AHAP: The Civil War (1861-1865)

North's 1 Economic Advantages

(1)North controlled most of the banking and capital of the country, most of the factories, manufactured goods, railroads, and farmlands.

North's 2 Military Advantages

(1)North had 4 times more population. Also with immigrants and freed African Americans, they had a lot more troops. (2)North could count on a loyal US Navy, which gave it command of the rivers and territorial waters.

North's Political Advantage

(1)North had a well-established central government. Both democrats and republicans had politicians that supported the war.

South's 1 Economic Advantage

(1)Oversees demand for cotton would bring recognition and financial aid. Outside help is essential for independence to be successful.

What were the consequences of the Empancipation Proclamation?

(1)Slavery in border states were allowed to continue. (2)Enlarged purpose of the war. Union armies were fighting against secession, rebellion, and slavery. (3)With each advance of northern troops into the South, more slaves were liberated.

South's 4 Military Advantages

(1)South only had to fight a defensive war to win, while the North had to conquer a large area. (2)South had to move troops and supplies a shorter distance. (3)Southhad a long indented coastline that was difficult to blockade. (4)South had experienced military leaders and high troops morale.

South's 1 Political Disadvantage

(1)South thought that in order to win the war, they would need a strong central government with strong public support. They had neither.

Confiscation acts

(First Confiscation Act) - authorized the confiscation of any Confederate property by Union forces ("property" included slaves). (Second Confiscation Act) - any confederate who lived in an area occupied by Union forces that did not surrender within 60 days would have their slaves freed.

Why did Britain not give the Confederacy recognition?

(1)By the time shortage of cotton hit the British textile industry, adequate shipments of cotton began arriving from Egypt and India. (2) No decisive victory at Antietam (3) By making the end of slavery an objective in the North, Lincoln appealed to the majority of the British, who wanted antislavery.

When did the Civil War start?

April 12,1861. Fort Sumter.

Shiloh

A Confederate army under Albert Johnston surprised Grant at Shiloh, Tennessee, but the Union army held its ground and forced the Confederate army to retreat with terrible losses.

Alabama

A Confederate commerce-raider that did serious harm to US merchant ships. One of them, the Alabama, captured over 60 vessels before being sunk.

Ex Parte Milligan (1866)

A case after the war, where the Supreme Court ruled that the government had acted improperly in Indiana where, during the war, certain civilians had been subject to a military trial instead of a civilian trial.

Sherman's March

A pioneer in the tactics of total warfare, General Sherman led 100,000 men on a campaign of mass destruction through the South. They destroyed everything in their path. The march helped break the will of the Confederacy and destroyed its will to fight on.

Winfield Scott

General-in-Chief who devised a three-part strategy for winning the war. (1)Anaconda Plan (2)Divide the Confederacy in two by taking control of the Mississippi River (3)Raise and train an army of 500,000 to take Richmond. All three aspects were important in achieving a Northern victory.

second American Revolution

AKA the effects of the Civil War. Even though the Civil War destroyed slavery and devastated the southern economy, it also acted as a catalyst to transform America into a complex modern industrial society of capital, technology, national organizations, and large corporations. During the war, Republicans enacted the probusiness Whig program that was designed to stimulate the industrial and commercial growth of the United Sates.

George McClellan

Commander of the Union army in the East. He insisted that his troops be given time to train. Finally after many delays that sorely tested Lincoln's patience, his army invaded Virginia. The Union army was stopped by Robert E. Lee and he was forced to retreat. He was replaced by General John Pope.

Empancipation Proclamation

After Battle of Antietam, Lincoln freed all slaves living in states in rebellion. Authorized the recruitment of freed slaves as Union soldiers.

Alexander H. Stephens

Vice President of the Confederacy. Defended states' rights (not centralization)

Second Battle of Bull Run

After George McClellan was replaced by General John Pope, Lee took advantage of Pope's army in northern Virginia. He tricked Pope and sent the Union army backward to Bull Run.

election of 1864

Democrats, who chose General George McClellan, called for peace and had wide appeal among millions of voters who had grown weary of the war. The Republicans, who renamed their party the Unionist party, chose Lincoln and Andrew Johnson as vice president. Lincoln won.

Thomas (Stonewall) Jackson

During the First Battle of Bull Run, just as the Union forces seemed close to victory, Stonewall Jackson counter attacked and sent the inexperienced Union forces back to Washington.

Antietam

After Second Battle of Bull Run, Lee led his army across the Potomac River and into Maryland(enemy territory). He hoped that a major Confederate victory would convince Britain to support the South. McClellan (he had been restored) knew Lee's plan and intercepted the Confederates at Antietam Creek. Here, the bloodiest single day of combat in the entire war took place. 22,000 killed or wounded. Because McClellan did not pursue Lee's retreating and weakened army, Lincoln replaced him again.

13th Amendment

An amendment that abolished slavery.

Why was Antietam a set back for the Confederates?

Because the Confederates had not won, they failed to gain open recognition and aid from a foreign power. Lincoln used the partial triumph of Union arms to announce plans for the Emancipation Proclamation.

Robert E. Lee

Commander of the South's eastern forces. His brilliant tactical moves allowed him to defeat McClellan's army and protect Virginia.

First Battle of Bull Run

Federal forces attacked Confederate troops at Bull Run Creek, Virginia. Confederates won. This battle ended the illusion of a short war and promoted the myth that the Rebels were invincible in battle.

Why was Lincoln reluctant to push for Emancipation of slaves?

He did not want to alienate the Unionists in the border states.

How did Lincoln use his power as president?

He used it to the fullest of its limits, even exceeding or breaking the rules. Executive Power.

Why was Lincoln hesitant to free the slaves?

He was concerned about(1) keeping the support of the border states, (2) the constitutional protections of slavery, (3) the prejudices of many northerners, and (4) the fear that premature action could be overturned in the next election.

The Constitution of the Confederate States of America

It increased the term for presidency and gave the president vice president power to veto items. Congress not have power to levy a protective tariff or appropriate funds for internal improvements. It prohibited slave trade.

What did the improved weaponry do?

It took more lives and generals were slow to learn this. It took the romance out of heroic charges against entrenched positions.

Ulysses S. Grant

Led North's campaign of the Mississippi River. He used a combination of gunboats and army maneuvers to capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River (a branch of the Miss. River). They were stunning victories, which opened up the state of Mississippi to Union attack.

Gettysburg

Lee lead his army in Union territory (Maryland and Pennsylvania). He attacked Union units at Gettysburg in southern Pennsylvania. This was the most crucial and bloodiest battle in the war. Lee hoped the North would call for peace or at least gain territory for the South. Lee's army was defeated, never to regain the offensive.

Appomattox Court House

Lee tried to retreat from Richmond with a small army, but was cut off and forced to surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House.

How did Grant lead the Union army?

Lincoln made Grant the commander of all the Union armies. Grant's plan was simply to outlast Lee's army. Although Grant suffered greater losses, by never letting up, Grant succeeded in reducing Lee;s army in each battle. In the final stage of the Civil War, it became a "total" war against civilians as well as soldiers.

Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

Lincoln rallied Americans to the idea that their nation was dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. He said the war brought "a new birth of freedom."

Executive Power

Lincoln reacted quickly after Forth Sumter without Congress's approval. He (1) called for volunteers to put down the "insurrection" in the South, (2) authorized spending for the war (3)suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.

How did war impact the North's economy?

On the negative side, workers' wages did not keep pace with inflation. Oppositely, the war accelerated the modern industrial economy and placed a premium on mass production and sped up the North's manufacturing business.

Vicksburg

One of the turning points of the war. In the west, the Union objective of securing complete control of the Mississippi River was close to finished when Grant began bombing Vicksburg Mississippi. After seven weeks, the Confederacy surrendered. Federal warships now controlled the full length of the Mississippi, dividing the Confederacy in half.

Fort Sumter

One of the two forts in the South that were held by federal troops but claimed by a seceded state. Southern control cut off vital supplies and reinforcements. Lincoln sent provisions of food, giving South the option of beginning war. When the South attacked, it signaled the start of the Civil War.

How long did Northerners think the war would last?

Only a few weeks. They were optimistic that they would take the Confederate capital swiftly.

Anaconda Plan

Part of Winfield Scott's three-part strategy for winning the war. It was to use the US navy to blockade southern ports and thereby cut off essential supplies from reaching the South.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederacy. He tried to increase his executive powers during the war, but southern governors resisted attempts at centralization.

Fredricksburg

Replacing McClellan was the aggressive General Ambrose Burnside. He attacked Lee's army at Fredericksburg, Virginia, and suffered immense losses compared to Confederates.

draft riots

Riots that resulted from the first Conscription Act that made all men between 20 and 45 liable for military service, but allowed to avoid getting drafted by finding a substitute or paying a fee. This provoked riots among the poor. Irish American mobs attacked blacks and wealthy whites. They feared that when they returned, their jobs would be taken by African Americans.

What were the political changes after the war?

Secession of the southern states had created Republican majorities. There were sharp difference between the Republicans. The radical faction wanted immediate abolition, which the moderate faction were Free-Soilers, who wanted economic opportunities for whites. Most Democrats supported the war. Peace Democrats and Copperheads opposed the war and wanted to negotiate peace. After the war, supremacy of the federal government over the states was treated as an established fact. Also, abolition gave new meaning to the concept of American democracy. Advanced the cause of Democratic government in the US.

laird rams

Ships with iron rams. After learning that the Confederacy had arranged to purchase these, the US minister to Britain, Charles Francis Adams, persuaded the British government to cancel sale rather than risk war with the US.

Border States

Slaveholding states that might have seceded, but remained in the Union. They were Delaware, Maryland, Missouri, and Kentucky.

What did the South's hope for securing independence hinge on?

The Confederates expected that cotton would prove to be "king" and get the support from either Britain or France. British industrialists and British aristocracy wanted the American democratic experiment to breakup. The North knew it was critically important that the South did not get support.

Monitor and Merrimac

The Merrimac was a Confederate iron clad ship that could attack and sink the Union's wooden ships almost at will. The Union navy countered with the Monitor. They fought in a duel, which ended in a draw. Not only did the Monitor save the Anaconda plan, it also signaled the end of wooden sailing ships and revolutionized the future of naval warfare.

How did the North finance the war?

The North borrowed money through government bonds. They raised tariffs, adding excise taxes, and instituting the first income tax. Also used greenbacks.

What difficulties did the South face toward the end of the war?

The effects of the Union blockade, Sherman's march of destruction, and widespread hunger through much of the South.

What was the effect on women's social statue after the war?

The field of nursing was open to women for the first time. Responsibilities undertaken by women gave impetus to the movement to obtain equal voting rights for women. (suffrage)

Why were the border states important for the North?

Their loss would have increased the Confederate population by more than 50% and also would have severely weakened the North's strategic position for conducting the war.

How was the Confederacy financially?

They always faced a shortage of money. They tried loans, income taxes, impressment of private property, but these only generated a little revenue. Government forced to print paper money, which caused severe inflation.

How did the federal army do after the First Battle of Bull Run?

They experienced a succession of crushing defeats as they attempted various campaigns in Virginia, each less successful than the one before.

How did women contribute to the Civil War?

They stepped in to fill the labor vacuum created by the war. They also played a critical role as military nurses.

greenbacks

To finance the war, the US Treasury issued Greenbacks, which was paper money that could NOT be redeemed in gold, a fact that contributed to inflation. Prices in the North rose by 80%. To manage the revenue moving in and out of the Treasury, Congress created a National Banking system in 1863.

David Farragut

Under Farragut, the Union navy captured New Orleans, complementing Grant's drive down the Mississippi.

Trent Affair

When two Confederate diplomats were traveling to England on a British steamer, a Union warship stopped the ship and removed the two diplomats. Britain threatened war over the incident. Lincoln eventually gave in to British demands. But after again setting sail to Europe, the two diplomats failed to obtain full recognition.

John Wilkes Booth

an embittered actor and southern sympathizer who shot and killed the president while he was attending a performance in Ford's Theater in Washington.

Pacific Railway Act (1862)

authorized the building of a transconti- nental railroad over a northern route in order to link the economies of California and the western territories with the eastern states.

Morril Land Grant Act (1862)

encouraged states to use the sale of federal land grants to maintain agricultural and technical colleges.

Copperheads

opposed the war and wanted to negotiate peace. They were pro-Confederacy.

Homestead Act (1862)

promoted settlement of the Great Plains by offering parcels of 160 acres of public land free to whatever person or family would farm that land for at least five years.

Morrill Tariff Act (1861)

raised tariff rates to increase revenue and protect American manufacturers. Its passage initiated a Republican program of high protective tariffs to help industrialists.

Habeas Corpus

requires that a person under arrest be bought in front of a judge or in court. Lincoln suspended it after the start of the Civil War. He insisted that he needed to suspend the rules in order to put down the rebellion in the south.

Insurrection

violent uprising against an authority or government. Fort Sumter.