Download The Civil War

US History
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The Civil War
17.1 -- The Conflict Takes Shape
READ pgs 484 –489
Presidents:
1st 1789
2nd 1797
3rd 1801
4th 1809
5th 1817
6th 1825
7th 1829
8th 1837
9th 1841
10th 1841
11th 1845
12th 1849
13th 1850
14th 1853
15th 1857
16th 1861
17th 1865
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1797
1801
1809
1817
1825
1829
1837
1841
1841
1845
1849
1850
1853
1857
1861
1865
1869
2 terms
1 term
2 terms
2 terms
2 terms
1 term
2 terms
1 term
Died
1 term
1 term
Died
1 term
1 term
1 term
2 terms
1 term
George Washington - 57
John Adams - 61
Thomas Jefferson - 57
James Madison - 57
James Monroe – 58
John Quincy Adams - 57
Andrew Jackson - 61
Martin Van Buren - 54
William Henry Harrison - 68
John Tyler - 51
James K Polk - 49
Zachary Taylor - 64
Millard Fillmore - 50
Franklin Pierce - 48
James Buchanan - 65
Abraham Lincoln - 52, assassinated in office
Andrew Johnson – 50, replaced Lincoln
Time Line:
1861 – The 1st major battle of the war takes place at Bull Run on July 21st
1862 – Union gunboats capture New Orleans and Memphis
– Great Britain refuses to recognize the Confederacy
1863 – The Battle of Gettysburg ends the Confederate drive into the North
– Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation
1864 – General U.S. Grant becomes commander of the Union Army
1865 – General Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House
1865 – Can Opener Invented
Civil War Amendments – 13th , 14th , & 15th Amendments
13th Amendment – Abolition of Slavery
14th Amendment – Rights of Citizens ( includes ALL freedmen )
15th Amendment – Voting Rights ( for former slave males )
One definition of democracy might be a system in which the people have a say in
how they are governed. If that is the case, the American Civil War is perhaps the one
major example in our history of the system breaking down. The North and the South
came to blows, in large part because not all “the people”—African American slaves in
particular—had a say in how they were governed. Many historians, including B&B
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US History
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Ranch historians, consider the Civil War to be a major turning point in US History.
At no point since, have US citizens been so bitterly divided on issues that they have
taken up arms against one another. The war’s legacy is a strong federal government,
but one that still struggles to achieve true equality for all its citizens.
Main Idea:
Although both sides believed that their cause was just, the North had important
advantages at the start of the war.
Vocabulary:
racism -- the belief that one race is by nature superior to another
border state -- slave state that remained in the Union during the civil war
martial law -- ruled by the army instead of the elected government
Setting the Scene:
President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to serve as soldiers in a
campaign against the South. The term of enlistment was only 90 days—most
northerners believed that the war would be over quickly. In the words of one
confident Union supporter, “We shall crush out this rebellion as an elephant would
trample a mouse.”
Southerners were just as convinced that a Confederate victory would be quick.
A confederate in North Carolina predicted, “Just throw three or four bombshells
among those blue-bellied Yankees and they’ll scatter like sheep.”
With flags held high, both northerners and southerners marched off to war.
Most felt certain that a single, gallant battle would bring a quick end to the conflict.
Few suspected that the Civil War would last four terrible years. By the time fighting
was over, every part of American society would be affected by the Civil War.
Northern States
Southern States
Nicknames
Blue Bellies
Union
Yankees
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Johnny Reb
Grey Backs
Rebels , Confederates
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Name the Confederate States of America. Try to do it in ORDER…
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
A Nation Divided
 Southerners believed they had a right to leave the Union; the “war for southern
independence”
 Independence so they could keep their traditional way of life
 HMM! Sounds kinda like what the 13 colonies did 85 years earlier.
 Northerners had to fight to save the Union; abolishing slavery was not the main
issue
 In fact, many northerners believed in racism; they actually approved of slavery
 April 1861, eight slave states remained in the Union; these states had half of the
South’s population and food crop, cotton is not the issue
 However, four states quickly joined; North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, and
Virginia
note  In Western Virginia—there were few slave owners, most people supported the
Union; so, when Virginia left the Union, citizens of Western Virginia formed
their own government and became a new state in the Union, West Virginia, 1863
 The southern border states remained in the Union; Kentucky, Missouri,
Maryland, Delaware, and in 1863-West Virginia
 Maryland was very important to the Union because it bordered the nation’s
capital of Washington, D.C.
 Some of the citizens in the border states, supported the South; they attacked
Union troops in Baltimore, Maryland
 President Lincoln declared martial law; many ‘South’ supporters were arrested
Resources of the North and South, 1861
100
80
60
North
40
South
20
0
Total
Factory
Population Production
71% to 29% 91% to 9%
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Railroad
Farmland
Cotton
Mileage
75% to 25% Production
71% to 29%
4% to 96%
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Strengths and Weaknesses
 South had advantage of fighting a defensive war
 Confederate President Jefferson Davis,
“We seek no conquest…All we ask is to be left alone”
 The South
 Southerners were fighting for independence; a.k.a. American Revolution
 Defending their homeland and way of life
 Confederate, “Our men must prevail in combat, or they will lose their
property, country, freedom – in short, everything”
 Confederate Advantages:
 Friendly civilians showed the troops obscure roads that did not
appear on maps, Confederate troops used the ‘woods’ throughout
the south as cover against the invading Union troops
 Confederate Disadvantages:
 Few factories to produce weapons, very limited railroad tracks
 Political Problems:
 Heavy emphasis on state’s rights; limited Confederate government
authority – example – governor of Georgia insisted only Georgian
officers should command Georgian troops
 Small population, 9 million to 22 million; 3 of the 9 million were slaves
 Not enough people to serve as soldiers, farmers, machinists, etc. to support
the war effort
 The North
 Union Advantages:
 4:1 population; 22 to 6 million free citizens; more people to grow food,
work in factories, replace dead soldiers, etc.
 Industry was the North’s greatest resource; produced 90% of all the
manufactured goods in the US
 Quickly converted factories to produce guns, bullets, cannons, boots,
uniforms, etc.
 7 out of every 10 miles of railroad track was in the North: used to move
troops and products quickly
 Strong Navy and large fleet of trading ships; the North controlled the
seas -- Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico
 Union Disadvantages:
 Northern troops had to conquer huge areas of unfamiliar land
 Supply lines were long and vulnerable to Confederate attack
 This was to be a police action; the North did not want to take over land
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¿¿ How would factory production be an advantage for the North ?
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_________________________________________________________________________.
The War’s Leaders
 Both sides had strong leaders; North – Abe Lincoln, South – Jefferson Davis
 Both sides had many strong capable military leaders
 President Jefferson Davis
 Davis was thought to be a stronger leader than Lincoln
 Davis’s experience prepared him for his position
“Mr. Davis’s military instincts still predominate, and his eager wish
was to have joined the army instead of being elected President.”
Arthur James Freemantle, from The Freemantle Diary
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Attended the United States Military Academy at West Point
Officer in the Mexican War
Secretary of War for President Pierce
Widely respected by his peers; honest and courageous
Weakness:
Did not allow others to work out the small details of military planning;
as a result, he spent much of his time on small matters and arguing with
his advisors
 President Abraham Lincoln
 He did not have much military or political experience
 He was patient
 He became a strong leader and fine war planner
 He gained respect; mostly through his sense of humor
 He took criticism with a smile -- Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, called
Lincoln a ‘fool’, Lincoln’s comment, “Did Stanton call me a fool?
Then I must be one, for Stanton is generally right and he always says what
he means.”
 He also could have a sharp-tongue
¿¿ What were the leadership roles of Jefferson Davis versus Abraham Lincoln ?
Davis_____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Lincoln___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
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 Military Leaders
 United States Army officers, originally form southern states, had to
decide whether to stay in the Army and fight against home states or join
the Confederate forces
 Robert E Lee faced this issue when Lincoln, his friend, asked him to be the
Union Commander
 In a letter to Lincoln he responded,
“If Virginia stands by the old Union, so will I. But if she secedes…,
then I will still follow my native State with my sword and,
and if need be, with my life.”
Robert E Lee, quoted in Carl Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln
 Virginia did secede and Lee refused Lincoln’s offer
An American Profile
Robert E Lee came from a distinguished Virginia family. After graduating
with honors from West Point, he served in the Army Corps of Engineers.
During the Mexican War, his superior officer described him as “the very best
soldier I ever saw in the field.” Despite that, Lee hated the horror of war.
When the Civil War broke out, Lee was torn between the Union and his
home state of Virginia. In the end he chose Virginia. “I have not been able to
make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my
home.”
Robert E Lee 1807-1870
 Later, Lee became the Commander of the Confederate Army
 Many of the best officers served the Confederacy
 Lincoln had trouble finding a General to match those in the South
1. What issues divided the nation when the war began ?
Southern__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Northern__________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
2. What are the primary strengths and weaknesses of the North and South at the
beginning of the war ?
South_____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
North____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________.
3.
Who were the leaders of each sides of the war ?
South; President –_______________________ General – ______________________
North; President –________________ _______ General – ______________________
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