Download Name Date Period ______ Unit 8 Notes Part 1: Causes of the Civil

Name _______________________________ Date _______________ Period ______
Unit 8 Notes Part 1: Causes of the Civil War (Chapter 16 Section 1)
Essential Questions: What are the five causes of the Civil War? What was the new Southern nation called?
How did Texas get involved? Where did the war start?
Cause #1: Sectionalism
 Prior to the Civil War, the United States was not really ______________. Our country was more like
two ________________ countries sharing the same land.
o The ___________ had ___________________ (manufacturing), large cities, a diverse
population, and favored the politics of the __________________ party which supported the
abolition of slavery.
o The ___________ had an economy based on ___________________ (farming), a
plantation lifestyle, the views of the __________________ party, and supported the
institution of slavery.
 Southerners were especially loyal to their state, and their section of the country (i.e., the South). This
idea is called _________________________.
 The intense feelings of sectionalism further _________________ the country into two separate
sections – the North and the South.
Cause #2: Slavery
 Slavery was concentrated in the ___________ on large _______________ plantations. There were
__________ slaves in Texas in 1860. Only 5% of Texans owned slaves, because most people were
________.
 Slavery was a cause of the Civil War for two reasons:
o #1 – The South viewed slavery as a __________________ to maintaining their economic
wealth. Slaves has no rights and were considered ________________. However, many
people in the North viewed slavery as _________ and unconstitutional.
o #2 – Slavery was not just a moral issue but a ________________ issue as well. The North
feared the spread of slavery to new territories, which could cause an imbalance of power:
 If there were more __________ states in the U.S., then the South would have more
power in Congress.
 If there were more __________ states in the U.S., the North would have more power in
Congress.
 There was a growing movement of _______________________, or people who worked to end
slavery.
 Many Northerners who were against slavery joined the new ___________________ Party. They
were opposed by Southerners in the ___________________ Party that supported slavery.
Cause #3: States’ Rights
 _______________________ is the idea that each state had the right to determine whether or not
to follow federal laws.
 _____________________ supported states’ rights, as opposed to federal control.
o They believed they had the right to own ___________ and even _______________, or
withdraw, from the Union if they desired it.
o They argued that ____________________, or supreme power, rested in the states.
o They also felt that any federal tax __________________ the rights of the individual states.
 ______________________ did not support states’ rights.
o
o
They believed the ___________________ government had final power.
The federal government had the power to make _________ that applied to all states, including
imposing _________________ (a tax on trade).
Cause #4: Election of 1860
 There were two main candidates for ________________ of the U.S. in _____.
o _____________________ Party – Abraham Lincoln
o _____________________ Party – Stephen Douglas
 When ___________________________ won the presidential election of 1860, Southerners
believed that their rights would no longer be __________________.
 Southern leaders believed it was time to ________________, or withdraw, from the Union.
 As a result, ___ states immediately voted to withdraw from the Union.
 Many Texans urged Governor __________________________ to issue a call for a
______________________ to consider the secession of Texas.
Cause #5: Secession
 On January 28, 1861, Texas leaders met in Austin at the _____________________________
Convention. The delegates quickly adopted a decree called the Ordinance of Secession. This
____________________, or local law, declared that the U.S. government had abused its power and
Texas had the right to secede.
 On February 23, 1861, the people of Texas voted and approved secession. Texas became the _____
state to withdraw from the Union.
 At the _____________________ Convention, delegates from seceded states formed a new nation
called the ________________________________________.
o Under the Confederate _______________________, the states were given more power, and
the federal government was given less.
o They selected ________________________ as president of the CSA.
o A Texan, _________________________, became postmaster general.
 _________________ Sam Houston was opposed to secession. He was removed from his position
because he refused to take the ______ of allegiance to the Confederacy.
 Overall, ____ southern states seceded from the Union and joined the CSA.
 Abraham Lincoln viewed Southern secession as an unconstitutional act. He believed the Union was
_____________________, or continuing forever.
 On April 12, 1861, Southern troops attacked ________________________, a Union garrison off
the coast of Charleston, South Carolina. This was the first battle of the Civil War. No one was killed; as
this was a “bloodless opening to the bloodiest war in American history.”