🦬US History – Before 1865 Unit 11 – The Civil War

Key Events and Timeline

• 1820: Missouri Compromise reached to maintain balance between free and slave states
• 1831: Nat Turner's Rebellion, a major slave uprising in Virginia, intensifies tensions
• 1850: Compromise of 1850 enacted to address issues of slavery in new territories
  • Included Fugitive Slave Act, requiring return of escaped slaves to owners
• 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, allowing popular sovereignty to determine slavery in new territories
  • Led to violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas"
• 1857: Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court decision denies citizenship rights to African Americans
• 1859: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, attempting to incite a slave rebellion
• 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected as president, prompting southern states to secede
• 1861: Confederate States of America formed and Fort Sumter attacked, marking the beginning of the Civil War
• 1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued, freeing slaves in Confederate states
  • Union victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg mark turning points in the war
• 1865: Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders at Appomattox Court House, ending the Civil War
  • President Abraham Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth

Major Causes and Tensions

• Slavery and its expansion into new territories a central issue dividing the nation
  • Abolitionists in the North sought to end slavery, while the South defended it as a way of life
• Economic differences between the industrializing North and agricultural South
  • The North favored tariffs to protect industries, while the South opposed them
• States' rights and the power of the federal government a major point of contention
  • Southern states argued for the right to secede and reject federal authority
• Cultural differences and stereotypes fueled animosity between regions
• Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe increased anti-slavery sentiment in the North
• Bleeding Kansas and the Sumner-Brooks incident in Congress heightened tensions
• Election of Abraham Lincoln, seen as an anti-slavery candidate, as the final trigger for southern secession

Key Figures and Their Roles

• Abraham Lincoln: 16th U.S. President, led the Union during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation
• Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War
• Robert E. Lee: Confederate General, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, and skilled military strategist
• Ulysses S. Grant: Union General, commander of the Union Armies, and later 18th U.S. President
• Frederick Douglass: Former slave, prominent abolitionist, and advocate for African American rights
• William Lloyd Garrison: Abolitionist and founder of the anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator
• Harriet Tubman: Former slave, abolitionist, and conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom
• Harriet Beecher Stowe: Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, an influential anti-slavery novel

Military Strategies and Battles

• Union adopted the Anaconda Plan, a strategy to blockade southern ports and control the Mississippi River
  • Aimed to strangle the Confederate economy and divide the South
• Confederacy employed a defensive strategy, capitalizing on interior lines and familiar terrain
• Battle of Fort Sumter (April 1861): Confederate forces attacked the federal fort in Charleston Harbor, marking the start of the Civil War
• First Battle of Bull Run (July 1861): Confederate victory near Manassas, Virginia, shattering hopes of a quick Union win
• Battle of Shiloh (April 1862): Bloody battle in Tennessee, Union victory but with heavy casualties on both sides
• Battle of Antietam (September 1862): Bloodiest single-day battle in American history, a tactical draw but a strategic Union victory
  • Prompted Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
• Battle of Gettysburg (July 1863): Decisive Union victory in Pennsylvania, turning point of the war in the East
• Siege of Vicksburg (May-July 1863): Union capture of the Mississippi River stronghold, splitting the Confederacy
• Sherman's March to the Sea (November-December 1864): Union campaign through Georgia, devastating the Confederate heartland

Political and Social Impact

• Emancipation Proclamation changed the purpose of the war to include ending slavery
  • Encouraged African Americans to join the Union cause, with nearly 200,000 serving
• Gettysburg Address redefined the war as a struggle for equality and democracy
• Suspension of habeas corpus and other civil liberties in the North sparked controversy
• Confederate government struggled with states' rights issues and opposition to centralized authority
• Women took on new roles, including nursing, factory work, and managing households
• Copperheads in the North opposed the war and called for peace negotiations
• Draft riots in New York City (1863) revealed class and racial tensions
• Assassination of Abraham Lincoln (April 1865) left the nation in shock and altered the course of Reconstruction

Economic Consequences

• Severe economic strain on both the Union and Confederacy due to the cost of the war
• Union economy benefited from industrialization, government contracts, and western expansion
  • Morrill Tariff (1861) protected northern industries
• Confederate economy suffered from blockade, inflation, and shortage of resources
  • Cotton diplomacy failed to secure European intervention
• Destruction of southern infrastructure and property during the war
• Emancipation of slaves transformed the southern labor system and economy
• National Banking Acts (1863, 1864) created a uniform currency and banking system
• Transcontinental Railroad (completed 1869) facilitated western expansion and economic integration

Aftermath and Reconstruction

• Reconstruction era (1865-1877) aimed to rebuild the South and grant civil rights to freed slaves
  • 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments abolished slavery, granted citizenship, and protected voting rights
• Freedmen's Bureau established to assist former slaves with education, healthcare, and legal matters
• President Andrew Johnson's lenient policies towards the South led to conflict with Radical Republicans in Congress
• Reconstruction Acts (1867) divided the South into military districts and required states to ratify the 14th Amendment
• Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups used violence and intimidation against African Americans and their supporters
• Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction, withdrawing federal troops from the South and ushering in the Jim Crow era

Legacy and Historical Significance

• The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history, with over 600,000 soldiers killed
• Ended slavery in the United States, but failed to ensure full equality for African Americans
  • Jim Crow laws and segregation persisted well into the 20th century
• Demonstrated the strength of the federal government and the indivisibility of the Union
• Accelerated industrialization and westward expansion in the United States
• Highlighted the role of women and African Americans in the war effort and society
• Reconstruction amendments laid the foundation for future civil rights movements
• Memory of the war and its heroes shaped regional identities and politics for generations
  • Debates over the war's causes, symbols, and legacy continue to the present day