US History
Unit 5 review
Outbreak of War
o How many states were in the original Confederacy? 7
o What was the significance & date of Fort Sumter? April 12, 1861; first shots fired of Civil War
o What happened at Fort Sumter? Lincoln did not reinforce fort, but also did not surrender, so the CSA fired and
took it without anyone dying.
o What was Lincoln’s response to Fort Sumter? What happened because of Lincoln’s response? Called for volunteer
troops (75,000) to march through VA to SC.
o How and why was West Virginia made into a state? VA did not want to fight another southern state, so they
seceded. Part of VA did not want to secede, West Virginia was formed
o What advantages did the union have going into the war? More resources (money, factories/supplies, railroads,
population, food), leadership
o What advantages did the south have going into the war? Better trained troops, motivation because of fighting on
home fields, worldwide demand for cotton
o What were the three goals of the Anaconda Plan? Blockade southern ports, take MS river and cut CSA in half,
take CSA capital in Richmond, VA
o What was the south’s basic strategy? Fight long enough so that the Union decides it’s no longer worth it
o Who was the hero of the Battle of Bull Run? General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
o What was Grant’s basic strategy in the west? Take control of the Mississippi River to cut CSA in half
o What were the two first ironclad ships in the Civil War? Monitor and Merrimack
o Why did Lincoln have little patience for General George McClellan? He did not follow the retreating South; could
have ended war earlier
o What events led to the Battle of Antietam? McClellan was retreating north, Lee was following; US soldiers found
battle plans
o What weird thing happened to let the north know about Lee’s Antietam strategy? One of the South’s men lost the
battle plans, North found them and intercepted the troops
o What is historically important about the Battle of Antietam? Deadliest single day battle in US History – 23,000 dead
Civil War Politics
o Who was the south hoping would join the war and come to help them? British
o Why did the south think they would join the war & help the south? Reliant on Southern cotton
o Why didn’t they join the war & help the south? Lincoln issued Emancipation Proclamation, British got cotton from
Egypt and India instead
o What happened in the Trent Affair? 2 CSA officials on merchant ship HMS Trent headed to UK, US stopped ship
to arrest officials. British got angry, stationed troops in Canada set to invade. Lincoln apologized, released
CSA officials
o What was the main reason Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation? Try and keep the union together, keep
the British from joining the South
o When did the Emancipation Proclamation go into effect, and what did it actually do? Nothing, a symbolic gesture
o What is the writ of habeas corpus? Law that states that the government must give a reason to hold someone as a
prisoner
o Why did Lincoln suspend habeas corpus? Northerners were attacking the northern army
o Who were the copperheads? Northern people who wanted peace with the South, but were often imprisoned
without trials
o Who got drafted (conscripted) into the confederate army? How did someone get out of it? All males 18-35; people
who could pay for a substitute or had more than 20 slaves
o Who got drafted (conscripted) into the union army? Where were the draft riots? White men 20-35 for 3 years, also
could pay for substitutes; poor in northern cities didn’t want draft, so they rioted in NYC
Life during the Civil War
o What significance did African Americans in the north have on the war effort? Discriminated against, were not able to
advance as far in ranks, had a higher mortality rate because of laborer jobs. Were not treated as POWs, rather
either killed or enslaved
o What economic problems did the south suffer during the Civil War? Shortage of food and other essential goods,
food riots, inflation
o What happened to the north’s economy during the Civil War? Industries grew, labor shortage caused better
technology. Inflation, wages dropped, more women and children had to get jobs. Income tax instituted.
o What was the US Sanitary Commission? Government group set up to improve hygiene and train nurses. Run by
Dorothea Dix
o Who was Clara Barton? Civil War nurse; founder of American Red Cross
o How did doctors usually handle bullet wounds? Amputation of limbs
o What was the worst prisoner of war camp in the Civil War? Why was it so bad? Andersonville, GA; no shelter or
sanitation, 1/3 prisoners died
End of the Civil War
o Who died as the result of injuries suffered at the Battle of Chancellorsville? Stonewall Jackson
o What did General Lee do after Chancellorsville? Why? Invaded PA; morale was bolstered after win
o What happened on the 3rd day of the Battle of Gettysburg that turned the tide of the war against the south? General
Pickett led a charge for the South up the hill, they were slaughtered by the North
o Why was Vicksburg, Mississippi so valuable for the union to capture? One of only 2 places where the CSA
controlled the MS River
o What was Grant’s strategy in Vicksburg, Mississippi? Besiege the city
o What was the occasion for the Gettysburg Address? Dedication of a cemetery for the Union soldiers that died
o Why did Grant get promoted? Who replaced him in his old job? Success at Vicksburg; William Tecumseh Sherman
o When did Atlanta fall to the union? When did Savannah fall? September 1864; Christmas 1864
o What happened in between Atlanta and Savannah in the fall of 1864? Sherman and troops marched towards the
sea, destroying and burning everything they passed
o Who was Lincoln’s opponent in the election of 1864? John Fremont
o What helped Lincoln win reelection in 1864 even though he wasn’t very popular? War successes
o In what city did Lee surrender to Grant? Appomattox Courthouse, VA
The immediate aftermath of the war
o How did the Civil War change the economy? Government was in massive debt, South was devastated
o What was the purpose of the National Bank Act (1863)? Improve the financial system by placing regulations on
banks
o What was the impact of the war on the federal budget? Cut it due to huge debt
o What did the 13th amendment do? Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude (except as punishment for crime)
o What did Lincoln’s 2nd inaugural address argue for? Reconciliation with South
o What was Lincoln doing when he was shot? Who shot him? Watching a play with his wife; John Wilkes Booth
o When was he shot? April 14, 1865
o What happened to his assassin? He escaped, shot and killed 12 days later in a barn
Reconstruction
o What was Lincoln’s 10% plan? Only 10% of voters in states had to swear allegiance in order to rejoin the Union
o What did the Radical Republicans want to do instead? Seize all land from former slaveowners, give the land to
slaves, and make them citizens
o Who were the two leaders of the Radical Republicans? Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner
o Why was Andrew Johnson so widely disliked? He was the a southern Senator who sided with the North
o What was Johnson’s plan for reconstruction? States would be readmitted if the withdrew secession, swore
allegiance to the Union, cancelled the war debts, and ratified the 13th Amendment
o Why were the Radical Republicans upset about it? Why were the southerners excited about it? (same answer) rights
for freed slaves were not included
o What did the Civil Rights Act of 1866 do? Give freed slaves basic rights, citizenship, and outlaw Black Codes
o What were the Black Codes? Postwar laws in the South that restricted the rights of blacks
o What were the 2 main things that the 14th amendment did? Everyone born in the US is a citizen, citizens have
equal protection of law
o What happened in the 1866 congressional election? Republicans won a huge majority in Congress
o What did the Reconstruction Act of 1867 do? Abolished new state governments in the South and placed South in
5 military controlled districts
o Why was Andrew Johnson impeached? (What law did he break?) Broke the Tenure of Office Act
o Who won the 1868 election? Ulysses S Grant
o What did the 15th amendment do? No one can be denied suffrage based on race, color, or previous condition of
servitude
Reconstruction in society
o What things did Congress fund to help rebuild the south? Roads, railroads, bridges, schools, hospitals, etc.
o Who were the scalawags? Southerners who joined the Republicans
o Who were the carpetbaggers? Northerners who came to the South to exploit poor Southerners
o What made the scalawags decide to change and vote for the Democrats? High number of black voters
o What things did the Freedmen’s Bureau do to help the freed slaves adjust to life outside of slavery? Set up colleges
and schools
o Who was the first African American member of the Senate? Hiram Revels
o Who were sharecroppers? People who shared a portion of land on a plantation, and instead of paying rent, the
owner of the plantation took about half of the crops
o Who were tenant farmers? Sharecroppers who had enough money to pay rent; kept all of their crops
o What caused the price of cotton to drop and then hit rock bottom? Economic depression, demand dropped
o What happened after the price of cotton fell so far? Southerners overreacted, planted more; depression caused a
downward spiral
End of Reconstruction
o How did the KKK start out? What was their goal? Social club for former confederates; stop blacks from
exercising political rights
o What tactics did the KKK use? Intimidation, threats
o What laws did the Congress pass to fight the KKK? Enforcement Acts
o What did the Amnesty Act do? Allowed 150,000 former confederates the right to vote
o What happened in the Credit Mobilier scandal? Credit Mobilier, the company building the transcontinental
railroad, overcharged and kept the profit, bribed government officials to look the other way
o Who lost to Grant in the 1872 election? Horace Greeley
o What caused the Panic of 1873? People borrowing money to start businesses, but unable to pay it back
o What was the argument about the gold standard versus paper money? Gold was worth more, but there was less in
circulation
o Who ran in the presidential election of 1876? Rutherford Hayes and Samuel Tilden
o What three states had a voting controversy? South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida
o How many from each party were in the group that decided about the voting fraud? Who won the argument? 8 reps, 7
dems; republicans
o What was the Compromise of 1877? Hayes can be President if US ends Reconstruction