Download the american people creating a nation and a society nash jeffrey

THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
CREATING A NATION AND A SOCIETY
NASH  JEFFREY
HOWE  FREDERICK DAVIS  WINKLER  MIRES  PESTANA
7th Edition
Chapter 15: The Union Severed
Pearson Education, Inc, publishing as Longman © 2006
ORGANIZING FOR WAR

When Fort Sumter surrendered, Lincoln called for state militia
volunteers
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–
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Whites living in the southern uplands, yeoman farmers in the Deep
South, and many border state residents were dismayed at
secession and war and would eventually join the Union side
In the North, large numbers supported neither the Republicans nor
Lincoln
Yet both sides saw an outpouring of patriotic support fueled by
relief a decisive action, love of adventure and unemployment
–

Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Arkansas joined the
Confederacy
Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri continued to debate how to proceed
So many volunteered that both sides were overwhelmed
Lincoln called for 75,000 state militiamen for only 90 days of
service and the Confederates did the same
THE BALANCE OF RESOURCES


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Southerners justified secession by appealing to freedom, yet they
fought to preserve slavery
Statistics of population and industrial development favored the
North but many northern assets would only become effective with
time
Initially, northern and southern armies were comparable
–
–

While northerners had an army of 187,000 men and southerners had
only 112,000 men, southerners believed that their men were better
Slaves were also available to carry on vital work behind the lines
North also had economic advantages but their industrial resources
had to be mobilized while the South was dependent on northern
and European manufactured goods
–
–
South did have important resources of food, draft animals and cotton
which southerners believed would secure British and French support
By waging a defensive war, the South could tap regional loyalty and
enjoy protected lines
Resources
for War:
North Versus
South
THE BORDER STATES


When the Deep South seceded, all border states except unionist Delaware
adopted a wait-and-see attitude
The states of the upper South could provide the Confederacy with a
natural border and a variety of resources
–
–
–

Lincoln violated civil rights to restore order despite Supreme Court ruling in
Ex Parte Merryman that only Congress could suspend habeas corpus in
times of danger
–
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The loyalty of each of these states represented a important milestone to both
Confederacy and Union
While Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina had joined the
Confederacy by May 1861, Maryland remained on the fence
When the 6th Massachusetts Regiment was attacked while walking through
Baltimore, Lincoln agreed to route troops temporarily around the city in return
for the governor calling the state legislature to session in Unionist west
Maryland
Elsewhere, Lincoln was more cautious, revoking Frémont’s emancipation order
in Missouri
Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland remained in the Union
Secessions of the Southern States
CHALLENGES OF WAR

Both sides faced enormous organizational challenges
though the South also faced the difficulty of
establishing a nation-state
–
–
–

February 1861, the meeting at Montgomery, Alabama, not
only set up a provisional framework but wrote a constitution
resembling the federal constitution but emphasizing
“sovereign and independent character” of the states and
explicit recognition of slavery
Jefferson Davis tried to assemble a geographically and
politically balanced cabinet but it turned out to be unstable
Despite the difficulties of starting a government from scratch,
the Confederacy had broad civilian support
Lincoln did not have to build a government from
scratch but he also faced problems such as an empty
treasury
LINCOLN AND DAVIS

Lincoln moved decisively, calling up the state
militias, expanding the navy and suspending
habeas corpus
–

Ordered a naval blockade of the South and approved
military expenditures without Congressional authorization
Jefferson Davis worked tirelessly as president but
was unable to let subordinates handle details
–
Others noted he was sickly, reserved, humorless, too
sensitive to criticism and hard to get along with
CLASHING ON THE
BATTLEFIELD, 1861-1862

Civil War was most brutal and destructive
conflict in American history, in part as a result
of changing military technology and
inadequate communications
–
–
By 1861, range of rifles had increased from 100 to
500 yards in part due to the French minié bullet
and put soldiers beyond the protection of artillery
Increasingly, military leaders turned to strong
defensive positions
WAR IN THE EAST

General Winfield Scott, commander of the Union forces pressed
for a long, cautious strategy known as the Anaconda Plan
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–
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On July 21, 1861, Union and Confederate troops met at
Manassas Creek (Bull Run)
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–

While the battle was inconclusive, Confederate reinforcements
caused the Union troops to retreat
Both sides faced problems with short-term enlistments and logistical
difficulties
Lincoln replaced Irwin McDowell with George McClellan, who
sought to maneuver rather than fight
–

Sea and land blockades would strangle the South
Lincoln and the voters preferred action and a quick victory
When McClellan finally moved on Richmond, he was defeated by
Robert E. Lee and abandoned the Penninsular campaign
Other Union defeats followed in 1862 until a Confederate
invasion of the North was stopped at Antietam in September
WAR IN THE WEST

In the western theatre of war, the Union had two major
objectives:
–
–
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Ulysses S. Grant proved his leadership abilities in the Vicksburg
campaign, causing Lincoln (after many other choices) to settle on
Grant as supreme commander
–
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The domination of Kentucky and eastern Tennessee which were
natural avenues of travel from east to west
The control of the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy and
prevent its ability to trade
Grant captured Fort Henry and Fort Donelson in February 1862 and
then nearly had his army destroyed at Shiloh Church in an
extremely bloody battle where untreated wounds caused many of
the deaths
War in the trans-Mississippi West was a sporadic, far-flung
struggle
–
After Union forces took New Mexico they spent their time fighting
Apache and Navajo
TransMississippi
Campaign
of the Civil
War
NAVAL WARFARE


The naval blockade started slowly with only one in ten
blockade runners caught in 1861 and one in eight in
1862
Union was more successful at gaining footholds on
the coast
–

Took Port Royal Sound and the nearby South Carolina sea
islands finally capturing New Orleans in 1862
The South concentrated on developing new weapons
such as torpedoes and ironclad vessels
–
Southern raiders, many built in Britain, wreaked havoc on
northern shipping though did not seriously hamper the
northern war effort
COTTON DIPLOMACY


Although recognition by even one of the European
powers would give the South credibility as a
sovereign nation, the Europeans were quick to
declare neutrality
Southerners mistakenly assumed that dwindling
European supplies of cotton as the war progressed
would eventually force government recognition
–
–
Glut of cotton in 1860 and 1861
European industrialists found new sources of cotton in India
and Egypt
COMMON PROBLEMS, NOVEL
SOLUTIONS

Both treasuries had started the war empty and the
cost of fighting was enormous
–
–
–

Both sides initiated taxation on a small scale (financing 21%
of Northern expenses but only 1% of southern)
Both sides tried borrowing in the form of government bonds,
though the south had less success
Both sides resorted to printing inflated amounts of money
Both sides confronted severe manpower needs
–
–
Some communities offered bounties to outsiders who would
join up
One of every seven Union soldiers and one of every nine
Confederate ones deserted
COMMON PROBLEMS, NOVEL
SOLUTIONS

Both sides had to enact some form of draft
–

First Confederate conscription declared all ablebodied men between 18 and 35 eligible for service
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–
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North had to rely less on the draft because its manpower pool
was initially larger and growing
Every planter with more than 20 slaves received one
exemption
Exemptions fed class tensions and undermined support of
lower classes
Northern legislation was neither more popular nor fair.
–
–
Allowed hiring of substitute
July 1863 saw a huge draft riot in New York City that tended
to pit the Irish against African Americans, whom they viewed
as economic competitors
POLITICAL DISSENSION, 1862

As southern victories became fewer, criticism
grew
–
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Due to lack of a party system, dissatisfaction with
Jefferson Davis tended to be factional, petty and
personal
Lincoln also faced criticism especially from the
Peace Democrats or Copperheads
–
Republicans were also divided between
moderates, who favored a cautious approach, and
radicals, who urged Lincoln to make emancipation
a wartime objective
THE TIDE TURNS, 1863-1865

Many northerners supported a war for the
union but not for emancipation
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–
Most whites saw blacks as inferior and were afraid
they would steal jobs and political rights of whites
A number of northern cities suffered race riots
THE EMANCIPATION
PROCLAMATION, 1863

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Lincoln envisioned the freeing of the slaves primarily as a tool for
crippling the South
In 1862, Lincoln tried to entice border states into reducing their
slave holdings gradually
When that failed, he moved toward emancipation, waiting for a
northern victory to make the announcement
Lincoln argued that freeing the slaves would ultimately save white
lives and preserve the Union
Lincoln issued a preliminary proclamation in September in the wake
of Antietam, with the final proclamation on January 1, 1863
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–
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Only effected slaves in areas in rebellion and not under Union control
Sanctioned policy of accepting blacks as soldiers
Aimed to undermine southern war effort
Also sought to favorably impress foreign powers, especially the British
UNANTICIPATED
CONSEQUENCES OF WAR

One of the innovations was the use of black
soldiers for combat duty (186,000 eventually)
–
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–
Helped northern communities meet their quotas
Helped blacks prove their value to the Union and
was an important step toward citizenship
Black soldiers, led by white officers, were secondclass soldiers for most of the war
Black service did help mitigate some white views
CHANGING MILITARY
STRATEGIES, 1863-1865


In 1863, Lee decided that a defensive posture would never win the
war for the South
Hoping for a victory that would eventually lead to the capture of a
great northern city, Lee marched against the Union army at
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with disastrous results
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–
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Lincoln was distressed with Meade for failing to finish off Lee’s army
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Lee did procure the food and fodder he needed and captured thousands
of prisoners
Was a big southern defeat but was not conclusive
One day after Gettysburg, news of Grant’s victory at Vicksburg, providing
the Union with control of the Mississippi, provided Lincoln with a clear
candidate to replace Meade
Grant employed a strategy of annihilation that involved the
destruction of resources as well as of the enemy army— “total”
warfare
–
General Sherman applied total warfare to wage war on the minds of
civilians which he succeeded in doing as he marched through the South
Last Year of the Conflict
CHANGES WROUGHT BY WAR
A NEW SOUTH


Central government continued to expand in the South, bringing
with it increased taxation and interference with private property,
the ideals that most Southerners were fighting against
Confederate army’s manpower issues continued to grow
resulting in a need for an expanded draft law by 1864
–


More land was converted to raising food crops, but the South
never raised enough food to feed themselves
The war triggered the expansion of military-related industries in
the South
–

By 1865, the South actually considered arming blacks
Many Southerners were forced to accept factory work for the war
effort
Pressures of the struggle undermined the solidarity of whites
THE NORTH


Like Davis, Lincoln was accused of running a
dictatorship
The staggering costs of war helped revolutionize the
financial system
–

Need to feed soldiers and civilians stimulated the
expansion of agriculture and new investment in farm
machinery
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Congress passed banking acts that established a national
currency issued by federally chartered banks and backed by
government bonds
Farmers produced surpluses for export
War selectively stimulated manufacturing although it
retarded overall economic growth
ON THE HOME FRONT, 1861-1865


The war stimulated religious efforts to generate enthusiasm and
loyalty on the home front
Civilians read newspapers and national weekly magazines with a
new eagerness and the use of the mails increased dramatically
–

The war helped make Americans less parochial, integrating them into
the larger world
For some Americans the war brought riches but for the majority it
meant deprivation
–
–
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–
Ended unemployment and changed employment patterns but real
wages actually declined
Low wages particularly harmed women workers
Economic dislocation reduced the standard of living for civilians,
especially in southern cities
Advancing Union armies dislocated both whites and slaves
WARTIME RACE RELATIONS

War transformed the master-slave
relationship, especially when the “Master” was
replaced by the “mistress”
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
Whites were increasingly afraid of blacks
Slaves often worked for their freedom
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–
Insubordination, refusal to work, and refusal to
accept punishment marked the behavior of black
slaves
Probably 20 percent of all slaves fled toward Union
lines
WOMEN AND THE WAR


Women had to find jobs and run farms,
resulting in new physical and emotional
burdens
Women supported the war effort by
participating in numerous war related activities
–
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–
Government service
Military nurses
Volunteer work
THE ELECTION OF 1864

Democrats nominated General George McClellan for
president
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Proclaimed the war a failure and demanded an armistice with
the South
Accused Lincoln of arbitrarily expanding executive power and
denounced sweeping economic measures
Tried to inflame racial passions
Lincoln gained the Republican nomination but the
party did not unite behind him
Sherman’s capture of Atlanta in September and his
march through Georgia helped swing voters to Lincoln
who won 55% of the popular vote and swept the
electoral college
WHY THE NORTH WON

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On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered at Appomattox
Grant’s military strategy succeeded because the Union’s manpower
and economic resources could survive staggering losses of men and
equipment while the Confederacy’s could not
South lost territory vital to its war effort and the naval blockade
became increasingly effective
The South could not feed itself nor could new industries meet wartime
demands in the South
South’s woefully inadequate transportation system also contributed to
their defeat
Conscription, impressment and taxes contributed to southern
resentment
Jefferson Davis lacked a party and governmental system that provided
adequate support
The North’s social system was more able to meet the wartime
demands
THE COSTS OF WAR

3 million American men, one-third of all free males
between the ages of 15 and 59 had served in the
army
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About 360,000 Union and 258,000 Confederate soldiers died,
one-third because wounds were either not treated or
improperly treated
Disease claimed more lives than combat
About 275,000 on each side were maimed
195,000 northerners and 215,000 southerners were in prison
camps
Many had trouble returning to civilian life
Fighting the war made the concept of national union
real
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

The war devastate the South with an estimated 43 percent decline in wealth
during the war years, exclusive of the value of slaves
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War had resolved the question of the union and the relation of the states to the
federal government
Republicans used the war to pass legislation that would foster national union and
growth
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One third of the South’s stock of mules, horses and swine had disappeared.
Two-thirds of the railroads had been destroyed
Four million slaves were free
The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862
The Homestead Act of 1862
The Morrill Act of 1862
The banking acts of 1863 and 1864
The war resolved the issue of slavery though not the question of what would
happen to the former slaves
Also unclear was the status of the South, though Lincoln seemed inclined to
reconciliation
John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln on April 14, 1865
DISCOVERING U.S. HISTORY
ONLINE
Index of Civil War Information on the Internet
http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/

Causes of the Civil War
http://www.members.aol.com/jfepperson/causes.html

Crisis at Fort Sumter
http://www.tulane.edu/~sumter/

Charleston
http://www.awod.com/gallery/probono/cwchas/cwlayout
.html

DISCOVERING U.S. HISTORY
ONLINE
Abraham Lincoln
http://www.potus.com/alincoln.html

Black American Contributions to Union Intelligence
During the Civil War
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/dispatches/dispatch.
html

America’s First Look into the Camera:
Daguerreotype Portraits and Views, 1839-1864
http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/daghtml/dagpres.ht
ml
