[McDonough] American History - Crash Course #21

What was possibly the Confederacy's best chance at winning the war?

the Confederacy's best chance to win the Civil War was to get some kind of foreign patron, and Britain was the likeliest choice

In the end, how much did the war cost the Union?

Altogether, the total cost of the war for the Union was $6.7 billion.

Why was Britain the likeliest choice to support the South?

Britain was the likeliest choice to support the South because it was very dependent on Confederate textiles.

Why was it shrewd of Lincoln to make the war about slavery? Why would this keep Britain out of the war?

But as you'll remember from all those people going to Canada, Britain had already abolished slavery and it was the historic source of abolitionist sentiment, and so it was very shrewd of Lincoln to make the war about slavery.

How did Congress play a role in federalization as well? List all the examples given.

Congress played a role in federalization by passing the Homestead Act in 1862 that encouraged settlement of the west by basically giving away land to anyone who had $18 and was willing to live on it and farm it for five years. Congress also helped unify the country with the massive land grants in the Pacific Railway Act of 1862.

When did the Emancipation Proclamation take place? What did it proclaim?

Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863. This order freed all the slaves in territory currently rebelling against the United States, i.e. in areas where the U.S. government had no authority to free slaves.

How did Lincoln foster the idea that the Civil War was a kind of second American Revolution? Provide his quote from the Gettysburg Address.

In his famous Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln fostered the idea that the Civil War was a kind of second American Revolution, or at least a culmination and reaffirmation of the first one. "From these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

In order to finance the war, what did Congress pass?

In order to finance the Civil War, Congress passed the first progressive income tax in American history, as well as floating huge bond issues to the public.

What did Lincoln demand in order for the war to be brought to an end?

Lincoln continued the war to its conclusion and demanded that the end of slavery and the return of the Southern states to the Union be conditions for peace.

How did Abraham Lincoln increase the power of the executive?

Lincoln increased the power of the executive by ordering blockades and suspending habeas corpus, in addition to emancipating the slaves.

Why was Lincoln possibly forced to issue the Emancipation Proclamation?

Lincoln was basically forced to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, because until he did so, those contraband slaves were still technically property of their Southern masters, and the Union generals were breaking American laws by not returning them.

How did Matthew Brady and his staff change the way people view war during the Civil War?

Matthew Brady and his staff created some 10,000 images during the Civil War. It was the first time that an event had been photographically documented so thoroughly. This changed the way people viewed war during the Civil War.

What did Northern victory in the Civil War mean about the path the nation would follow?

Northern victory in the Civil War meant the United States would follow the path that the North laid down. It would become an industrial rather than agrarian nation, with a national government pre-eminent over those of individual states -- it would become a nation.

How did people often refer to America prior to and after the Civil War?

People stopped pluralizing the United States after the Civil War; they stopped saying, "The United States are a great place to live," and began saying, "The United States is a great place to live."

How did technology change battles towards the end of the Civil War? How?

Rifles and machine guns shifted the way that people fight. It became easier to defend a line, so cavalry charges and huge waves of attacks started to be just slaughtery.

How did many slaves actually free themselves? Where would runaway slaves seek safety?

Slaves actually freed themselves by running away to union lines and becoming "contrabands." They escaped and sought refuge with Union troops.

Which slaves were not freed by the Emancipation Proclamation?

Slaves were not freed in areas where the U.S. did have the authority to free slaves, the border states and some of the areas of the Confederacy that had been effectively conquered and occupied by federal troops.

What added bonus did the Proclamation have? How did this benefit the Union army?

The Emancipation Proclamation had the added bonus of encouraging more slaves to come over to the Union lines, many of whom joined the army, which eventually included about 180,000 former slaves and free black men. This benefited the Union army.

Why would the Proclamation be hard to enforce?

The Proclamation went into effect only in areas where the U.S. government had no authority to free slaves, therefore it would be hard to enforce.

What did the Thirteenth Amendment, which Lincoln pushed for, do?

The Thirteenth amendment ended slavery in the United States.

What would have shocked Thomas Jefferson about this new nation?

Thomas Jefferson could never have imagined the United States that emerged from the Civil War, a government that supported an army of a million men, carried a $2.5 billion national debt, distributed public lands, printed a national currency, and collected an array of internal taxes.

Which Founding Fathers' vision of America was realized by the end of the Civil War?

Ultimately, the Civil War was a victory for Alexander Hamilton's federalist vision of what America should be.

Besides selling bonds to the public, what else was created to finance the war? What "first" was this?

When selling bonds to the public wasn't enough, the administration began printing federal money on green paper called "greenbacks." These, along with notes issued by banks under the National Bank Act of 1863 became the first national currency in the United States.