
So…. what caused the American Civil War?
Economic, social and
cultural differences
between the north
and South.
Harriet Beecher
Stowe’s;
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
The issue of slavery
The Missouri
Compromise
John Brown’s raid
on Harper’s Ferry
Westward
Expansion
1.How are any of these
events/causes linked?
2.What do they lead back to?
3. What do you think was the main
cause of the US Civil War?
Lincoln’s election
victory of 1860
Nat Turner’s
Rebellion
The attack on
Fort Sumter
The secession of
South Carolina and
the formation of
the Confederacy
Jefferson Davis
President of the
Confederacy