Download Politics during the Civil War

Politics during the Civil War
The Expanding Presidency
Union Politics
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Lincoln’s Cabinet
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William Seward: Secretary of State, kept
England and France out of the war.
Salmon Chase: Treasury Secretary, leading
abolitionist, eventually place on the Supreme
Court.
Edwin Stanton: Secretary of War, “War
Democrat”
Border State Crisis
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Lincoln:
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must keep border states in the nation.
Declares martial law in Maryland.
 Troops sent to West Virginia and Missouri
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Must attract mountain whites or keep them
neutral.
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50,000 join the Union army (W.Va).
The Public Lincoln
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Public statements had to cater to Border States
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Primary purpose of war was to preserve the Union at
all costs.
Declared Union not fighting to end slavery
Aug. 22, 1862 letter to Horace Greeley: “My paramount
object is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy
slavery…If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do
it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it, and if I
could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do
that.”
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Antislavery statements would have led to
insurrection in the border states.
Emancipation Proclamation
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Lincoln knows
announcement can
lead to Border state
revolt.
Decides keeping
Europe out more
important.
European Diplomacy
Aristocracies support Confederate cause.
France
England
Austria-Hungary
(Except Russia)
Why did King Cotton Fail?
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1861=oversupply of cotton
Working class England and France hated slavery
and influenced their governments.
By 1863 cotton supplies run low but Lincoln had
issued the Emancipation
Captured cotton shipped by North during the
war
Northern grain fed England during bad harvests
England’s economy boomed lowering
unemployment.
British Diplomacy
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Officially Neutral
Trent Affair
Naval Base
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CSS Alabama
Charles Francis
Adams
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Laird Rams
French Diplomacy
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Napoleon III openly hostile to Union
1863 enthroned Maximilian as Emperor of
Mexico
US cautious, does not want to widen the
war
Domestic Politics
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Homestead Act
of 1862
Morrill Land
Grant Act 1862
Pacific Railway
Act 1863
Expanding the Presidency
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Motive: Lincoln
felt saving Union
more important
than following
the Constitution.
Congress
generally agreed.
Bending the Rules
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Lincoln declares
blockade
Increases the size
of the army and
navy
Extended
enlistments to
three years
Suspended writ of
habeas corpus
More Bending
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Arranged for “supervised” elections
Shut down opposition newspapers, arrested editors
Signed a bill outlawing slavery which conflicted with
Dred Scott decision.
Confederate Politics
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States’ Rights limited
Jefferson Davis’ power.
CSA: created by secession
therefore it could not deny
future secession
Davis almost impeached
Davis a poor politician
Relied on “King Cotton”
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April 14, 1865 Ford’s
Theater by John
Wilkes Booth.
Dooms the South to
worse punishment
Assassination