Download Union Preserved, Freedom Secured

 Union Preserved, Freedom Secured
Summary Analysis
Preserving the Union had come at great cost. But, strangely perhaps, the crucible of the Civil
War had brought about a new birth of freedom for slaves and the triumph of free labor
capitalism.
Video: The Legacy
Some refer to the Civil War as nothing less than the "Second American Revolution" for many
reasons. Considering the toll the war took on the country, the factors that led to a Northern
victory, and the consequences of that victory, how did the Civil War fundamentally transform
America? How do Lincoln and the Civil War continue to live on in American memory? Why does
the Civil War continue to be an emotional issue?
Video script:
Music introduction
Narrator: The Civil War lasted four years and claimed over six hundred thousand lives. When
the North finally won, both sides had developed a new appreciation for the other’s courage and
determination.
Gary Gallagher: A number of factors went into the North’s victory. Many of the people in the
confederacy did lose heart. There was a good deal of disaffection behind the lines,
unhappiness with the government…war weariness that sapped the effort to achieve this
slaveholding republic. But I think the most important factor was the United States military forces
decisively defeated Confederate military forces by the spring of 1865, demonstrated to
everybody on both sides that the Confederacy really was helpless to mount a military effort that
would defend its sovereignty.
Narrator: It took over two million Union soldiers and cost the North over two billion dollars to
subdue the Confederacy. The North’s willingness to bear the costs of war waxed and waned,
but one man’s will to pursue the war never faltered.
Howard Jones, University of Alabama: No president faced the types of problems that Lincoln
had. He faced a war that was just tearing the nation from one end to the other. But yet
somehow Lincoln managed to rise above this, to keep his head throughout all of this.
His legacy is, he preserved the Union and there was the end of slavery, but I think what one
needs to do is go one step farther and point out that he brought them together, that in order to
preserve the Union and improve the Union, slavery had to come to an end, and together
emerge what he called the “New Birth of Freedom.”
James McPherson, Princeton University: Before the war there were two competing visions.
There was the vision of an agrarian plantation, almost pastoral, hierarchical society that
dominated the South. And there was the competitive, free labor, urbanizing vision that was
taking place in the North.
Northern victory in the war assured the Northern vision—the dynamic, at times messy but
democratic, free labor capitalism would become the American way of life. And it’s these last two
things, the abolition of slavery and the domination of the American future by free labor dynamic
capitalism that really makes the Civil War the second American Revolution.
Actor, Walt Whitman: “Strange, is it not? That battles, martyrs, blood, even assassination
should so condense—perhaps only really, lastingly condense—a nationality.”
End of video.
Lesson Study Questions
To evaluate your understanding of the lesson topics and prepare for tests, consider how you
would answer these questions:
1. Describe and explain the significance of the battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg. How did
the results of each battle shape the course of the Civil War?
•
How were Grant and the Union forces able to attack Vicksburg, place it under siege, and
eventually force it to surrender?
•
How did the victory at Vicksburg give the Union a strategic advantage?
•
What advantages did the North have in the battle of Gettysburg?
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Why was the Union victory at Gettysburg a tremendous morale boost for the North?
•
How did the Union victories at Vicksburg and Gettysburg alter the course of the Civil
War?
2. How did Abraham Lincoln give meaning to the Civil War in the Gettysburg Address? What
were the main ideas that he expressed? Why does that speech live on in American
memory?
•
How did the Gettysburg Address explain the significance of the battle at Gettysburg from
the northern perspective?
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How did Lincoln bring forward the ideals of the Declaration of Independence?
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How did Lincoln add the element of a "new birth of freedom," and what did that mean?
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How was "freedom" given a more inclusive definition?
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What is your opinion on why the Gettysburg Address lives on in American memory?
3. Describe and explain the major features of the Union's military strategy after Gettysburg.
How did Generals Sherman, Sheridan, and Grant implement that strategy?
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How did the Union plan to conquer the South?
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What did General Sherman do to destroy the South's ability and willingness to fight?
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What role did General Sheridan play in Union victory?
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Why was General Grant able to push through to victory?
4. Describe and explain why the North won and the South lost the Civil War. In your answer,
be sure to consider both the civilian and military aspects of the war.
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How and why was the Union able to capitalize on its advantages?
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How and why was the Confederacy not able to defend its claimed territory?
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How important was President Lincoln to the Union cause?
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What is your assessment of the most significant factors in the outcome?
5. Why is Abraham Lincoln considered to be the nation's greatest president? In your answer,
be sure to analyze the essence of the Lincoln legacy and consider how he lives on in
American memory.
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What factors determine presidential greatness?
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How important was Lincoln's role during the Civil War?
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What were Lincoln's strongest personal qualities?
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How was Lincoln able to transform the nature of the Civil War?
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What is your assessment of Lincoln's legacy, and how do he and that legacy live on?
6. How did the Civil War fundamentally transform America? In your answer, consider why
some refer to the war as the "Second American Revolution" and how the Civil War lives on
in American memory.
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How did the war alter the economic and political landscape of America?
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How did the war affect African Americans?
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What aspects of the war do you consider to be revolutionary?
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Why does the Civil War have an enduring place in our national memory?