[APUSH] Ch. 14
Pacific Railway Act 1862
authorized the building of a transcontinental railroad over a northern route in order to link the economies of California and the western territories with the eastern states.
Thomas ("Stonewall") Jackson
confederate general; in first battle at bull run sent the inexperienced Union troops in disorderly and panicky flight back to Washington
What factors/events kept Great Britain and France from actively supporting the CSA?
confederate raiders, trent affair
Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862
encouraged states to use the sale of federal land grants to maintain agricultural and technical colleges.
What was the significance of the 1st Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)?
ended the illusion of a short war and also promoted the myth that the Rebels were invincible in battle.
Copperheads
also opposed the war and wanted a negotiated peace; the most notable, Congressman Clement L. Vallandigham of Ohio, was briefly banished from the United States to Canada for his "treasonable," pro- Confederacy speeches against the war.
54th Massachusetts Regiment
an all-black unit of Union soldiers
How did Lincoln act during and directly after the attack on Fort Sumter?
at first he was reluctant but then he used forceful measures by himself to call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the "insurrection" in the South, authorize spending for the war, and suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus.
Appomattox Court House
Lee retreated from Richmond with an army of less than 30,000 men. He tried to escape to the mountains only to be cut off and forced to surrender to Grant. The Union general treated his longtime enemy with respect and allowed Lee's men to return to their homes with their horses.
Cotton Diplomacy
The Confederacy talked of embargoing cotton exports in order to bring the British to their side. This was a failure.
Trent Affair
Confederate diplomats James Mason and John Slidell were traveling to England on a British steamer, the Trent, on a mission to gain recognition for their government. A Union warship stopped the British ship, removed Mason and Slidell, and brought them to the United States as prisoners of war. GB threatened war over the incident unless the two diplomats were released. Although he faced severe public criticism for doing so, Lincoln gave in to British demands. Mason and Slidell were duly set free, but after again sailing for Europe, they failed to obtain full recognition of the Confederacy from either Britain or France.
George McClellan
Democrat nominee of 1864. popular general; wanted peace; pop. vote close to Lincoln's but lost in electoral votes
What was the significance of the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg?
Gettysburg destroyed a good part of the confed. army; federal warships controlled the full length of the Mississippi and cut off Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas from the rest of the Confederacy.
Total War
Grant succeeded in reducing Lee's army in each battle and forcing it into a defensive line around Richmond. In this final stage of the Civil War, the fighting foreshadowed trench warfare. No longer was this a war "between gentlemen" but a modern "total" war against civilians as well as soldiers.
strengths/weaknesses and strategies for both the Union and the Confederacy
NORTH: had to conquer an area as large as Western Europe, population advantage in a war of attrition and 800,000 immigrants who enlisted in Union cause and emancipation of AA, loyal US Navy control of rivers and territorial waters. controlled most of the banking and capital of the country, over 85 percent of the factories and manufactured goods, over 70 percent of the railroads, and even 65 percent of the farmlands. The skills of northern clerks and bookkeepers also proved valuable in the logistical support of large military operations. well est. central government SOUTH: advantage of having to fight only a defensive war to win, had to move troops and supplies shorter distances than the North. long, indented coastline that was difficult to blockade and, most importantly, experienced military leaders and high troop moral; overseas demand for its cotton would bring recognition and financial aid. struggle for independence = more motivation than the North's task of preserving the Union, but ideology of states' rights proved a serious liability for the new Confederate gov. no strong central government and no strong public support. ultimate hope of the South that the people of the North would turn against Lincoln and the Republicans and quit the war because it was too costly.
Ex Parte Milligan
Supreme Court ruled that the government had acted improperly in Indiana where, during the war, certain civilians had been subject to a military trial. The Court declared that such procedures could be used only when regular civilian courts were unavailable.
Confiscation Acts
The power to seize enemy property used to wage war against the United States was the legal basis for the first Confiscation Act passed by Congress in August 1861.Thousands of "contrabands" were using their feet to escape slavery by finding their way into Union camps. In July 1862 a second Confiscation Act was passed that freed the slaves of persons engaged in rebellion against the United States. The law also empowered the president to use freed slaves in the Union army in any capacity, including battle.
What was the significance of the so- called Border States (Upper South)?
Their loss would have increased the Confederate population by more than 50 percent and also would have severely weakened the North's strategic position for conducting the war
Ulysses Grant
West Point graduate; joined up for war after an unsuccessful civilian career. used a combination of gunboats and army maneuvers to capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson on the Cumberland River
Abraham Lincoln
first Republican president; had no intention of interfering with slavery or any other southern institution, but breaking up Union NOT an option. acted in unprecedented ways, drawing upon his powers as both chief executive and commander in chief, often without the authorization or approval of Congress. (ie: Fort Sumter crisis).
How did the freeing of slaves begin? Why was the Emancipation Proclamation a blow to slavery? What actually freed American slaves?
made the end of slavery an objective of the North, a fact that appealed strongly to GB's working class. GB leaders could not defy the pronorthern, antislavery feelings of the British majority. Confiscation acts
Peace Democrats
opposed the war and wanted a negotiated peace
William Sherman
pioneer of the tactics of total war. In Georgia, his troops destroyed everything in their path the enemy might use to survive. Took Atlanta in September 1864 in time to help Lincoln's prospects for reelection. He marched into Savannah in December and completed his campaign in February 1865 by setting fire to Columbia, the capital of SC and cradle of secession. His march had its intended effects: helping to break the will of the Confederacy and destroying its will to fight on.
Homestead Act of 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 of 1861
raised tariff rates to increase revenue and protect American manufacturers. Its passage initiated a Republican program of high protective tariffs to help industrialists.
How did the Civil War affect women
the field of nursing was now open to women for the first time; previously, hospitals employed only men as doctors and nurses; the enormous responsibilities undertaken by women during the war gave impetus to the movement to obtain equal voting rights for women
War Democrats
those who disagreed with the Democratic platform
Jefferson Davis
tried to increase his executive powers during the war, but southern governors resisted attempts at centralization, some holding back men and resources to protect their own states.
What were the effects of the attack on Fort Sumter?
united most northerners behind a patriotic fight to save the Union; four states of the Upper South—VA, NC, TN, and AK—also seceded and joined the Confederacy. The capital of the Confederacy was then moved to Richmond, Virginia. The people of western Virginia remained loyal to the Union, and the region became a separate state in 1863.
Robert E Lee
victory at Chancellorsville, Virginia
