Causes of the American Civil War Quiz & Flashcards

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Questions and Answers

What was the primary dispute that led to the American Civil War?

Expansion of slavery into western territories (correct)

Foreign policy and international relations

States' rights versus federal authority

Economic disagreements between the North and South

Who was the president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War?

Ulysses S. Grant

Robert E. Lee

Jefferson Davis (correct)

Abraham Lincoln

What was the significance of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863?

It declared all slaves in rebel states to be free (correct)

It granted citizenship to all freed slaves

It declared the entire United States to be a slave-free nation

It allowed slavery to continue in border states

What was the result of the Union's military efforts in the Western Theater during 1861-1862?

The Union made significant permanent gains Signup and view all the answers

What was the outcome of the Confederacy's river navy by the summer of 1862?

It was completely destroyed Signup and view all the answers

What was the approximate number of enslaved people in the country when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued?

4 million Signup and view all the answers

How many southern states seceded from the United States after the war began?

Four more Signup and view all the answers

What was the approximate percentage of the U.S. population that the Confederacy controlled at its peak?

A third Signup and view all the answers

What was the significant outcome of the Union's successful siege of Vicksburg in 1863?

The Confederacy was split in two Signup and view all the answers

Who led the Union army to victory in the Battle of Gettysburg?

Unknown Signup and view all the answers

What was the result of the Union's naval blockade of Confederate ports?

The Confederacy was severely weakened Signup and view all the answers

Who led the march to the sea, resulting in the fall of Atlanta in 1864?

General William Tecumseh Sherman Signup and view all the answers

What was the symbolic end of the American Civil War?

The Battle of Appomattox Court House Signup and view all the answers

What was the final military department of the Confederacy to disband?

The Department of the Trans-Mississippi Signup and view all the answers

What was one of the significant outcomes of the American Civil War?

Slavery was abolished Signup and view all the answers

What was a characteristic of the American Civil War?

It was one of the first wars to use industrial warfare Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought between the Union (the North) and the Confederacy (the South) from April 12, 1861, to May 26, 1865.
The war was sparked by a dispute over whether slavery should be allowed to expand into the nation's western territories.

Causes of the War

Decades of political controversy over slavery led to the war.
Abraham Lincoln's victory in the 1860 presidential election opposed the expansion of slavery.

Secession and the Start of the War

Seven southern slave states seceded from the United States and formed the Confederacy after Lincoln's victory.
The Confederacy seized U.S. forts and federal assets within their borders.
The war began on April 12, 1861, when the Confederacy bombarded Fort Sumter in South Carolina.

The War

Four more southern states seceded after the war began.
The Union made significant gains in the Western Theater in 1861-1862.
The abolition of slavery became a Union war goal on January 1, 1863, when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.
Over 3.5 million slaves in rebel states were declared free by the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Union destroyed the Confederacy's river navy by the summer of 1862.
The successful 1863 Union siege of Vicksburg split the Confederacy in two at the Mississippi River.
Confederate General Robert E. Lee's incursion north failed at the Battle of Gettysburg.

Turning Points and Surrender

General Ulysses S. Grant's command of all Union armies in 1864 led to the fall of Atlanta and the March to the Sea.
The last significant battles raged around the ten-month Siege of Petersburg.
The Confederates abandoned Richmond, and on April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant following the Battle of Appomattox Court House.
Lee's surrender set off a wave of Confederate surrenders, with the last military department of the Confederacy disbanding on May 26, 1865.

Aftermath

Much of the South's infrastructure was destroyed by the end of the war.
The Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, and four million enslaved black people were freed.
The war-torn nation entered the Reconstruction era to rebuild the country and grant civil rights to freed slaves.

Significance

The American Civil War was one of the first wars to use industrial warfare.
The war is one of the most extensively studied and written about episodes in U.S. history.