Download Unit 6 General Questions 1. Why did Lincoln feel that he had

Unit 6 General Questions
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Why did Lincoln feel that he had to send fresh provisions to Fort Sumter? What problem presented
itself to the South by Lincoln's decision? What was the South's reaction to that decision?
Create a CHART which analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the North and the South in terms of
their readiness for war.
Explain the various interpretations that historians have advanced to explain why the Civil War took place.
How have these interpretations followed the general outlines laid down by Senator William H. Seward in
1858?
How did the Union propose to finance the war? How successful was this? What was the effect on the
economy?
How did the Union propose to raise troops? To what extent was it forced to use conscription? How did
the nation react to this method?
What caused riots in New York City in the summer of 1863? Who were the leading participants in these
riots? What were their motivations?
How did Lincoln use/abuse his presidential war powers?
Who were the opponents to the war in the North? How did Lincoln use his powers against them? What
was the outcome?
Who were the candidates running for president in 1864? Why was the Union Party created? Could Lincoln
have lost his bid for reelection?
What were the two factions trying to control the Republican Party? What were their goals? Who were
the predominant Congressional representatives of the Radical wing of the Republican Party?
How did the Confiscation Acts of 1861 and 1862 deal with slavery?
What factors, other than political pressure, brought about the Emancipation Proclamation? What did the
proclamation really accomplish?
What role did African Americans play in support of the Union cause?
What impact did the Civil War have on the Northern industrial economy? on laborers in the North? on
women in the North?
What part did women play in the Union war effort?
How did the Confederate constitution differ from that of the United States?
Why could it be said that in the end, Jefferson Davis was an unsuccessful President?
What problems did the "upcountry" and "backcountry" regions pose for the new Confederate government?
How did the Confederacy attempt to finance the war?
How did the Confederacy propose to raise troops for the war? How did these plans compare with those of
the Union? How successful were they?
Why was states' rights the "great dividing force" in the Confederacy's war effort? What caused this
division?
How did the Confederate government centralize its power (and in some instances did so more than
Lincoln's government in the North)?
What were the economic and social effects of the Civil War that "transformed" Southern society?
What impact did the war have on the lives and circumstances of women? of slaves?
What does the popularity of baseball indicate about America at the time of the Civil War?
Why was Lincoln more successful at organizing a command system than Davis? What military problems did
Lincoln face throughout the war?
What role did Lincoln propose for the United States Navy? How did the Confederacy attempt to
overcome this naval advantage?
At the outbreak of war in 1861, why were both the French and British governments sympathetic to the
Confederacy?
30. What were the foreign-policy objectives of the Union and of the Confederacy? How did each attempt to
achieve these objectives? Which was most successful and why?
31. How did the West play a continuing political, diplomatic, and military part in the conflict?
32. What were some of the advances in new weapons technology in the Civil War? How did they change the
way soldiers in the field fought?
33. Why were the railroads so critical to the conduct of the war? What pitfalls did they create for military
planners on both sides?
34. Why was the outcome of the First Battle of Bull Run [First Manassas] such a shock to the North? What
did it reveal about the possibility of an early end to the struggle and about the readiness of the two sides
for a major conflict?
35. What was the Union plan for the conquest of the West? How did the Confederates propose to defend
this area?
36. How did the battle of Shiloh change Grant's thinking about his military plans?
37. What were the strengths and weaknesses of General George McClellan's military leadership? of General
Robert E. Lee's military leadership?
38. Why was the Battle of Antietam considered to be one of the turning points in the war?
39. Why was 1863 the "Year of Decision?"
40. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg the biggest turning point in the Civil War?
41. What was Grant's grand strategy for 1864? What were his objectives?
42. What were the political results of Sherman's capture of Atlanta in 1864? What was the legacy of his
famous "March to the Sea?"
43. How was the Confederacy finally defeated? In what way did the Union forces destroy the South's will to
carry on the fight?
44. What effects did the Civil War have on the economy and social system of the South?
45. What special problems did the freedmen face immediately after the war? What efforts were made to
help them?
46. What were the competing notion of freedom that existed in the post-war South?
47. What political implications did the readmission of the Southern states pose for the Republicans?
48. What were the differences between the Conservative, Radical, and Moderate factions of the Republican
Party during Reconstruction?
49. What were the objectives and provisions of Lincoln's plan for Reconstruction? How did the Radical
Republicans respond to it?
50. Describe Andrew Johnson's approach to Reconstruction. How was it shaped by his political background
and his personality?
51. What did the Southern state governments do during the "Presidential" Reconstruction of 1865 and 1866?
52. How did Congress respond to the Black Codes and other Southern state actions of 1865 and 1866?
53. What did the congressional elections of 1866 reveal about the public attitude toward Reconstruction?
54. Identify the basic provisions of the Congressional plan of Reconstruction of 1867. On what principle was
it based?
55. What measures did the Radical Republicans take to keep President Johnson and the Supreme Court from
interfering with their plans?
56. Why did Radical Republicans want to impeach President Johnson? Why did they fail?
57. What three groups constituted the Republican Party in the South during Reconstruction?
58. What role did blacks play in southern political life during Reconstruction?
59. What was the balance between corruption and positive accomplishments by the Reconstruction-era state
governments in the South?
60. What patterns of Southern education began to emerge during Reconstruction?
61. What changes in land distribution occurred in the South after the Civil War?
62. How did the sharecropping system of labor assist Southern whites in reasserting control over black
labor?
63. Why did the government's attempt to redistribute land to freedmen fail?
64. What economic advances did the freedmen make? How did the economic status of blacks compare with
that of the average white Southerner?
65. How did the crop-lien system overshadow the economic gains made by blacks and poor whites?
66. How did freedom affect black family life?
67. How did Ulysses S. Grant's political accomplishments compare with his military ability?
68. What was President Grant's position on Reconstruction?
69. What were the scandals that came to light during the Grant Administration? What role did Grant play in
these scandals?
70. People in what financial condition were most likely to favor expansion of the currency supply with
greenbacks?
71. What was done about the "greenback" issue?
72. What were some of the diplomatic accomplishments of the Grant administration?
73. What tactics did white Southern Democrats use to restrict or control black suffrage?
74. Why did Northern Republicans begin to take less interest in Reconstruction and the cause of the
freedmen after about 1870?
75. Why was the presidential election of 1876 disputed? How was the controversy resolved by the
"Compromise of 1877?"
76. What was President Rutherford B. Hayes's objective in the South? How successful was he in meeting
that objective?
77. Compare white and black expectations for Reconstruction with the actual results.
78. How have historians differed over the nature of Reconstruction? What part has the public played in this
debate? Why is the era so controversial?
79. What were the socio-economic and political characteristics of the "Redeemers" [Bourbons]?
80. How did the policies of the "Redeemer" governments compare with those of the Reconstruction-era
administrations?
81. In what particular products was industrialization in the South most advanced? What factors attracted
industrial capital to the region after the war?
82. How did industrialization in the South compare with that in the North?
83. Identify the composition of the industrial workforce in the South. What problems did the workers face?