Chapter 14—The Civil War
“BIG PICTURE” QUESTIONS FOR SECTION I:
1) How did the Civil War begin and what advantages did each side have at the outset?
I. The Secession Crisis
1. “Southern Nationalism”—Who were “fire eaters,” what did they demand, and what caused them to demand it?
A. The Withdrawal of the South
1. Establishment of the Confederacy—What state left the Union first? What states followed soon thereafter? What was their
new “country” called? How did James Buchanan react? What did Southern states begin to do?
B. The Failure of Compromise
1. Crittenden Compromise—What was contained in the Crittenden Compromise? Why did it fail? What did Lincoln contend in
his inaugural address?
C. Fort Sumter
1. The War Begins—What happened at Fort Sumter to start the Civil War? How did Lincoln react? How did other southern
states react to Lincoln?
D. The Opposing Sides
1. Union Advantages—What advantages did the North have?
2. Southern Advantages—What advantages did the South have?
“BIG PICTURE” QUESTIONS FOR SECTION II:
1) How did the North mobilize to prepare for the war? How did women and African Americans contribute?
II.
The Mobilization of the North
A. Economic Measures
1. Republican Economic Policy—What types of economic policies did the Republicans enact after the South seceded?
2. National Bank Acts—What did the National Bank Acts do for organizing the financial system of the country?
3. Financing the War—In what 3 ways did the Union government attempt to fund the war?
B. Raising the Union Armies—How did the Union government have to raise an army? How could someone get out of military
service?
1. Draft Riots—Who were “Copperheads”, and how did they feel about the draft laws? What happened in New York City?
Why were the Irish so opposed?
C. Wartime Politics—How did Lincoln violate the Constitution during the war? Why did he violate it?
1. Wartime Repression—What did Lincoln do with people who opposed the war effort? How did Lincoln react when the
Supreme Court disagreed with his reactions?
2. 1864 Election—How close was the election of 1864?
D. The Politics of Emancipation—How did Republicans feel about the issue of slavery?
1. Confiscation Acts—What did the first Confiscation Act do? What other laws were passed regarding slavery? What did the
second Confiscation Act do?
2. The Emancipation Proclamation—What did the Emancipation Proclamation do (on what date)? What were its immediate
effects (what did it NOT do)? What was the document’s importance? What were “contrabands”? How was slavery finally
outlawed in the U.S.?
E. African Americans and the Union Cause—How many African Americans served in the war?
1. Black Enlistment—How did some blacks serve (like in the Massachusetts 54 th)?
2. Mistreatment of Black Soldiers—What jobs were most black soldiers given? How did their pay compare to whites?
F. The War and Economic Development—HOW did the war speed the economic development of the North?
G. Women, Nursing, and the War—What new roles did women take on during the war?
1. U.S. Sanitary Commission—How did most women serve the war effort? Who was Dorothea Dix? What happened to the
field of nursing because of the war?
2. Traditional Gender Roles Reinforced—What did Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony do during the war? What
did Clara Barton found?
“BIG PICTURE” QUESTIONS FOR SECTION III:
1) What challenges faced the South as they mobilized for the war?
III.
The Mobilization of the South
A. The Confederate Government
1. Davis’s Leadership—How effective of a leader was Davis?
B. Money and Manpower—Why was the South uniquely unable to wage an effective war effort?
1. Funding Problems—How did the South try to pay for the war? What were the effects?
2. Raising the Confederate Army—How did the South form an army, and how could be one be excused?
3. Manpower Shortage—In the late stages of the war, how did the South try to deal with shortages of soldiers?
C. States’ Rights Versus Centralization—How did the theory of “states’ rights” affect the South’s ability to fight the war?
D. Economic and Social Effect of the War—What were 5 ways that the war affected the economy of the South?
1. Economic Woes—Why did the South face food shortages?
2. New Roles for Women—How did women’s roles change during the war? How did the war affect slaves?
“BIG PICTURE” QUESTIONS FOR SECTION IV:
1) Who were the important political/military leaders for each side? What role did Europe play?
IV.
Strategy and Diplomacy—What advantage did the South have militarily? What advantage did the North have
diplomatically?
A. The Commanders
1. Lincoln’s Leadership—How did Lincoln think that the Union would win the war? Who finally became the commander of
the Union armies?
2. Robert E. Lee—Why did Robert E. Lee never have as much control as Ulysses S. Grant?
B. The Role of Sea Power—What were the two important roles of the navy during the war?
1. The Union Blockade—How effective was the blockade?
2. Ironclads—What were ironclads and what were the first two ironclads to meet in battle?
C. Europe and the Disunited States—Who did France and England support during the war, and why?
1. King Cotton Diplomacy—How did the South hope that France and Britain would be convinced to support them? Why did
their plans not work? Ultimately, why was the Confederacy never recognized by any European countries?
2. Trent Affair—What two diplomatic crises occurred between the Union and Great Britain during the war?
D. The American West and the War
1. Guerrilla War in the West—Who was William Quantrill and what did he do? Who were the Jayhawkers?
“BIG PICTURE” QUESTIONS FOR SECTION V:
1) What were some major turning points in the Civil War? What strategies/generals helped win the war for the
North?
V.
The Course of Battle
1. High Casualties—How did the deaths in the Civil War compare to other U.S. Wars?
A. The Technology of Battle
1. Repeating Weapons—What two new types of weapons were important during the war? How did these new weapons make
fighting war different (how were military tactics different)?
2. Importance of the Railroad—Why was the railroad important during the war?
3. The Telegraph—Why was the telegraph important during the war?
B. The Opening Clashes, 1861
1. The First Battle of Bull Run—What happened to the Union troops during this battle? What did many civilians think would
happen during the battle? What did the battle signal about this war?
2. Wilson’s Creek—How did West Virginia become a state?
C. The Western Theater
1. New Orleans Captured—Why was the capture of New Orleans important?
D. The Virginia Front, 1862
1. George McClellan—What were McClellan’s strengths (and weaknesses)?
2. Seven Pines
3. Antietam—Why was Antietam memorable in the war? What did Lincoln do with McClellan after Antietam?
E. The Progress of the War—Why was the war so long and drawn out?
F. 1863: Year of Decision
1. Battle of Chancellorsville
2. Vicksburg—Why was Vicksburg, Mississippi important? How did Grant capture Vicksburg? What did the capture of
Vicksburg do to the Confederacy? How did General Lee propose to try to relieve the pressure on Vicksburg (and what did he
believe that the would effects be)?
3. Gettysburg—What happened at Gettysburg? Why was the victory important?
4. Battle of Chattanooga—What second important objective was achieved at Chattanooga?
G. The Last Stage, 1864-1865—How did General Grant believe that the Union would win the war?
1. Grant’s Strategy
2. Capture of Atlanta—Why was the capture of Atlanta an important event for the Republican Party?
3. March to the Sea—What did Sherman mean when he said “War is all hell”? What was Sherman’s march to the sea?
4. Appomattox Court House—What happened at Appomattox Courthouse? What questions were left unresolved by the war?