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The American Civil War
The North
• Industrialized
• Large cities were established
• By 1860, one quarter of all Northerners lived in urban
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areas
Between 1800 and 1860, the percentage of laborers
working in agricultural pursuits dropped drastically from
70% to only 40%
Slavery had died out, replaced in the cities and factories
by immigrant labor from Europe. seven out of every
eight immigrants were settling in the North rather than
the South
Transportation was easier in the North, which boasted
more than two-thirds of the railroad tracks in the country
and the economy was on an upswing
The South
• The fertile soil and warm climate of the South made it ideal for
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large-scale farms and crops like tobacco and cotton – so why
industrialize?
Eighty percent of the labor force worked on the farm
By 1860 slavery was inextricably tied to the region's economy and
culture
there were almost as many blacks in the South as there were whites
(4 million blacks and 5.5 million whites).
There were no large cities aside from New Orleans - the ones that
did exist were located on rivers and coasts as shipping ports to send
agricultural produce to European or Northern destinations
Only 1/10th of Southerners lived in urban areas
transportation between cities was difficult, except by water - only
35% of the nation's train tracks were located in the South
The Birth of Slavery in America
• When the North American continent was first colonized
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by Europeans the land was vast, the work was harsh,
and there was a severe shortage of labor.
White bondservants, paying their passage across the
ocean from Europe through indentured labor worked
plantations but more labour was needed
Early in the seventeenth century, a Dutch ship loaded
with African slaves introduced slavery to the United
States
Slaves were most economical on large farms where
labor-intensive cash crops, such as tobacco, could be
grown.
Slavery Continued
• By the end of the American Revolution, slavery
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had proven unprofitable in the North and was
dying out.
In the South the institution was becoming less
useful to farmers as tobacco prices fluctuated
and began to drop.
In 1793 Northerner Eli Whitney invented the
cotton gin; this device made it possible for
textile mills to use the type of cotton most easily
grown in the South.
Cotton replaced tobacco as the South’s main
cash crop and slavery became profitable again
Opposition to Slavery
• As the North moved away from
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Slavery more and more people in
the North opposed the idea of slaves
– abolitionists
Nat Turner leads a rebellion of
slaves against white landowners in
Virginia on August 21st, 1831
Harriet Tubman establishes the
Underground Railroad to help slaves
escape the South
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is written in 1852
by Harriet Beecher Stowe refuting
the Southern myth that blacks were
happy as slaves
Dred Scott sued for his freedom but
the Supreme Court that slaves were
subhuman property with no rights of
citizenship; they had no legal means
of protesting the way they were
treated
The Raid on Harper’s Ferry
• On October 16, 1859, the radical
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abolitionist John Brown led a small
group of followers in a raid on the
armoury at Harper’s Ferry.
Brown hoped to use the captured
weapons to initiate a slave
uprising throughout the South.
He and his men were pinned
down by local citizens and militia,
and forced to take refuge.
On October 18, U.S. Marines
were sent via train to Harpers
Ferry under the command of
Colonel Robert E. Lee
Brown was captured and was tried
for treason by the State of Virginia
He was convicted and hanged in
nearby Charles Town.
The failed raid was a major
catalyst in accelerating the slide to
Civil War.
The Compromise of 1850
• After the Mexican-American War, the issue of
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slavery in the new territories led to the
Compromise of 1850.
While the Compromise of 1850 averted an
immediate political crisis, it did not permanently
resolve the issue of the power of slaveholders in
national politics.
Many Northerners, especially leaders of the new
Republican Party, considered slavery a great
national evil.
The Compromise of 1850
Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854
• organized 2 new federal territories – Kansas and
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Nebraska
What was controversial was the provision that
stipulated that each territory would separately
decide whether to allow slavery within its borders.
This provision repealed the Missouri Compromise of
1820, which had prohibited slavery in any new
states to be created north of latitude 36°30' since
Kansas and Nebraska would be north of that line
and could now choose to allow slavery.
prohibiting slavery in states/territories north of 36º
30’ latitude
people decide (popular sovereignty)
The Election of 1860
• As the election of 1860 approached, the
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Democrats split over the issue of slavery in the
territories
The party split on the issue and the result say
three candidates run for the Presidency
This division opened the door for the Republican
Party and Abraham Lincoln
The Republicans believed that slavery should be
left undisturbed where it was already in place
but should not be allowed in the new territories
Secession from the Union
• The immediate result of the election was the
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secession of seven southern states to form their
own country (the Confederate States of
America)
These States included: South Carolina,
Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana
and Texas
They based their right to secede on the idea
that the free states had denied the Southern
States equal rights in the union
They drafted their own constitution and named
their new alliance the Confederate States of
America
Fort Sumter and the Start of the War
• As the Southern States Seceded they seized United
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States arsenal, mints and fortresses within their borders
Fort Sumter was still under federal control
In April of 1861, the fort was running short on supplies
so Lincoln sent orders out to restock it
Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy sent the
order to take the fort before it could be resupplied
While there was no life lost in the attack, news of the
incident stirred nationalism in the North and Lincoln had
no trouble filling his military’s ranks with able bodied
men
More States Secede
• Faced with the
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prospect of fighting
their neighbours four
more states seceded
from the union
These states
included: Virginia,
Arkansas, North
Carolina and
Tennessee
Map of Secession
Preparing for War
• The North had a
material advantage in
many aspects
regarding a potential
war
The North
Advantages
• Larger Population
• Larger railroad
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connections
More farm industry
Industrialization ($) –
more than 80% of
manufacturing plants
The Leadership of
Abraham Lincoln
Forts in the South
Disadvantages
• Have to attack the South
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in the South
Military leaders are less
experienced
Cannot expect help from
Europe
The South
Advantages
• Defending instead of
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attacking – just had
to hold out against
attacks
Better military leaders
– Robert E. Lee
Ports that can be
used for support from
Europe
Disadvantages
• Smaller Population
• Fewer railroad
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connections
Industrialization ($) –
more than 80% of
manufacturing plants