Download Underlying Causes of the Civil War

Underlying Causes of the Civil
War
 The primary underlying cause of the Civil
War was the issue of slavery, brought into
focus by continued American expansion
 The secondary underlying cause of the
Civil War was the issue of “states’ rights” was the United States one and inseparable,
or merely a confederation of independent
states (The Southern View, even today)
Underlying Causes of the Civil
War - Slavery
 The South’s “Peculiar Institution,” and the
foundation of her economy
 Led to increasing political and economic
isolation - the South against the alliance of
North and West
 A moral abomination
Slavery - 1860
Slavery
Underlying Causes of the Civil
War - States’ Rights
 An issue unresolved by the Constitutional
Convention
 The call for secession (dissolution of the
Union) had appeared before
•
•
•
•
1795 - Kentucky and Virginia Resolves
1814 - Hartford Convention
1820 - Debate over Missouri
1832 - Nullification Crisis
Immediate Causes of the Civil
War - Slavery
 Debate over the Compromise of 1850
 Unpopularity of the Fugitive Slave Act
 Increasing activity by Abolitionists after
1850 - the Underground Railroad
Immediate Causes of the Civil
War - Slavery
 Uncle Tom’s Cabin
 Dred Scott v. Sanford
• Slaves are property, and cannot sue
• The Federal Government cannot restrict the
ownership of property
• All laws doing so are unconstitutional
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Dred Scott
Immediate Causes of the Civil
War - Slavery
 The application of the doctrine of “popular
sovereignty” fails in Kansas and Nebraska,
resulting in open warfare by 1854.
 The Lincoln-Douglas debates focus the
issue in 1856
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
Immediate Causes of the Civil
War - Slavery
 Politicization of the Slavery Issue
• Republican Party formed in 1848,
dedicated to restriction of slavery from
the territories
• The Slavery Issue divides the Democratic
Party in 1860, resulting in a Republican
victory. The South secedes with Lincoln’s
election
Civil War Strategy
The Civil War - Key Battles in the
East
 October 1859 - John Brown’s Raid at
Harper’s Ferry
 12 April 1861 - Firing on Fort Sumter
 21 July 1861 - First Bull Run
 March through May 1862 - Peninsula
Campaign. Lee takes command
 19 Sep 1862 - Battle of Antietam leads to the
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation
 Most significant document of the American
Civil War
 Did not free a single slave in the North or
Border States, only in those areas still in
rebellion (the Confederacy)
 Eliminated any possibility of foreign
assistance to the Confederacy
 Changed the moral objective of the War
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Civil War - Key Battles in the
East (cont..)
 17 December 1862 - Fredericksburg
 3-5 May 1863 - Chancellorsville
 1-3 July 1863 - Gettysburg, the Turning Point
of the War in the east
 May 1864 until 9 April 1865 - Wilderness
Campaign, Siege of Petersburg, and
eventual surrender of Lee at Appomattox
Civil War – 1861 to 1862
The Civil War - Key Battles in the
West
 February 1862 - Forts Henry and Donelson
 6-7 April 1862 - Shiloh
 4 July 1863 - Fall of Vicksburg
 November 1863 - Chattanooga falls
 2 September 1864 - Atlanta falls
 November - December 1864 - Sherman’s
March to the Sea, then into North Carolina
Civil War – 1863 to 1865
The Civil War - Results
 Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth
at Ford’s Theater, 14 April 1865
 Over 627,000 dead
 The South totally destroyed
 The Union “saved”, slavery ended, but the
issues of equality remained unresolved
The Leaders
Union Generals
Union Generals
Confederate Generals
Confederate Generals
The Soldiers
The Soldiers
Casualties
Casualties
Columbia, SC
Charleston, SC
Richmond, VA
Atlanta, GA
Assassination
Execution of Conspirators
John Wilkes Booth