American History: A Survey Chapter 14: The Civil War

American History: A Survey Chapter 14: The Civil War

Northern Reactions to Secession Northern response: confused and indecisive Lincoln: physically speaking, we can t separate Crittenden Compromise: called for a guarantee of the permanent existence of slavery in the slave states, and tried to reestablish the Missouri Compromise line in all present and future territory of the U.S.

Fort Sumter The choices presented to Lincoln by Fort Sumter are all bad (he can t afford to seem too weakkneed or too forceful). But Lincoln is able to turn a tactical defeat into a calculated victory.

The Crucial Border States The Border States: Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri (and later West Virginia) (If the North fired the first shot, some or all of these states probably would have seceded, and the South may have ultimately succeeded Lincoln declares martial law in Maryland (so as not to cut of Washington from the North) Lincoln declared publicly that he was not fighting to free the slaves (this would have driven the border states to the South), but insisted he was trying to save the Union

The First Modern War The American Civil War is often called the first modern war. Never before had mass armies confronted each other on the battlefield with the deadly weapons created by the industrial revolution. Few recruits had any military experience. Ideas about war were highly romantic, based on novels and magazine articles. Neither the soldiers nor their officers were prepared for the way technology had transformed warfare (ironclads revolutionized naval warfare, telegraph revolutionized communications, other innovations include observation balloons, primitive hand grenades, submarines, and more modern rifles, etc). The 620,000 who perished in the war represent more than 6 million men in terms of today s population.

Merrimack/Monitor Both ironclads fought to a standstill.

Mobilizing Resources Key Concept 5.3 (IA) Another modern feature of the Civil War was that both sides were assisted by a vast propaganda effort to mobilize public opinion. The outbreak of the war found both sides unprepared. In 1861, there was no national railroad gauge, no national banking system, no tax system, not even accurate maps. Purchasing and distributing food, weapons, and supplies was problematic. (The Union army eventually became the best-fed and best-supplied military force in history). Each side tried to find ways to maximize its advantages. Both sides would impose the draft (conscription).

A New Financial System Key Concept 5.3 (IA) The need to pay for the war produced dramatic changes in financial policy. To raise money, the Union government increased the tariff to unprecedented heights (thus promoting the further growth of northern industry), enacted the nation s first income tax, borrowed heavily, and printed more than $400 million worth of paper money, called greenbacks, to be declared legal tender (money that must be accepted for nearly all public and private payments and debts). Taken together, the Union s economic policies vastly increased the power and size of the federal government. While much of this expansion proved temporary, the government would never return to its weak and fragmented condition of the prewar period.

Other Republican Economic Policies Key Concept 5.3 (IA) The Republican-controlled Congress enacted other programs that far surpassed Henry Clay s American System. To boost agricultural output, they offered the Homestead Act (1862) to settlers, giving 160 acres of public land after five years of residence. A nationally financed transportation system was implemented, giving charters to the Union Pacific and Central Pacific companies to build a transcontinental railroad line (while granting them lavish subsidies).

Women and the Civil War Key Concept 5.3 (IA) For many northern women, the conflict opened new doors of opportunity. Women took advantage of the wartime labor shortage to move into jobs in factories and into certain largely male professions, particularly nursing. Clara Barton: founder of American Red Cross Dorothea Dix: helped transform nursing into a respected position Sally Tompkins: was awarded the rank of captain by Confederate president Jefferson Davis Women in the South generally took over the plantations while their husbands were away at war.

Northern Advantages and Disadvantages Key Concept 5.3 (IC) ADVANTAGES Larger population, greater manpower reserve Advanced industrial system, more diversified economy Greater resources, able to manufacture almost all its own war materials Better transportation system and control of the sea Military leadership improves as the war goes on DISADVANTAGES Fighting within the South Longer lines of communication Northern public opinion about the war was more divided

Southern Advantages and Disadvantages Key Concept 5.3 (IC) ADVANTAGES South fighting a defensive war on its own land, familiarity with territory Fighting for selfdetermination and preservation of a way of life Most talented officers Better soldiers DISADVANTAGES Almost no industry Had to rely on imports from Europe throughout the war Railroad system steadily deteriorated Economy not diversified (states rights supporters)

General Robert E. Lee Key Concept 5.3 (IC) Robert E. Lee, the leading southern commander, was a brilliant battlefield tactician who felt confident of his ability to fend off attacks by larger Union forces. He hoped that a series of defeats would weaken the North s resolve and lead it eventually to abandon the conflict and recognize southern independence.

The North Economic Characteristics Banking Shipping Insurance Small and large business ownership Some agriculture both subsistence and commercial farming Wage laborers Political Objectives A tariff, a tax on imports to protect the North s growing industries Federal aid in the development of infrastructure A loose immigration policy to provide cheap labor Availability of free or cheap land in the West for settlement and investment

The South Economic Characteristics Dependent on the plantation system, the center of economic, political, cultural, and social life in the South Slave labor Majority of white population is subsistence farming Small urban, middle class Political Objectives Low tariffs because of the planter class s dependence on trade with Britain cotton in return for consumer goods The expansion of slavery for political, economic, and ideological reasons Opposition to a cheap public land policy

Dethroning King Cotton Southerners thought that Europeans would intervene on their behalf because of their dependence on American cotton. (Great Britain adopted the policy of remaining neutral, while permitting limited aid to the Confederates). While Europe s ruling class was sympathetic to the Confederate cause, their working class was not. However: Britain had a surplus of cotton for a while The wage slaves of Britain were not going to demand a war to defend the slave-owners King Wheat and King Corn replaced King Cotton

Limitations on Wartime Civil Liberties Lincoln swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, then tore a few holes in it. Lincoln proclaimed a blockade of Southern ports (when Congress was not in session/the Supreme Court upheld this decision) He increased the size of the Federal army (something only Congress can do) He suspended the writ of habeas corpus (you must be presented before the court to examine the legality of your arrest) so that anti-unionists could be arrested He arranged for supervised voting in the Border States

Military Strategies of the North and South NORTH Blockade the coasts Liberate the slaves Seize control of the Mississippi River Divide and conquer SOUTH Fight defensively and wait for the North to tire of war (wage a war of attrition against the North) Win some major battles and have Britain and France assist against the North

The North s Anaconda Plan and the role of sea power during the Civil War (Not until late in the war did the blockade become effective.)

Antietam (1862): A Turning Point Key Concept 5.3 (IC) The bloodiest single day s fighting of the war, Antietam was more or less a draw militarily. But it was one of the decisive engagements of the Civil War. Jefferson Davis was perhaps never again so near victory as on that day. The British and French were on the verge of diplomatic mediation, but both nations cooled off after Antietam. Also, Antietam was the longawaited victory that Lincoln needed for launching his Emancipation Proclamation.

Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 What it did do/what it didn t do Key Concept 5.3 (IB) While the Emancipation Proclamation did not actually free any slaves immediately, it was, nonetheless, a powerful symbol of freedom and equality. Not only did the Proclamation demonstrate that the underlying purpose of the war was now a moral one, but also it helped motivate countless people of color to help the Union side.

The Emancipation Proclamation Key Concept 5.3 (IB) The document did not liberate all the slaves indeed, on the day it was issued, it applied to very few. Because its legality derived from the president s authority as military commanderin-chief to combat the South s rebellion, the Proclamation exempted areas firmly under Union control (where the war, in effect, had already ended). Thus, it did not apply to the loyal border slave states that had never seceded or to areas of the Confederacy occupied by Union soldiers. But the vast majority of the South s slaves it declared free. Since most of these slaves were still behind Confederate lines, however, their liberation would have to await Union victories. But by making the Union army an agent of emancipation and wedding the goals of Union and abolition, the Proclamation sounded the eventual death knell of slavery.

The Emancipation Proclamation (continued ) Key Concept 5.3 (IB) Not only did the Emancipation Proclamation alter the nature of the Civil War and the course of American history, but it also represented a turning point in Lincoln s own thinking. It contained no reference to compensation to slave-holders or to colonization of the freed people. For the first time, it committed the government to enlisting black soldiers in the Union army. The Civil War, which was begun to preserve the prewar Union, now portended a far-reaching transformation in southern life and a redefinition of American freedom. Decoupling emancipation from colonization meant that a new system of labor, politics, and race relations would have to replace the shattered institution of slavery.

Turning Points: Vicksburg and Gettysburg Key Concept 5.3 (IC) Vicksburg: (1863) the Union defeats two Confederate armies and seizes control of the entire Mississippi River Valley. Gettysburg: (1863) This was a crucial battle of the Civil War. Lee hoped that an invasion of the North would relieve the Union threat to Richmond and enable the Confederate army to supply itself from the rich Pennsylvania countryside. But Lee was forced to retreat to Virginia, and the Confederacy was never again able to threaten Northern territory.

Battle of Gettysburg Key Concept 5.3 (IC)

The Divided North Key Concept 5.3 (IA) As the war progressed, it heightened existing social tensions and created new ones. Workers resented manufacturers and financiers who reaped large profits while their own real incomes dwindled because of inflation. Laborers and farmers on both sides angrily complained that this was a rich man s war and a poor man s fight. On occasion, dissent degenerated into outright violence. In July 1863, the introduction of the draft provoked four days of rioting in New York City.

The Divided South Key Concept 5.3 (IA) Like the Union, the Confederacy borrowed heavily to finance the war. Unlike the north, however, the planter-dominated Confederate Congress proved unwilling to levy heavy taxes that planters would have to pay. The South, like the North, also issued paper money. True to its states rights philosophy, the Confederacy initially left most matters to the state governments. The Confederate Congress authorized the military to seize farm goods to supply the army, paying with increasingly worthless Confederate money. Small farmers deeply resented this practice. Food riots erupted. Many families whom had gone to war to preserve their economic independence sank into poverty and debt. Desertion became problematic.

Ulysses S. Grant Key Concept 5.3 (IC) As African Americans bolstered the army s ranks, Lincoln finally found a ruthless commanding general. In 1864, Lincoln placed Grant in charge of all Union armies; from then on, the president determined overall strategy and Grant implemented it.

Sherman s March to the Sea Key Concept 5.3 (IC) During his 300-mile March to the Sea, Sherman s army consumed or demolished everything in its path. The havoc so demoralized Confederate soldiers that many deserted their units and returned home.

Sherman s March to the Sea Key Concept 5.3 (IC)

Devastation of the South Key Concept 5.3 (IC) fighting wreaked havoc on Southern economy inadequate railroad system nearly destroyed valuable farmland ruined blockades eventually caused shortages of nearly everything inflation creates even more instability Angered by slave-owners exemptions from military service, ordinary southern farmers repudiated the draft

Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

Chapter 14 Summary The Civil War laid the foundation for modern America, guaranteeing the Union s permanence, destroying slavery, and shifting power in the nation from the South to the North (and, more specifically, from slave-owning planters to northern capitalists). It dramatically increased the power of the federal government and accelerated the modernization of the northern economy. And it placed on the postwar agenda the challenge of defining and protecting African-American freedom. Paradoxically, both sides lost something they had gone to war to defend. Slavery was the cornerstone of the Confederacy, but the war led inexorably to slavery s destruction. In the North, the war hastened the transformation of Lincoln s America the world of free labor, of the small shop and independent farmer into an industrial giant.

The battle at Antietam is considered a decisive moment in the Civil War for all of the following reasons EXCEPT (A) the display of Union military might kept France and England from attempting to intervene. (B) it gave Lincoln the confidence to write the Emancipation Proclamation. (C) it marked the advent of ironclad ships. (D) it changed the character and goals of the war.

Discussion Questions 1. Do you feel that the grievances of the South in 1860 were sufficiently strong to justify secession? Argue both sides. 2. If the Civil War was inevitable, when did it become inevitable? Where was the point of no return? 3. What would have happened if General Lee had captured Washington in 1862 or 1863? 4. Compare and contrast the secession of the thirteen colonies in 1776 with the secession of the eleven states in 1860-1861.