Civil War Advantages and Emancipation Proclamation

Civil War Advantages

• The North had a larger population, workforce, and military size.
• The North possessed 90% of the industrial capacity.
• The South enjoyed a defensive advantage, needing to maintain a strong position.
• The South's key advantage was military leadership, exemplified by figures like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, who led effectively.

Border States

• Key border states included Missouri, Kentucky, Delaware, and Maryland.
• These states held enslaved people but remained loyal to the Union.
• Missouri and Kentucky had citizens who fought for the Union, despite owning slaves.
• Strategically located, these states also contributed to industrial capacity.

Emancipation Proclamation

• The Emancipation Proclamation followed the Battle of Antietam, a decisive Union victory.
• Antietam was the bloodiest single day of the war.
• This victory helped prevent European intervention, as European powers had questioned aiding the Confederacy.
• The Proclamation freed enslaved people in Confederate states.
• The Proclamation did not apply to border states thereby avoiding potential conflicts.
• It strengthened the moral cause of the Union war effort.
• It discouraged European intervention by highlighting anti-slavery sentiment.

Contraband and Conscription

• Contraband referred to runaway enslaved people seeking refuge behind Union lines.
• Enslaved people often joined the Union forces in significant numbers.
• Conscription involved the forced enlistment of citizens into the military—a draft.
• The 1863 NYC draft riots exemplified the class tensions between the wealthy and poor because wealthier individuals could pay for substitutes.

African-Americans in the Civil War

• Approximately 180,000 African Americans served in the Union Army.
• 38,000 African Americans died during the war.
• Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person, encouraged African Americans to join.
• African American soldiers often received lower pay than their white counterparts.

Lincoln and Civil War Liberties

• To manage the war, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus, allowing arrests without trials, which violated the Bill of Rights.
• Lincoln expanded the military without congressional approval.
• He suppressed newspapers opposing the war, violating the First Amendment.
• This highlights the limitations on personal liberties during wartime.

Post-Civil War Era

• The National Banking System was established under Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase.
• Chase later became Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
• This system created a standardized national currency.
• The Homestead Act offered 160 acres of land at low cost to encourage westward migration.
• Republicans, controlling Congress, pushed for higher tariffs.
• Democrats opposed tariff increases.
• The Morrill Land-Grant Act granted public land to states for establishing agricultural and mechanical colleges.
• This contributed to the growth of higher education in the US.