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The Civil War
An Introduction
– A civil war is a war between different groups of
people of the same nation
– The American Civil War was fought between the two
sections of the country North and South. Many
soldiers on each side came from the opposite
– This in many instances pitted brother against brother,
father against son, etc.
– More Americans died (over 600,000) during the Civil
War than in all other American Wars combined
– The Confederate defeat led to the end of slavery in
the U.S. and restored the Union, although much of
the South was destroyed
• Causes of the Civil War
– Slavery: Although most southerners did not
own slaves, and most northerners were not
abolitionists, slavery was at the heart of most
major issues dividing the North and South
– Ways of life: In both the North and South,
most people lived on small farms. But in the
North, there were also many large cities
where many people worked in factories. In
the south there were many plantations worked
by slaves.
• Causes of the Civil War cont.
– Free labor vs. Slave labor: Northern economy was
based on free laborers who could work where they
chose and received a wage. The southern economy
was based on slave laborers who were not free to
leave and received food and lodging but no wages.
– States’ Rights: The Southern states believed in the
inherent right of the states to rule themselves (state
sovereignty), and believed that they could leave the
Union whenever they wished (secede). The North
thought that no state had the right to leave the union
and that the states gave up their sovereignty under
the Constitution.
Advantages of the North and South
North
1. Population: The North had
22 million compared with 9
million free and 3.5 million
slaves in the South
2. Economy: The North had
more factories to produce
guns, uniforms, and
military supplies. Farms in
the Ohio Valley produced
70% of the nations food.
Most of the Nations banks
were in the north,
therefore most of the cash
and gold were as well
South
1. Leadership: The
South had better military
leaders, many graduates
of West Point, VMI, and
the Citadel. The
President of the
Confederacy was also a
West Point graduate and
a former Secretary of
War
Advantages of the North and South cont.
North
South
3. Military: The North had
an established navy and
merchant fleet to blockade
southern ports and bring
needed supplies to northern
ports.
2. Terrain : Most of the War
was fought in the South and
on familiar terrain
4. Transportation: The
North had an extensive
railroad system that was
twice as large as the
South’s. This allowed the
north to move troops and
supplies at a much faster
rate than in the south
3. Strategy: The South did not
have to win the war, only
not lose it…they could use
a defensive strategy
4. Cause: Many soldiers
fought not for slavery but to
defend their homes and
their families. The North will
not have a “cause” until
Lincoln calls for an end to
slavery
• Advantages of the North and South cont
South
5. Soldiers: The South will
have more skilled horseman
and rifleman. This will have
a dramatic and deadly
consequence in the early
battles of the war.