Lesson 21: A Dividing Nation & Lesson 22: The Civil War

What was the Kansas-Nebraska act?

1854 act that created the Kansas and Nebraska territories and abolished the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers to determine whether slavery would be allowed in new territories

What was the Dred Scott decision?

1857 Supreme Court Decision that ruled African Americans were not citizens and therefore didn't have any rights, the decision said that the Missouri Compromise (which gave some slaves freedom) was unconstitutional. This is historically one of the most racist/unjust decisions ever made by the Supreme Court. The decision outraged abolitionists fighting for the freedom of slaves.

Where was the first shots of the civil war?

1861 confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, these were the first shots of the civil war.

What was Uncle Tom's Cabin?

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that brought the horrors of slavery home to northerners, made many more passionate about ending slavery and becoming active abolitionists

What challenge did Lincoln face on the home front?

A number of problems were caused by Northerners who opposed the war.

What was the Wilmot provision?

A proposal to prohibit slavery in the territory added to the United States due to the Mexican-American War. (The south did not like this provision).

Who was the spy that helped prepare the Confederacy for attack?

A spy named Rose Greenhow helped prepare the Confederacy for attack.

What was the Battle of Gettysburg? What did this battle end?

A turning point in the Civil War (Union Victory). This battle ended South's final attempt to invade the North, from this point on the Confederates only fought a defensive war.

Define a civil war.

A war between opposing groups of citizens from the same country

Abraham Lincoln ran for the U.S. Senate in 1858. In the campaign, Lincoln spoke against the Dred Scott decision. The Dred Scott decision said that...

African Americans were not citizens.

After the defeat at Bull Run what plan did the Union set out?

After the defeat at Bull Run, the Americans set out a plan (The Anaconda Plan).

How the civil war end?

April 1865 Union forces captured the Confederate capital of Richmond and surrendered General Lee's army. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House. The war was over but made a massive impact on the country. Many issues were still left unsettled after the war.

What was the bloodiest day of the war?

Battle of Antietam 5,000 killed and another 21,000 missing/injured.

What was the main weakness of the North during the civil war?

Biggest weakness was military leadership.

Congress passed the Missouri Compromise in 1820. What happened in 1849 that threatened to upset the balance between states with slavery and free states?

California applied for admission to the Union as a free state.

When compromises weren't working what became more and more evident (obvious)?

Compromises were not working to end tension with the North and the South, it became more and more evident (obvious) that the topic of slavery may not be solved without bloodshed

What was significant about the Battle of Vicksburg?

First war to see combat between armor-plated steamships (Merrimac and the Monitor)

Why was the Battle of Gettysburg a turning point in the Civil War?

General Lee lost so much of his army that he could only wage a defensive war on Southern soil.

Who was the general of the Confederacy during civil war?

General was Robert E. Lee.

Who was the general of the Union during the civil war?

General was Ulysses S. Grant.

How did Jefferson Davis compare the Civil War to the American Revolution?

He believed that the South was fighting for the same freedom as the nation's founders.

Why did General Lee send troops into Maryland, a state with slavery?

He hoped to convince Maryland to join the Confederacy.

Why did Lincoln echo the words of the Declaration of Independence in his Gettysburg Address?

He wanted to remind the people of the ideals they were fighting for.

Why did the Union want to control the town of Vicksburg?

Holding Vicksburg would allow them to move men and supplies freely along the Mississippi River.

When Abraham Lincoln became president in 1860 what were Southerners worried that the U.S. would do?

In 1860 Abraham Lincoln becomes President and the Southerners are worried that the U.S. will try to outlaw slavery

What was the Missouri Compromise?

In an agreement by Congress in 1820, Missouri would be admitted to the United States as a slave state and Maine would be a free state (this kept the status quo of slave and free states being the same number)

What did the Emancipation Proclamation achieve?

It changed the purpose of the war to the end of slavery.

How did the Battle of Bull Run change Lincoln's point of view?

It made him realize that ending the war would be much harder than expected.

Why did abolitionists protest the "gag rule" of 1836?

It silenced congressional debate about slavery.

What were the strengths of the South.

Military leadership, geographic advantages: South was dense and vast territory that North would have to invade to win.

What was a provision of the Missouri Compromise?

Missouri could join the Union as a state with slavery.

What were the strengths of the North during the civil war?

More people, richer technologically advanced, more food and resources, controlled seas and railroads for transportation of soldiers and supplies.

What was the Emancipation Proclamation?

Order written by Lincoln declaring slaves in all states to be free (including Confederate states).

Who was the President of the Union during the civil war?

President was Abraham Lincoln.

Who was the President of the Confederacy during the civil war?

President was Jefferson Davis.

How did the Confederate States of America form?

South Carolina on Dec 20th decided to leave the union. Later 6 more stated follow and the United States is no longer United, it is now the Union (North) and the Confederate States of America (South States that seceded)

Define Gettysburg Address.

Speech by Lincoln in memory of Union Soldiers, it reminded all in attendance to fight for the ideas/freedoms the nation was founded upon.

What were the 3 steps of the Anaconda Plan?

Step 1: Blockade the South's ports and cut off trade. Step 2: Divide Confederacy by gaining control of the Mississippi River. Step 3: Constricting the South by Union land and taking over the Confederate capital Richmond.

How is the preamble of the CSA constitution similar to the preamble of the U.S. Constitution?

The CSA constitution set a six-year term, and the U.S. Constitution set a term of four years.

Fun Fact

The Civil War was the first truly modern war.

What did Union troops find when they approached the town of Manassas?

The Confederate army knew about their plan and was waiting for them.

What compromise is eventually broken by the south to keep the U.S. out of a Civil War?

The Missouri Compromise.

Define Union.

The U.S under one single government (during Civil War ¨ The Union ¨ came to be known as the government/armies of the north).

The Union completed the first step of the Anaconda Plan by the end of 1861. What did that accomplish?

The Union launched a blockade and closed most ports in the South to foreign ships.

Who technically won the Battle of Antietam?

The Union.

Why was the Battle of Fort Wagner signifigant?

The battle of Fort Wagner has historical significance because of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry which bravely fought in it 5th Regiment was a famous black regiment during the Civil War, they paved the way for African Americans to fight in the war

Why did Northerners believe Richmond was so important?

They believed that the war could be won if they destroyed the Confederate capital.

What risk did African American Union soldiers face in the war?

They risked death or enslavement if captured by the Confederates.

What did the Kansas-Nebraska act led to?

This act led to many traveling to the new territories to try to get there first and make them slaves (south) or free (north) violence erupted.

What did the Battle of Bull Run show the Union?

This battle showed the Union that the war would not be won easily.

What did the Battle of Antietam show/prove?

This battle showed the new (sad and scary) realities of war, with advanced strategies and technology came high death tolls.

What resulted from the Battle of Vicksburg ?

Union carried out part 2 of the anaconda plan in this battle Union victory led to Confederacy being divided into 2 and gave control of Mississippi to the Union.

Who won the Battle of Bull Run (Manassas)?

Victory for the Confederacy (first major battle of the war).

What did the North and South want when Missouri was becoming a state?

When Missouri was becoming a state the north wanted it to be a free state, and the south a slave state.

What was a key topic as the US grew in size and added states to the Union?

Whether new states would be slave or free.

What was responsible for most Civil War deaths?

diseases

What did the Missouri Compromise authorize the people of the Missouri territory to do?

form a state government.

During the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln's view of slavery was that...

it was a moral issue.

What was the most significant geographic disadvantage of the South?

the Mississippi River.

The main issue of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was

the future of slavery.

Between 1820 and 1860, Americans were divided over...

the issue of slavery.

After the passage of the the Fugitive Slave Act, why did fugitives from slavery try to reach Canada?

to avoid being captured and returned to slavery

Sheridan's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley and Sherman's march through Georgia were example of General Grant's belief in...

total war.

A civil war is a conflict between...

two groups of citizens in one country.