AP United States History - Terms and People – Unit 7, Chapter 21 (12th Ed.)
HONOR PLEDGE: I strive to uphold the vision of the North Penn School District, which is to inspire each student to reach his or her highest potential
and become a responsible citizen. Therefore, on my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.
The Furnace of Civil War: 1861 - 1865
Before studying Chapter 21, read over these “Themes”:
Theme: The Civil War, begun as a limited struggle over the Union, eventually became a total war to end slavery and
transform the nation.
Theme: After several years of seesaw struggle, the Union armies under Ulysses Grant finally wore down the Southern
forces under Robert E. Lee and ended the Confederate bid for independence as well as the institution of slavery.
After studying Chapter 21 in your textbook, you should be able to:
1. Describe the failure of the North to gain its expected early victory in 1861.
2. Explain the significance of Antietam and the Northern turn to a “total war” against slavery.
3. Describe the role that African-Americans played during the war.
4. Describe the military significance of the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg.
5. Describe the political struggle between Lincoln’s “Union party” and the antiwar Copperheads.
6. Describe the end of the war and list its final consequences.
Know the following people and terms. Consider the historical significance of each term or person.
Also note the dates of the event if that is pertinent.
A. People
Clement L. Vallandigham
Andrew Johnson
John Wilkes Booth
+Robert E. Lee
Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson
+Ulysses S. Grant
George B. McClellan
William T. Sherman
George B. Meade
Salmon P. Chase
David G. Farragut
George Pickett
B. Terms:
Merrimack (C.S.S. Virginia)
Monitor
*Emancipation Proclamation
manumission
*Thirteenth Amendment
Copperheads
Union Party
First Battle of Bull Run
Battle of Antietam
*War Department General Order 143: creation of the U.S. “colored” troops (1863)
Battle of Gettysburg
*Gettysburg Address
AP United States History - Terms and People – Unit 7, Chapter 21 (12th Ed.)
HONOR PLEDGE: I strive to uphold the vision of the North Penn School District, which is to inspire each student to reach his or her highest potential
and become a responsible citizen. Therefore, on my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.
Vicksburg
The Wilderness
Appomattox
*Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
+=One of the 100 Most Influential Americans of All Time, as ranked by The Atlantic. Go to Webpage to see all 100.
*=A 100 Milestone Document from the National Archive. Go to Webpage to link to these documents.
C. Sample Essays: Using what you have previously learned and what you learned by reading
Chapter 21, you should be able to answer an essay such as this one:
List the three most significant immediate consequences of the Civil War. Justify your selection and
indicate which one consequence you think was the most important and why
D. Voices from the past:
"With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not
been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have
therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State, with the sincere
hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword..."
Robert E. Lee, letter to his sister, April 20, 1861
"That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part
of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then,
thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military
and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or
acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.
*Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Abraham Lincoln, Jan. 1, 1863
It is rather for us the living, we here be dedicated to the great task remaining before us--that from these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full measure of
devotion--that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation 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."
Abraham Lincoln, *Gettysburg Address, November 19, 1863
"GEN: In accordance with the substance of my letter to you of the 8th inst., I propose to receive the
surrender of the Army of N. Va. on the following terms, to wit: Rolls of all the officers and men to be
made in duplicate. One copy to be given to an officer designated by me, the other to be retained by such
officer or officers as you may designate. The officers to give their individual paroles not to take up arms
against the Government of the United States until properly exchanged, and each company or regimental
commander sign a like parole for the men of their commands. The arms, artillery and public property to be
parked and stacked, and turned over to the officer appointed by me to receive them. This will not embrace
the side-arms of the officers, or their private horses or baggage. This done, each officer and man will be
allowed to return to their homes, not to be disturbed by United States authority so long as they observe
their paroles and the laws in force where they may reside."
*Ulysses S. Grant, terms of surrender at Appomattox, April 9, 1865
With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right,
let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have
borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan – to do all which may achieve and cherish as just and
lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.
*Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865
AP United States History - Terms and People – Unit 7, Chapter 21 (12th Ed.)
HONOR PLEDGE: I strive to uphold the vision of the North Penn School District, which is to inspire each student to reach his or her highest potential
and become a responsible citizen. Therefore, on my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.
Why the Civil War Still Matters
By Kevin M. Levin
Mr. Levin teaches history at St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville and blogs at Civil War Memory.
Much has changed within the historical profession and in race relations, but as we approach the Civil
War sesquicentennial celebrations beginning in 2011 there is reason to be concerned. While academic and
National Park Service historians have worked tirelessly over the past four decades to revise our understanding
of the Civil War by emphasizing the importance of slavery, race, and emancipation as central themes of the
war, the general public continues to hold onto a sanitized, white-only interpretation. From this perspective
little has changed since the turn of the last century when reconciliation elevated Civil War soldiers and the war
in general to a status that called for reverence and little critical questioning. Just think how surprised
Americans were at the release of the movie Glory in 1989, which starred Denzel Washington and Morgan
Freeman and recalled the history of the 54th Massachusetts.
I dare say that Americans love to remember their past when they can set the terms of the inquiry. We
prefer a heroic past that is continually progressive and exceptional compared to the rest of the world. Just
reflect for a moment on the way we think about our Civil War compared with news of civil wars from around
the world. For most people the news of foreign civil wars conjures up images of confusion, sadness,
corruption, uncertainty, and violence. Individuals and causes are rarely viewed as heroic or the product of
benevolent design. No, foreign civil wars are reflective of the failure of governments and of the individuals
who occupy high positions of power. We may see these nations and societies as the victims of a corrupt past
void of democratic tendencies. For many it no doubt confirms American Exceptionalism. Whatever the case,
civil wars are events that happen elsewhere and to others. I point this out to draw a sharp contrast with the way
many Americans interpret our own Civil War. If you peel away the celebratory layers you will see that it has a
great deal in common with the way we view civil wars elsewhere. It is the celebration of the war which
troubles me because it seems to me that our gut reaction to foreign civil wars is a much more appropriate
stance. Where is the confusion, uncertainty, violence, and sadness in our Civil War? I see the Civil War as a
humbling event that serves as a reminder of the fragility of governments and the depths of violence that we all
too often reach. I agree with the late historian William Gienapp that the “outbreak of war in April 1861
represented the complete breakdown of the American political system. As such the Civil War constituted the
greatest failure of American democracy.” I wish more people would approach the study of the Civil War from
this perspective.
Most Civil War enthusiasts prefer a more entertaining or playful version of the war. I've seen it at Civil
War Roundtables whose audiences hope for nothing more than the same tired stories about the same short list
of characters. It's that little chuckle in the audience after the speaker strikes some sentimental chord that irks
me. I see it in casual discussions when the person I am talking to finds out I teach a class on the Civil War and
says: "Let me share a story your students will love." And yes you can see it in the coffee mugs, t-shirts, towels,
and bumper stickers and in movies such as Gettysburg and Gods and Generals. What bothers me is the
casualness of it all. W.E.B. Dubois warned against using history simply “for our pleasure and amusement, for
inflating our national ego.”
My main point today is very simple: The Civil War still matters because as a nation we have yet to
take it seriously. We've turned the war into a celebration of our collective imagination that emphasizes values
that are deemed safe by white Americans. We choose to celebrate military leaders without coming to terms
with the fundamental social changes that their actions wrought. And we reflect on the minutia of the battlefield
completely divorced from their causes and their consequences. As the story goes, battlefields are places where
white Americans sacrificed for values of equal worth--no blame, no guilt, no right or wrong. Messiness is
rarely tolerated in these circles. Safer to debate whether J.E.B. Stuart, or this or that brigade were responsible
for Confederate defeat at Gettysburg or any other battle than the controversy surrounding the recruitment of
black soldiers and other divisive issue related to race.
AP United States History - Terms and People – Unit 7, Chapter 21 (12th Ed.)
HONOR PLEDGE: I strive to uphold the vision of the North Penn School District, which is to inspire each student to reach his or her highest potential
and become a responsible citizen. Therefore, on my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.
As we approach the Sesquicentennial celebrations the question of how Americans remember their
Civil War will be fought on many of its most famous battlefields. In 2000 the National Park Service began the
process of reevaluating the interpretation of its Civil War battlefields and judged that it had fallen short in its
coverage of the role of slavery and race. Southern Heritage groups like the Sons of Confederate Veterans
responded in a strongly defensive tone in the pages of their official organ, the Southern Messenger: “The
present politically correct conventional wisdom is that the War Between the States was fought over slavery,
period; that therefore all things Confederate are tainted by a tacit endorsement of slavery or its latter-day
counterpart, 'racism,' and therefore those who venerate them are racists.” While the language of the SCV
betrays a loose logic, their concerns are reflective of a deep-seated desire on the part of many to resist
clouding their preferred narrative of the war with issues of race.
I see our Civil War battlefields as ideal locations to discuss complex issues of race. On battlefields
such as the Crater in Petersburg it is absolutely essential that one does so. If we are going to take the Civil War
seriously we have to learn to put aside what we have traditionally been comfortable examining; in short, we
have to be willing to get a little dirty. Battles were not simply slugfests between mindless pawns manipulated
by disinterested generals. The evolution of the war brought about an end to slavery and the recruitment of
black soldiers into the Union army. Soldiers argued about slavery and race and many came to see on both
sides of the Potomac that the war would eventually bring an end to the nation’s “peculiar institution.” We do a
disservice to history if we do not acknowledge the centrality of race in our Civil War.
In closing let me leave you with a more immediate concern, one that I care deeply about and that
animates my current research. I’ve spent countless hours walking the Crater battlefield trying as best as I can
to piece together the events of that bloody day and also events that took place there many years later.
Unfortunately, the Crater and other Civil War sites are not visited by significant numbers of black Americans.
One black visitor to Gettysburg in 1999 had this to say: “When you’re black, the great battlefield holds mixed
messages.” I find this state of affairs all the more troubling because I understand all too well the process by
which they were cut off from any meaningful connection with these and other places that played a central role
not just in the history of this nation, but the evolution of black freedom as well. Part of the process of writing
about Civil War memory is to suggest what was possible. The study of the past is about acknowledging
contingency. Our memory of the Civil War could have evolved in any number of ways. That it did evolve in a
certain way serves to remind us of how important it is to step back on occasion and ask who is being served
and who is being left out and why. My hope is that as we gear up to remember the Civil War as a nation that
we take the opportunity to use our battlefields as well as scholarship to craft a more inclusive history that
honors all who fought and how the founding principles that we hold so dear were brought closer to fruition.
E. Map work: Identify the places indicated by the reference numbers on the map on the next
page:
AP United States History - Terms and People – Unit 7, Chapter 21 (12th Ed.)
HONOR PLEDGE: I strive to uphold the vision of the North Penn School District, which is to inspire each student to reach his or her highest potential
and become a responsible citizen. Therefore, on my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.
_____ Vicksburg
State? ___________________________
_____ Gettysburg
State? ___________________________
_____ Fort Sumter / State? ___________________________
_____ Atlanta
State? ___________________________
_____ Antietam
State? ___________________________
_____ Montgomery/State? ___________________________
_____ Richmond
State? ____________________________
_____ Shiloh
State? ____________________________
_____ New Orleans/State? ____________________________
AP United States History - Terms and People – Unit 7, Chapter 21 (12th Ed.)
HONOR PLEDGE: I strive to uphold the vision of the North Penn School District, which is to inspire each student to reach his or her highest potential
and become a responsible citizen. Therefore, on my honor, I pledge that I have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work.
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Over 4,500 soldiers were killed during the three days of battle. At the end of the fighting, men trod over the
terrible scene looking for fallen friends. If they were lucky, they found the missing man and gave them a decent burial.
Sadly these cases were few. As the Army of the Potomac held the field after the battle, the Union soldiers were given the
distasteful duty of interring most of their own dead as well as the fallen Confederates. The burials were completed as
quickly as possible, the bodies laid into shallow graves near the spot they had fallen and quickly covered. Crude grave
markers were boards taken from hardtack boxes or fence planks. Many of the dead were unidentified as they had no
name tags. Farmer's fields, orchards, woodlots and farmyards became vast cemeteries. Heavy rains during the month of
July washed away much of the soil thrown over the burials.
It was a very disheartening scene and several local officials were so alarmed that they quickly sprung to action.
Governor Andrew Curtin of Pennsylvania became involved with the project and state funds were appropriated to
develop a proper ceremonial burial ground for the Union dead at Gettysburg. Confederate soldiers buried on the
battlefield were not considered for the cemetery as they were the enemy of the Union. The cemetery was designated as a
final resting place only for those men who fell in service to the Federal government.
After many weeks of letter writing and planning, William Saunders was hired to lay out the cemetery. Saunders
was a highly respected landscape architect who saw the cemetery as a ground of equality for all of the states which had
sacrificed so much in blood during the battle. Saunders' design was approved and the relocation of dead to the cemetery
began that fall. A local man named Samuel Weaver was hired to remove the dead from graves for re-burial in the new
cemetery. The process was slow as Weaver had to locate and examine thousands of graves spread out over a vast area.
With as much care as possible, he made every attempt to identify the remains and gathered personal items from the
grave. A team of laborers then placed the remains in a wooden casket and buried them in the designated state plots of the
cemetery. Most were interred in state plots which surround the open center, a place set aside for a monument that would
be constructed after the close of the war. Those with no identification were placed in one of two sections marked
"Unknown".
The cemetery was only partially filled when it was dedicated on November 19, 1863. It was a brisk fall day and
the ceremony was attended by many officials from Washington, Baltimore, and Pennsylvania. Representatives from
other northern states also attended. Gettysburg residents who had suffered through the hardship of the battle turned out
in great numbers, filling the cemetery grounds to hear President Lincoln speak. The Marine Band played to open the
ceremony, followed by a prayer and introductions. Mr. Edward Everett was asked to give the main address that day, and
the crowd fell silent as he rose and spoke. Everett's words echoed through the crowd who stood among the temporary
headboards of the Gettysburg dead.
Also on the platform was President Abraham Lincoln, the special guest who had been invited to speak a few
words during the dedication by Gettysburg attorney David Wills. The president sat on the platform with many eyes still
trained on him. What was he thinking as he looked out over that mournful crowd? Beyond the town lay the rolling
countryside of south-central Pennsylvania still scarred by the battle. Beyond the vast farms lay the South Mountains,
rising clear into the blue skies, framing the solemn scene. Could the president have been thinking of the human cost in
lives which the war had already taken? Was he remindful of the price of freedom, and of the sacrifices of so many men
and families on both sides? Or was he thinking of his own son who lay sick in bed in Washington?
Mr. Everett's speech lasted nearly two hours, finally ending in a crescendo of patriotism and sacrifice. A brief
musical interlude followed and then the president was introduced. Rising from his chair, President Lincoln spoke with a
clear voice filled with both sympathy and determination. His words were brief and his speech ended before many could
comprehend his meaning. Yet with his short speech to the crowd in the cemetery, President Lincoln renewed the
meaning of a democracy and the cause of the Union- to reunite the nation as one. By doing so, they would honor the
dead who had made the supreme sacrifice on the bloody fields of Gettysburg.
Burials in the cemetery were finally completed in 1864 and the Soldiers Monument was erected in the center of
the cemetery in 1869. By 1872, the entire cemetery project was complete and it was turned over to the Federal
government to manage. Confederate graves on the battlefield and at hospital sites remained untouched until 1871 when
ladies' organizations in North and South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia organized an effort have the southern dead
removed for burial in southern cemeteries. By 1873, the last Confederate soldier that could be found was sent for burial
at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia.
Today, the Soldiers National Cemetery is called the Gettysburg National Cemetery. The cemetery
holds the graves of honored dead from all of America's major wars and is marked with passages of the
touching poem "Bivouac of the Dead" by Theodore O'Hara.