Chapter 17-2 Reading Guide: War Affects Society

What is conscription?

A law that required men to serve in the military or be drafted

What is a bounty?

A reward or cash payment given by a government

What is income tax?

A tax on earnings

What were Copperheads?

Abraham Lincoln's main political opponents; they favored peace with the South

How did discontent with the war affect the Confederate army?

Confederate soldiers began to leave the army in increasing numbers. By the end of the year, the Confederate army had lost nearly 40 percent of its men. Some of these men were on leave, but many others were deserters.

How did the principle of states' rights affect the Confederate states?

Faced with the difficulties of waging war, the Confederate states fell into disagreement. The same principle of states' rights that led them to break with the Union kept them from coordinating their war effort.

In what ways did the war affect the economy of the South?

Food shortages were very common in the South, partly because so many farmers were fighting in the Confederate army. Another problem, especially in the South, was inflation.

Describe the Union's conscription policies.

Like the Confederacy, the Union allowed draftees to hire substitutes. However, the North also offered $300 bounties, or cash payments, to men who volunteered to serve.

How did President Lincoln deal with opponents of the war?

Lincoln had protesters arrested. He also suspended the writ of habeas corpus, which prevents the government from holding citizens without a trial.

Who were the Copperheads?

Lincoln's main opponents were the Copperheads, Northern Democrats who favored peace with the South.

How were prisoners of war treated in the North? In the South?

One of the worst prison camps in the North was in Elmira, New York. Perhaps the hardest feature of a prisoner's life at the camp was the New York winter. In one year, more than 24 percent of Elmira's 12,121 prisoners died of sickness and exposure to severe weather. Conditions were also horrible in the South. The camp with the worst reputation was at Andersonville, Georgia. Build to hold 10,000 prisoners, at one point it housed 33,000. Inmates had little shelter from the heat or cold. Most slept in holes scratched in the dirt. Drinking water came from one tiny creek that also served as a sewer. As many as 100 men per day died at Andersonville from starvation, disease, and exposure.

In what ways did women help the war effort?

Other social changes came about because of the thousands of women who served on the front lines as volunteer workers and nurses. Relief agencies put women to work washing clothes, gathering supplies, and cooking food for soldiers. Women also played a key role as spies in both the North and the South.

What were the short-term and long-term effects of war production in the North?

Overall, war production boosted Northern industry and fueled the economy. In the short term, this gave the North an economic advantage over the South. In the long term, industry would begin to replace farming as the basis of the national economy.

What is a greenback?

Paper currency issued by the federal government during the Civil War

Describe the Confederate's conscription policies.

The Confederates had been drafting soldiers since the spring of 1862. By 1863, all able-bodied white men between the ages of 18 and 45 were required to join the army. However, there were a number of exceptions. Planters who owned 20 or more slaves could avoid military service. In addition, wealthy men could hire substitutes to serve in their place.

How did slaves damage the Southern economy and sabotage the war effort?

To hurt the Southern economy, slaves slowed their pace of work or stopped working altoghter. Some carried out sabotage, destroying crops and farm equipment to hurt the plantation economy. When white planters fled advancing Union armies, slaves often refused to go along. They stayed behind, waiting for Union soldiers to free them. Some enslaved people even rose up in rebellion against their overseers.

Who was Clara Barton and what was her impact?

Trained as a schoolteacher, Clara Barton was working for the government when the Civil War began. She organized a relief agency to help with the war effort. She also made food for soldiers at camp and tended to the wounded and dying on the battlefield. After the war, Barton founded the American Red Cross.

What caused the draft riots in New York?

The draft was extremely unpopular. In July 1863, anger over the draft and simmering racial tensions led to the New York City draft riots.

Why did poor Southerners complain that the Civil War was "a rich man's war but a poor man's fight"?

The fact that wealthy men could avoid service caused poor Southerners to complain that it was a "rich man's war but a poor man's fight."

How did the Civil War affect the role of women in society?

With so many men away at war, women in both the North and the South assumed increased responsibilities. Women plowed fields and ran farms and plantations. They also took over jobs in offices and factories that had previously been done by only men.