The Civil War and
Reconstruction
America’s darkest hour
Causes of the Civil War
I. Long-term Causes
A. North and South were economically, socially, and
politically different
North
Industrial
South
Large plantations,
cotton as a cash crop
Urban
Rural
favored high tariffs
Low tariffs
favored strong
central government
favored states' rights
I. Long-term Causes
B. The extension of slavery
New territories threatened to upset the
delicate balance of power in Congress
C. The Failure of Compromises
1. 3/5 Compromise-1789 Simply postponed
the discussion on slavery
I. Long-term Causes
2. Missouri Compromise, 1820-Missouri
applied for statehood as a slave state,
upsetting the balance of 11 free states and 11
slave states. Henry Clay proposed a
compromise.
Provisions:
1. Missouri entered Union as a slave state
2. Maine entered Union as a free state
3. Slavery prohibited in territories north of
36 30' N latitude.
I. Long-term Causes
3. Compromise of 1850-New lands after the Mexican
War threatened the new balance of 15 free states
and 15 slave states. California applied as a free
state in 1849.
Provisions:
1. California admitted as a free state
2. New Mexico and Utah territories had no
restrictions on slavery
3. NM-Texas border dispute settled
4. Slave trade outlawed in Washington, D.C.
5. Stronger fugitive slave laws
I. Long-term Causes
4. Kansas-Nebraska Act-1854-Senator Stephen A.
Douglas (Ill) pushed for the organization of
Kansas and Nebraska territories.
Both were above 36 30' N
and destined to become free
states. He proposed the idea of
popular sovereignty, allowing
settlers to vote on the status of
the territories.
I. Long-term Causes
-"Bleeding Kansas"-violence after the K-N Act.
Proslavery and antislavery supporters
flooded into Kansas to vote. 2 separate
governments developed.
I. Long-term Causes
-May 1856-800 proslavery supporters attacked
Lawrence, the antislavery capital. John
Brown led counter attacks. Over 200
people died during the violence.
II. Political Challenges
A. Parties Change
Free Soil Party came out of division in the Whig
and Democratic Parties, died by 1852.
Whig Party fell apart after 1852, when leaders Clay
and Webster died.
Democratic Party split over the slavery issue.
Copperheads were Northern Democrats who
wanted peace and were sympathetic to the
South.
Know-Nothing Party formed to restrict
immigration.
1854-the Republican Party formed to oppose
slavery.
Elections of 1854 & 1856-Democrats secured South,
Republicans secured the North.
II. Political Challenges
B. Uncle Tom’s Cabin-written by
Harriet Beecher Stowe and
published in 1852. Sold 2
million copies in 2 years.
Depicted the lives of slaves in
the South, which included
stories of being sold, beaten,
running to freedom, etc.
II. Political Challenges
Created a great amount of
hatred in the North
because most Northerners
did not really understand
slavery or the lives of
slaves. Abraham Lincoln
met her in 1862 and said,
“So you’re the little
woman who wrote the
book that started this
great war!”
II. Political Challenges
C. Sumner-Brooks Incident-May 1856
Abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech in
Congress about the evils of slavery and said that all
pro-slavery sympathizers were from the “vomit of
civilization.”
II. Political Challenges
C. Sumner-Brooks Incident-May 1856
Preston Brooks, a S.C. Congressman beat Sumner nearly to
death with a cane on the Senate floor the following day.
Southerners responded by mailing hundreds of new canes
to Brooks whiles Sumner was absent from the Senate for 3
½ years
II. Political Challenges
D. Dred Scott Decision-1857
Story: Dred Scott was a slave
who was bought in Missouri.
His master moved to Illinois
(free state) and Wisconsin
(free territory). He then
returned to Missouri. After
his master's death, Scott sued for his freedom,
saying that he should be free since he once lived
on free soil.
II. Political Challenges
D. Dred Scott Decision-1857
Supreme Court ruled:
1. Scott was a slave and not a
citizen so he had no right
to sue
2. Slaves were property and
Congress cannot take
away property
3. Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in
territories. This meant that the Missouri
Compromise was unconstitutional.
Reaction: Southerners and Northern Democrats
were happy; Republicans and abolitionists were
outraged.
III. Lincoln vs. Douglas
A. 1858 Illinois Senate RaceStephen Douglas(Democrat)
was challenged by
Abraham Lincoln (Republican)
to a series of 7 public debates.
III. Lincoln vs. Douglas
B. Issues:
Both men wanted to keep
slavery out of new
territories, but
disagreed on how to do
it.
III. Lincoln vs. Douglas
Douglas-popular sovereignty
"let the people decide.“
Freeport Doctrine-Douglas said that slavery would
not exist in a territory if the territory refused to
pass laws that supported it, but the decision
should be theirs.
III. Lincoln vs. Douglas
Lincoln-no extension of slavery
Lincoln is not an absolute abolitionist. He believed
in the containment of slavery. He loses the
Illinois Senate race in 1858 to Stephen Douglas.
IV. Immediate Causes
A. Harper's Ferry, Virginia-Oct. 16, 1859
John Brown captured the federal arsenal at
Harper's Ferry, calling on all slaves in the area to
revolt. He had planned to arm
them with the weapons.
His rebellion was crushed
by the U.S. Army under
Robert E. Lee.
IV. Immediate Causes
A. Harper's Ferry, Virginia-Oct. 16, 1859
Later, Brown was hanged
for treason and murder.
He became a martyr for
the cause of freedom.
IV. Immediate Causes
B. Election of 1860
Candidates:
Stephen Douglas-Northern DemocratBelieved in popular sovereignty
John C. Breckenridge-Southern DemocratWanted to protect slavery
Abraham Lincoln-Republicanopposed the extension of slavery
John Bell-Constitutional Unionsupported Union, no stand on slavery
IV. Immediate Causes
B. Election of 1860
Results: Lincoln won 40 % of the popular vote, but
won 180 of 303 electoral votes.
Lincoln won all the North, Breckenridge won the
South, Bell won the border states.
(Border state is a slave state that did not secede:
Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware)
IV. Immediate Causes
C. Secession
-South saw the election of Lincoln, the "Black
Republican," as the end of their way of life.
-South Carolina seceded December 20, 1860;
followed quickly by Georgia, Florida,
Alabama,
Mississippi, Louisiana, and
Texas.
-February 1861-Confederate States of
America formed and elected Jefferson
Davis, a former senator from
Mississippi, as their president.
-Southern states seceded from the Union
V. Secession of the South
A. Fort Sumter-April 12, 1861-Union Fort outside
Charleston, SC. Confederate general P.G.T.
Beauregard captured the fort.
V. Secession of the South
President Lincoln called for volunteers to fight
against the rebels.
Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina
seceded as a result.
Border States: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and
Delaware stayed within the Union.
Lincoln's Goal: Preserve the Union at all costs.
V. Secession of the South
Free States
Border States
Territories
1st secession-after Election
2nd secession-after Fort Sumter
V. Secession of the South
B. First Battle of Bull Run-July 21, 1861
-30,000 Confederate troops shocked 30,000 Union
troops but were too disorganized to take
Washington D.C.
-Stonewall Jackson earned
his nickname for his
stand at this battle.
VI. Advantages and Disadvantages
A. North
Advantages
-22 states to 11 states
-Population of 22 million
-More financial resources
-Larger navy
-Abraham Lincoln
-80% of country's industry &
2/3 of country's railroads
Disadvantages
-Must invade the
South
-Public opinion was
shaky
VI. Advantages and Disadvantages
B. South
Advantages
-Defending their own soil
Disadvantages
-Belief in states'
rights made
government weak
-Great military leaders
-Support at home and
in Europe
-"King Cotton" was a
trade resource
-Jefferson Davis was
a weak president