North vs. South, debates over slavery & states’ rights,
secession, war, and Reconstruction
 North vs. South
 Industries
 Political ideas
 The slavery debate
 Lincoln elected
 Industrial Revolution (large-scale production of
goods) reached New England first
 Factories & larger markets
 Better transportation for shipping goods
 People moved to northern cities for jobs  larger
populations
 South remained agricultural
 Large plantations required slave labor
 Relied on cash crops like cotton
 North gained power over South
 Tariffs on European goods; South bought from the North
 South borrowed money from North
 Big northern populations  more rep.s in Congress
 Southern states favored states’ rights
 Wanted states to be able to nullify federal laws; when denied,
they began discussing secession
 Northern states favored the Union & federal power
 Missouri Compromise (1820-21)
 Split the newly acquired Louisiana Territory: anything north
of 36° N was a free state, anything south was a slave state
 Compromise of 1850
 CA admitted as a free state (pleased N)
 Put in place a new fugitive slave law (pleased S)
 Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
 People in these territories could decide: free or slave state
 Pro-slavery “Border Ruffians” from MO crossed into Kansas to
vote; incited debate & fighting  “Bleeding Kansas”
 North increasingly opposed slavery; South needed it
 Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
 Decision: slaves are not citizens & cannot sue in federal
court; Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional
 Pleased S, angered N
 Abolition took off
 Frederick Douglass & Sojourner Truth
 http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/sojournertruth/videos
 William L. Garrison (The Liberator)
 Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
 Many northerners were willing to support escaping
slaves
 Underground Railroad
 Secret network of “conductors” and “stations” that
helped slaves escape from S to N
 Harriet Tubman – former slave, helped hundreds escape
 Violence erupts
 John Brown’s Raid
 Mob broke into a VA weapons storehouse to arm slaves so
they could fight for their freedom
 Turner’s Rebellion
 Nat Turner, a slave, led a large uprising
 Attacked plantations, killed >60 whites; many members,
including Turner, caught & executed
 Served 1 term in Senate
 Nominated by Republicans for 1860 presidential
election
 Seemed moderate & claimed he would make no slavery
changes; but many in the S didn’t trust this
 Supported strong federal government
 Main focus was preserving the Union
 Won the presidency by a small margin
 Southern states were furious, claiming they had lost all
voice in the U.S. government
 SC = 1st state to secede in Dec. 1860
 11 states formed the Confederate States of America in
Feb. 1861
 population - 22 million
 90% of industrial goods, esp. munitions
 efficient railroad system
 controlled the navy, which could be
used to blockade southern ports and shut down the
southern economy
 capable mil. leaders, inc. Ulysses S. Grant
 Challenge
 would have to fight an offensive war
(long supply lines, unfamiliar territory...)
 had excellent generals too -Robert E. Lee and Thomas
“Stonewall” Jackson
 Defending is always easier than attacking
 familiar w/climate and territory
 Home turf confidence
 Farmers fight better than factory workers
 Profitable economy based on cotton exports
 Challenges
 smaller pop. of 9 million (inc. 3.5 million slaves)
 had to import industrial goods
 Very little munitions production
Anaconda Plan
Union General Winfield Scott suggested the Anaconda
Plan to halt Southern trade. The plan would be to block
tools , food, and weapons from getting to the people in the
south by Blocking off their sea trade. Meanwhile, the
army would divide and isolate sections of the South and
capture its vital cities and the capital in Richmond,
Virginia.
King Cotton
The Confederacy adopted a defensive strategy and
attempted to secure alliances with more powerful
countries such as Britain and France. To do that, the
South needed to show it could win the war. As a
result, the Confederate army attacked Union territory
to draw Union troops away from the South and to
impress potential allies.
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Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth
President of the United States. He
opposed the expansion of slavery. A
Republican, Lincoln led the Union
during the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth
assassinated Lincoln in Washington,
D.C., on April 14, 1865.
Jefferson Davis was President of the
Confederate States of America. During the
Mexican War, he had been an officer in
the United States Army. Davis also had
served as the United States Secretary of
War. When the South surrendered, he was
charged with treason and prohibited from
running for public office again.
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South Carolina
The first shots of the Civil War were fired
at Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson of
the Northern army had moved his troops
to the base because he feared an attack
from the southern army. In the early
morning of April 12, 1861, the southern
army launched an attack. Northern troops
under Anderson’s command returned fire,
but only killed one southern soldier. The
Confederacy continued its attack with
prolonged gunfire, and the Union troops
in the fort surrendered a day later. One
Confederate soldier and four Union
soldiers were killed in the battle.
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Virginia
The First Battle of Bull Run took place on
July 21, 1861. General Irvin McDowell led
the Northern army toward Richmond,
Virginia. General P.G.T. Beauregard’s
Confederate troops intercepted them. The
battle lasted about five hours. Confederate
forces began to retreat due to losses, except
General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson who
continued to fight until reinforcements
arrived. The reenergized Confederates
pushed the Northern forces out of the area.
Many union soldiers died, almost three
thousand; and the Confederates suffered
two thousand casualties.
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Tennessee
The Battle of Shiloh raged from April 6
until April 7, 1862. Northern troops
had found Confederate General Albert
Johnston’s forces near Corinth Road,
but they were not prepared for an
attack. The Southern troops forced them
to retreat toward the river. Although the
Confederate soldiers had gained ground,
they suffered many losses. On the
second day the Union army claimed
ground in the early morning, throwing
off Beauregard’s troops. The
Confederacy, however, had an
exceptional defense and stopped the
Union soldiers before the Confederates
retreated.
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The Battle of the Ironclads also is known
as the Battle of Hampton Roads and the
Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack.
This battle was fought off Sewell’s Point near
Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was the first
naval battle between two ironclad ships, the
Union’s USS Monitor and the Confederacy’s
CSS Virginia, which was rebuilt from the
USS Merrimack.
The battle took place over two days, and
the Virginia destroyed many of the Union’s
wooden ships. The next day, the two ironclads
clashed at sea, and the Virginia was damaged.
Neither side claimed victory in this battle, but
the battle revealed the future of naval warfare.
Ironclad, steam-driven ships were at a
decisive advantage against wooden sailing
vessels.
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Maryland
The Battle of Antietam, also known as
the Battle of Sharpsburg, was fought
on September 16–18, 1862. It was a
confrontation between Union and
Confederate forces under Generals
George McClellan and Robert E. Lee.
Federal armies brutalized the
Confederacy; the combined casualties
were more than twenty-three thousand.
The Union pushed Lee and his troops
back to Antietam Creek, but the
stubborn Confederate general
counterattacked with all his troops. The
two sides fought to a standstill, and
both armies withdrew.
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Virginia
Fredericksburg was the site of a battle
in December 1862. Union General
Ambrose Burnside led a march on
Richmond, but was delayed for more
than two weeks because of latearriving supplies. General Lee (the
southern general) positioned his army,
deploying snipers to pick off Federal
troops. During the fight many Union
soldiers were left in the open after
crossing military bridges, and they
became easy prey for Confederate
troops. Burnside had no choice but to
retreat with the remnants of his army.
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Mississippi
The lengthy Battle of Vicksburg began
in Warren County on May 13, 1863.
The North and the South considered
Vicksburg an important stronghold.
Union General Ulysses S. Grant
launched massive assaults on
Vicksburg and terrorized the
inhabitants. Confederates achieved a
minimal victory at Milliken’s Bend
against untrained black troops. Federal
troops pushed Confederate forces
back as the size of the Union forces
continued to increase. Confederate
General John Pemberton surrendered
to Grant on July 3, 1863.
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Pennsylvania
The Battle of Gettysburg began as the
Battle of Vicksburg was ending.
Confederate General Lee forced federal
troops, under General George C. Meade’s
command, to lose ground as the
Confederate forces attempted to take the
city. Lee planned several attacks,
including attacks at Peach Orchard and
Devil’s Den. The Union army fought
back, repelling Confederate attacks and
sending them back to Culp’s Hill. Lee
was relentless and sent his army back into
battle, but to no avail. He eventually
began a retreat toward Williamsport.
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The Gettysburg Address
November 19, 1863
Abraham Lincoln delivered this famous
speech on November 19, 1863, to a crowd
gathered at the dedication of Soldier’s
National Cemetery in Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. The speech contains only two
hundred seventy-two words, but it is
considered one of the greatest speeches in
American history.
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Virginia
Union General Grant continued his march
to Richmond, Virginia, planning to use
three armies to capture the city. He wanted
to cut Lee’s food and artillery supply lines
and to block a Southern retreat. Grant’s
troops encountered Confederate General
Richard Ewell’s soldiers. The Union forces
outnumbered the Confederate. Because of
gunfire and the Wilderness’ dry land, forest
fires were sparked. Confederates achieved
some success and inflicted Union
casualties. Grant refused to retreat and
continued his march to Richmond.
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Virginia
The Battle of Cold Harbor lasted from
May 31 to June 12, 1864, in Hanover
County, Virginia. Union General Philip
Sheridan led a successful attack against
Confederate troops, which lasted until
the Confederacy called reinforcements
to the area. Sheridan followed in similar
fashion, enlisting the help of General
Grant. As in the Battle of Wilderness,
Grant battled on, launching his soldiers
at the Confederacy. The Grant-led army
suffered almost five thousand losses.
Grant’s march to Richmond had been
thrown off, so now he attempted to
regain footing in Petersburg.
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As the Union army moved through
the South, they destroyed train tracks
by heating the rails and bending them
into a bow. This became known as
“Sherman’s Neckties”
Union General William T. Sherman
already had captured Atlanta, but he
wanted to leave sixty thousand troops
there while he marched the rest of his
army to the Atlantic Ocean through
Savannah, Georgia. During this time,
Confederate General John Hood had led
troops in a raid on Tennessee, leaving
Sherman’s soldiers to face fewer than
five thousand Confederate soldiers.
Sherman’s troops burned buildings and
infrastructures along the way,
destroying many towns and cities.
Sherman’s troops defeated the depleted
Confederate army and took Savannah
on December 22, 1864.
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Virginia
General Lee finally surrendered in
Virginia, on April 9, 1865. His army
had diminished, which contributed to
the Union’s many victories near the
end of the war. In a sign of respect,
Grant allowed Lee to keep his saber
and horse.
General Joseph Johnston was the last
Confederate general who continued to
fight. He still believed that the South
could win the war. Johnston’s troops
eventually fell to Union troops, and he
surrendered to General Sherman on
April 26, 1865.
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President Abraham Lincoln was
assassinated at the end of the Civil
War. He was killed on April 14, 1865,
while attending a play at Ford’s
Theatre in Washington, D.C., with his
wife. Lincoln was watching Our
American Cousin when John Wilkes
Booth shot him in the back of the
head.
Booth was a loyal Confederate, and
he thought the Confederacy could
triumph if Lincoln were dead. Booth
jumped off the balcony and broke his
ankle, but managed to escape the
theater. Lincoln died of his fatal
wound the next morning.
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The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American history. It has been referred to as
“The War Between the States,” “The Brother’s War,” and the “War of Northern
Aggression.” More than 600,000 Americans lost their lives, and countless others
were wounded severely. The Civil War led to passage of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth ,
and Fifteen Amendments to the United States Constitution. These amendments
outlawed slavery, granted African Americans United States citizenship, and granted
African-American males the right to vote. Although equal treatment under the law
for African Americans would not be enforced until almost a hundred years later, the
Civil War abolished slavery and established the supremacy of the federal
government.
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POLITICAL / ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS
w/o Southerners in fed. gov't, many changes occurred that
benefited the North:
1) Homestead Act passed by Congress in 1862 - encouraged W.
expansion w/o slavery
- 165 acres given to anyone who would farm it 5 yrs.
2) Union-Pacific Railway was authorized - great trade potential,
focused on the Northern States.
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3) Tariffs were put in place to protect
Northern industry
4) Congress established a single
federal currency - same value in all
states - known as "Greenbacks"
5) to cover war debts, Union gov't
issued war bonds and introduced
income tax