Antebellum Era Causes Quiz

Antebellum Era Causes

• Slavery: A fundamental disagreement over the morality and legality of slavery, with a growing divide between abolitionists and supporters. Majority of slaves located in South.
• States' Rights: A dispute over the balance of power between state and federal governments. The South believed in states' rights to govern themselves, including the right to maintain slavery. The North favored a stronger national government.
• Tariffs: Taxes on imported goods. The South, relying on imported finished products and exporting raw materials, opposed tariffs, which the North supported to protect its own industries. Tariffs hurt Southern economy while increasing Northern profits. South Carolina threatened secession over high tariffs.
• Sectionalism: Fierce loyalty to one's region (North or South), leading to mistrust and animosity between the sections.
• Election of 1860: Lincoln's election triggered fears of federal interference with slavery in the South and led to secession.
• Secession: Southern states withdrawing from the Union, starting with South Carolina.

Secession in Georgia

• Debate and Division: Georgia faced strong arguments for and against secession in 1861.
• Georgia's Secession: In January 1861, Georgia seceded from the Union by a vote of 208 to 89.
• Confederate States of America: Seceded Southern states formed the CSA in Montgomery, Alabama, with Jefferson Davis as President and Alexander Stephens as Vice President.

Alexander Stephens

• Political Figure: A major figure in Georgia and national politics.
• Advocate for Slavery but Opposed Secession: Stephens supported slavery, but he opposed immediate secession.
• Vice President of CSA: Stephens became Vice President of the Confederate States of America.

Lincoln's Inaugural Address

• Appeal for Unity: Lincoln appealed for maintaining the Union.
• Non-Interference with Slavery: Lincoln promised not to interfere with slavery in existing states.

War Begins

• Fort Sumter: On April 12, 1861, Confederate forces bombarded Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, initiating the Civil War.
• Union Surrender: Union troops surrendered Fort Sumter on April 13, 1861.
• Further Secessions: Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia seceded after Fort Sumter.

War Strategies

• Union: Blockade Southern ports, capture the Mississippi River to divide the Confederacy, capture Richmond (the Confederate capital), and destroy Southern resources to weaken civilian support.
• Confederate: Use blockade runners to circumvent the blockade. Rely on King Cotton diplomacy to encourage British and French intervention.

Major Battles

• First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas): July 21, 1861. Confederate victory, exposing the lengthy nature of the conflict.
• Battle of Antietam: September 17, 1862. Union victory, considered the bloodiest single-day battle. This allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.
• Battle of Gettysburg: July 1-3, 1863. Union victory, a turning point of the war.
• Battle of Chickamauga: September 18-20, 1863. Confederate victory, a major battle in the western theater of the war.

Union Blockade

• Objective: Prevent Southern cotton exports and imports of war supplies from foreign countries.
• Blockade Runners: Private ships successfully evaded Union patrols to transport goods to and from Europe.
• Ironclads: Union navy used ironclad ships (armored vessels) to enforce the blockade.
• Impact on Georgia and the South: Prevented the shipment of vital Southern resources.

Major Events involving Georgia

• Fall of Fort Pulaski: April 10, 1862. First major Georgia battle, Union victory utilizing rifled cannon.

• Atlanta Campaign: Late spring-September 1864. Union General Sherman's campaign to capture Atlanta. Confederate loss, allowing Sherman's March to the Sea.

• Sherman's March to the Sea: Union General Sherman’s devastating march through Georgia. The Union army destroyed everything in its path to weaken Southern morale and resources. This was an example of “total war”.

War's End

• Surrender: April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.
• Union Victory: The Union won the Civil War.

Casualties and Aftermath

• High Casualties: Approximately 620,000 deaths, a significant proportion from disease and hardship.
• Long-Term Healing: Physical and emotional healing took far longer after the war.