Download American Civil War

The American Civil War
(1861-65)
Impact on Canadian Confederation
Causes of American Civil War
By 1850: Southern
states concerned over
slavery's future
As U. S. expanded
westward, "free" (nonslave) states would
outnumber "slave"
states
Once outnumbered,
would the federal
government to abolish
slavery?
Causes of American Civil War
Post 1850: "States' rights" became the central issue
Southern "slave" states claimed that the federal government had
no legal right to abolish slavery
It was a matter for individual states to decide
Causes of American Civil War
1850s: Tensions between North and
South intensify as "free" states
outnumber "slave" states in US
Senate
November 1860: Republican
Abraham Lincoln elected
President
Lincoln opposed both slavery and
states' rights
Southern states fear that Lincoln's
government will abolish slavery
Causes of American Civil
War
1860 Election - North vs. South
Outbreak of Civil War
December 1860: South Carolina
becomes first Southern state to
secede (withdraw from the US)
Other Southern states follow
Southern state legislatures
order American federal troops
to leave their territory
Lincoln refuses to withdraw
federal troops
April 1861: South Carolina
militia attack federal garrison at
Fort Sumter, in Charleston
harbor - American Civil War
begins
Two Contrasting Foes
Northern
Strengths:
Larger
Population
Strong Industrial Base
Control of Navy
Northern Obstacles:
To win war, had to
invade and defeat the
South
General Ulysses
S. Grant (later
US President) General Winfield Scott,
Commander of the Union
Army
Two Contrasting Foes
Southern Strengths:
Majority of Army
officers
Could fight a defensive
Jefferson Davis, President
war
of Confederate States of
America
Southern Weaknesses:
Smaller population
No industrial base
No navy
General Robert E. Lee,
Commander of Confederate Army
British - American Relations
Britain sympathized with
the South but remained
officially neutral
South was major supplier of
cotton for British textile
industry
Southern society, like
Britain, contained distinct
social classes
As war progressed, several
incidents persuaded the
North that Britain was
actively supporting the
South
The Trent Affair (1861)
November 1861: Union warship
stops British steamer Trent at
gunpoint in neutral waters
Two Confederate delegates
heading to London arrested
Britain outraged at "violation of
their sovereignty"
North convinced that Britain is
secretly supporting the South
Britain sends 14 000 troops to
British North America to defend
colonies against possible
American attack
The Alabama Affair
British shipyard builds
warship Alabama for the
Southern Confederacy
Alabama captured Northern
commercial ships for two
years before it was destroyed
by Northern Navy in 1864
US claims that Britain owes
them $4 billion as
compensation for damage and
losses ("Alabama claims")
St. Alban's Raid
1864: South losing war
Desperate Confederate soldiers
gather in Montreal
October 1864: Confederates cross
border, rob banks in St. Alban's,
Vermont and flee back to Canada
Soldiers arrested but later released
and given back money from the
robberies
North even more convinced of
Britain's support for the South
American government now angry at
Canada as well
The Struggle Over Slavery
1850: Congress passes
Fugitive Slave Act
Owners of runaway slaves
permitted to recapture
their "property" anywhere
within the US, even states
where slavery is not legal
Runaway slaves no longer
"safe" anywhere in the US
Slave owners hire "bounty
hunters" to bring back
runaway slaves, dead or
alive
The Underground Railroad
Canada becomes only "safe
haven" for slaves in North
America
Abolitionists and religious
groups (Quakers) organize
network of "safe houses" to
smuggle runaway slaves from
Northern states into Canada
Canada West receives large
number of runaway slaves
(esp. Niagara Peninsula)
Harriet Tubman and other
African Americans risk their
lives to protect runaway slaves
from capture
The End of Slavery
January 1, 1863: Lincoln
issues Emancipation
Proclamation, declaring
slavery abolished in states
that had seceded from the
Union
Many runaway slaves join
Northern army, believing
a Northern victory will
result in end of slavery
The American Civil War Ends
April 9, 1865: General Robert
E. Lee surrenders to General
Ulysses S. Grant at
Appomattox
Two days later, Lincoln makes
speech suggesting voting
rights for blacks
April 14, 1865: John Wilkes
Booth assassinates Lincoln as
he sits in the balcony of the
Ford Theatre with his wife,
watching a play
The Fenian Brotherhood
Fenian Brotherhood:
Irish organization
founded in New York
in 1858 to win Irish
independence from
Britain
At close of American
Civil War, hundreds of
unemployed Civil War
veterans join the
Fenians
The Fenian Brotherhood
We are the Fenian Brotherhood
Trained in the arts of war
We're going to fight for Ireland
The land that we adore
Many a battle we have won
Along with the boys in blue
Now we're going to capture Canada
For we've nothing else to do!
The Fenian Raids (1866)
Fenians gather in Maine and northern New York state
 Plan: capture British North America and hold it for ransom in
exchange for Irish independence
One invasion at Ridgeway, CW is defeated (June 1866)
"Fenian threat" in particular pressures reluctant New Brunswick
into Confederation in 1867
Pressure for Union
British North American colonies increasingly concerned about
American attack
Retaliation for British "support" of South during Civil War
Fenian threat along Canada West and New Brunswick borders
British North American union seen as means of strengthening
ability to defend themselves against American aggression
End of Reciprocity (1866)
1864: American government announces end to Reciprocity
in 1866
Reasons: A) Retaliation for British support of South during
Civil War
B) Some Americans believe that BNA would have no choice
but to join the US
Intercolonial Railroad
BNA union becomes
alternative to
Reciprocity
Increase
intercolonial trade
Finance
construction of
Intercolonial
Railroad to connect
Canada to ice-free
Atlantic ports
Increase
competitiveness on
world markets
British Pressure for Union
BNA union would make building of Intercolonial
Railroad easier (one central government responsible
for financing/construction)
United BNA could assume more responsibility for its
own defense, reducing costs to Britain and problems in
relations with the USA
British PM Disraeli: Colonies were
"millstones" around the neck of the
British Empire
Britain did all it could to advance
the cause of BNA union in the mid1860s