Civil War Essential Questions:
1.To what extent was slavery a "cause" of the Civil War?
- Slavery was the main cause of the Civil War because it is what made any other major
issue between the North and South an issue. Whether you consider states’ rights, or
agriculture vs industrialization, or sectionalism…each of those were divisive issues in
the country because of how the two sides viewed slavery.
2.Was war inevitable after the sectional crises of the 1850s?
- Secession was definitely inevitable after the sectional issues of the 1850’s polarized
the North and South to an even greater, and more fanatical, degree. When you
consider how heated the debates were surrounding the Compromise of 1850 (which
included a secession threat) and the violence brought on by the Kansas-Nebraska Act,
it is safe bet to say that war was also inevitable.
3.What were the circumstances surrounding the attack at Fort Sumter? What effect did the
attack have on Northern opinion of Southern secession?
- The newly formed Confederacy believed Fort Sumter, which guarded the harbor of
Charleston, SC, was owned by them because it was in their “country”, but the US
(North/Union) did not recognize the legitimacy of the Confederacy, so they believed
it was still a US military fort. Lincoln sent a ship to re-supply the fort, but the South
had issued an ultimatum to Major Anderson, the US commander of the fort, to leave
the fort or face bombardment. He chose to stay, so the fort was fired upon. Both
sides claimed they were right and it served as an indication of how divided the two
sides were even in how they defined the legitimacy of each other’s claims.
- The Battle of Fort Sumter caused Lincoln to formally claim that an armed rebellion
against the US had begun. When he called for 75,000 volunteers to “put down the
rebellion”, the South was able to claim that the North had begun an invasion of their
“country”
4.What were the advantages and disadvantages of the South when entering the war? What
were the advantages and disadvantages of the North when entering the war?
- These are clearly outlined in the overview notes I’ve linked on the wiki.
5.Why did the European nations refrain from aiding the South in the war? How and why
did King Cotton fail the South?
- Slavery was the main reason Europe refrained from aiding the South – they were
morally against slavery and siding with a nation trying to maintain that institution
would have been internationally unpopular. While feeling the pinch of economic
sanctions can often times causes nations to go against such principles, the South’s
over-reliance on cotton production (King Cotton) hurt them here. Most European
nations had ample stockpiles of cotton and the South had very little else to
economically hang over the heads of European nations to influence them to alter their
ideals.
6.How were women aided by the Civil War?
- Women were thrust into working positions they were previously denied and were also
forced to take on responsibilities for maintaining their properties that were previously
reserved for men. Additionally, the war opened up many new health-care related fields to
women. Many women served in support positions (heath-care related and otherwise) that
necessitated that they travel with or to the positions of troops. This gave many women a
greater “world view” (through seeing more of the country) than they would have ever had
had an opportunity to develop otherwise
7.Why is the Battle of Antietam considered by some historians as the most important of the
Civil War?
- We answered this on Thursday when I asked if the Battle of Antietam or the Battle
of Gettysburg was the turning point of the war. While the answer involves the
war’s impact on both the North (reaction to # of casualties, reaction to victory) and
the South (impact of the # of casualties; first real, major loss), it also involves the
information involved in answering the next question
8.Why did Lincoln deliver the Emancipation Proclamation? Why was it “stronger on
proclamation than emancipation? Discuss the reaction to it in the North and South?
- He had been holding off until a major victory to announce the EP, which freed
slaves in the seceded states (but not the border states). His purpose was even more
critical because of the negative response many northerners had to the # of casualties
from the Battle of Antietam. He knew the EP would unite Northern troops under a
definitive cause and would also weaken the economy of the South.
- It was stronger on proclamation than actual emancipation because Southern
plantation owners did not abide by the US President’s executive order, as they
believed they were no longer a part of the US.
- Northern reaction was very positive and the war took on new meaning for them. In
the South it was viewed with ridicule and disrespect, but at the same time, it
increased the need for Southern troops to keep Northern armies from advancing into
areas with heavy concentrations of slaves.
9.Describe black American participation in the Civil War. Look both at North and South
involvement.
-The United States Civil War began as an effort to save the Union, and ended in a fight
to abolish slavery. This battle for emancipation, some would argue, was won by the
slaves themselves. While this remains a debate, it is clear that the slaves did contribute
significantly to their own freedom. By running from masters to become contrabands for
the Union, laboring behind the scenes for Northern armies, and risking their lives on the
battlefront, the slaves centralized the issue of freedom and played a key role in the
North's victory.
-As slave masters in the South grew fearful of losing slaves to the Union armies, they
implemented harsher restrictions upon their slaves, often moving the entire plantation
further inland to avoid Northern contact. These changes, however, only caused the
slaves to flee, and those that did stay demanded more freedom from their masters. In
this way, the slaves gained some power in the situation, forcing masters to make
offerings in exchange for labor.
-After initially striving to keep the slavery issue out of the war, the Northerners began
enlisting blacks to assist them in the fight. Lincoln's Second Confiscation Act and the
Militia Act, both of 1862, were significant in building the Northern military, because
together they punished rebel slaveholders and encouraged employment of blacks in the
Union army. These black slaves fought both on the line as soldiers and behind the
scenes in labor tasks. Many blacks, inspired by their involvement, returned home to
free their families and friends. Some even reinhabited the plantations, took over the
former masters' possessions, and began their own cropping. Other plantations had been
left in the hands of white women, the old, and disabled when the men had left to fight
for the Confederate army. This led to a further breakup in slave discipline and labor
production in the South.
- By the end of the Civil War, over 500,000 slaves had escaped to the North, many of
whom joined the Union Army, greatly increasing its manpower. The Fifty-Fourth
regiment, the only all black unit in the Union Army, particularly contributed to the
Northern efforts and further symbolized a new found unity among blacks. For these
reasons, it is worthy of more careful exploration.
- Surprisingly, some Southern blacks wanted to fight for the Confederate cause. A
patriotic duty rose above all others in a slave's life. Even though they were not citizens,
slaves thought themselves as such. Yet many slaves did not feel like lending their help
to the South. In fact, when the Yankee soldiers marched through a Southern town, the
slaves often fled to the Northern lines. These fugitives, known as "contraband" to the
Union, were often a problem. Yankees did not know whether to return them to the
fields or to hand them guns. What they did realize was that the slaves knew the
geography of the South far better than any Northern soldier. Eventually, it was declared
that these fugitives could be used in a helpful manner to the North, if and only if they
were organized into units on a small scale. Therefore, slaves could serve as soldiers,
scouts, spies, and messengers to the Union.
10. The Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg ended within one day of each other in 1863.
Why were they important?
- They were significant because of their impact on the future of the war. The Battle
of Vicksburg effectively cut the western section of the Confederacy off from the
East because it gave the Union control over the Mississippi River. This control also
inhibited the economy of the South. Victory at Gettysburg resulted in an unrecoverable number of Confederate losses plus caused Lee to have to retreat all the
way back into Virginia. It also re-energized Northerners because the victory was on
Northern soil. Following Vicksburg, General Grant was called east to lead the
Union Army there and the North finally had a general they could follow to full
victory.
11. Describe the demise of the South by the end of the war.
(Re-read in The American Pageant, Chapter 20, pp 449 & 450…it’s short, but answers
this perfectly)
12. A good way to measure the "trauma" of a time period in American history is to look as
its effects as measured by amendments to the U. S. Constitution. Using this as a criteria,
what were the major problems of this time period and how were they permanently
addressed in the Constitution?
-To answer this, read the text of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments (below) and be able
to describe what issues they specifically addressed. (Slavery, citizen status of black
Americans, state representation in Congress, the problem with politicians who were
seen as “disloyal”, the issue of public debt, especially of Confederate bonds, the way
“Black Codes” were being written (helps explain why “Jim Crow” laws needed to
apply to all races.
-AMENDMENT XIII
Passed by Congress January 31, 1865. Ratified December 6, 1865.
Note: A portion of Article IV, section 2, of the Constitution was superseded by the 13th amendment.
Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
AMENDMENT XIV
Passed by Congress June 13, 1866. Ratified July 9, 1868.
Note: Article I, section 2, of the Constitution was modified by section 2 of the 14th amendment.
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of
the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any
person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several States according to their respective numbers,
counting the whole number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But when the right to
vote at any election for the choice of electors for President and Vice-President of the United States,
Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers of a State, or the members of the
Legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such State, being twenty-one years of
age,* and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged, except for participation in rebellion, or
other crime, the basis of representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of
such male citizens shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such State.
Section 3.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President,
or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously
taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State
legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United
States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the
enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.
Section 4.
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for
payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be
questioned. But neither the United States nor any State shall assume or pay any debt or obligation
incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or
emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.
Changed by section 1 of the 26th amendment.
AMENDMENT XV
Passed by Congress February 26, 1869. Ratified February 3, 1870.
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or
by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude-Section 2.
The Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
13. It could be said that Section 1 of the 14th Amendment is the real declaration of victory
in the Civil War? To what extent and in what ways is this true?
- This answer helps us realize that fixing the problems inherent with slavery was the
real northern cause during the war and that fixing those problems was essential if “a
country dedicated to freedom and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal” wanted to endure and keep its soul. Re-read the 14th amendment
above to help you with the content of the answer.
14. As significant as the 14th Amendment is, it represented a major betrayal to one group
who had been very active social movements in the 1840s and 1850s. What was this
group and to what extent was the 14th Amendment a betrayal?
- Women. By the very wording of the amendment, it should have applied to women
(and, in our more modern, integrated society HAS been used to protect women’s
rights in courts throughout our country). To think that women did not get the right
to vote until 1920 is pretty amazing when you consider what this amendment says.
15. The Radical Republicans' actions in the post-Civil War era represented a clear attempt
of one branch of the federal government to encroach on the powers of another branch of
the federal government. By 1877 who was ahead? What were the effects of this on the
country in general?
- During Reconstruction, the legislative branch, under Republican control and
without the strong personality of Lincoln to challenge them, took definite control
over the country and significantly limited the power of the president. The effect
this had was that it not only steeled the South to figure out inventive ways to
maintain the segregated society it knew and loved, but also enabled favoritism
toward Northern industrialists which helped to produce the Gilded Age.
16. Was the Civil War detrimental or beneficial to the industrialization of America? In
what ways?
- See the answer above. War in general is good for industry. They are the ones who
produce the munitions necessary to wage war. Additionally, following the war, the
Republican party had strong majorities in both houses of Congress and this made it
easier for industrialists to find plenty of support for policies that encouraged the
growth of industry. Additionally, the physical rebuilding of the war-ravaged South
resulted in increased demand for materials that were better made by northern
factories. Lastly, the building of the transcontinental RR was begun during the war
and, in part, as a means of providing a more physically “united” country. The
Transcontinental RR was a life-line to new markets for industrial products and that
benefited the North more than the South.
17. Why is the Civil War important in American History?
- You are on your own for this one, folks. There is no one right answer.