Civil War Q&As PDF

Civil War Q&As c Why was slavery causing serious divisions 1) Its importance to the Southern economy 2) Legal protections in federal laws and Supreme Court within the country by the 1850s? decisions 3) Violence people were willing to use to support their views 4) Strong fee...

Civil War Q&As c Why was slavery causing serious divisions 1) Its importance to the Southern economy 2) Legal protections in federal laws and Supreme Court within the country by the 1850s? decisions 3) Violence people were willing to use to support their views 4) Strong feelings on both sides Who were the four presidential candidates in Republican - Lincoln 1860? Southern Democrats - Breckinridge Northern Democrats - Douglas Constitutional Union - Bell Why was Lincoln nominated for the He was against the spread of slavery but moderate enough to win the votes of those who feared/hated Republicans in 1860? abolition Why were there two Democratic candidates The Southern Dems felt Stephen Douglas was not proslavery enough so they left and nominated their in 1860? own candidate What were the key results of the 1860 Lincoln won 40% of the popular vote with enough electoral college votes to win the presidency. He won election? every free state and no slave states What happened immediately following the Seven of the most pro slavery states in the South seceded and formed the Confederate States of 1860 election? America (Confederacy) What drove four more southern states to Lincoln’s move to resupply Fort Sumter in the Charleston, SC was viewed as an act of aggression by secede in April 1860? those states Which four slave states did not join the Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware Confederacy (aka Border States) Why did Confederate states secede from the To preserve slavery permanently. They had come to fear that a Republican-led gov’t would try to end Union slavery and decided to leave the Union before this happened What was the initial goal of the Union in the To force southern states back into the union; only later during the war did abolition of slavery become Civil War? a goal Who was president of the Confederacy? Jefferson Davis (former MS senator) What were the key northern strategies - Blockade southern ports → prevent supplies from reaching South during the war? - Gain control of Mississippi river → split the Confederacy - Capture Richmond, VA (Confederate capital) What were they key southern strategies - Defend homeland → hold onto as much territory as possible during the war? - Continue selling cotton to Britain/France → they would pressure North to end war What were Union and Confederate troops Union = Yankees sometimes called? Confederate = Rebels What were the key northern advantages in Larger population, more industry, the navy the war? What were the key southern advantages in Defense is stronger than offense, superior leadership the war? What was the first major battle and what First Battle of Bull Run (July 1861); a Confederate victory but both sides realized they needed more was the result? troops How well did the Union naval blockade of the They blocked off about 2/3 of Southern trade South work? Why did the Confederacy have success in the Union generals were overcautious and indecisive, leading several to be fired and replaced by Lincoln East during the early years of fighting? What was the Battle of Antietam and why In September 1862, Gen. Lee of the Confederacy elected to invade Union territory and marched into was it a turning point in the war? Maryland, hoping to bring the war to an end by pressuring the North and causing a pro-Confederate uprising. Lee was defeated at Antietam and forced to retreat back to the South. Lincoln used this win as the opportunity to announce his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation What were the steps leading to the [See the timeline on the documents handout] Emancipation Proclamation? What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? Declared free any slaves in rebelling territory and opened the door for Black soldiers to serve in the Army What were the key effects of the - encouraged enslaved people of Confederacy to run Emancipation Proclamation? - convinced Britain and France to side with the Union and not the Confederacy - increased numbers of Black troops in armed service for Union - made ending slavery an official purpose of the war for the Union What percentage of Union troops were 10% of the army, 18% of the navy Black? What were conditions like for Black troops? They were paid less than whites (until they protested for higher pay), received worse materials, received most dangerous assignments What abolished slavery in the United States? The 13th Amendment, passed in January 1865 What was the Battle of Gettysburg and why Lee took Confederate forces into the North once again but was defeated in Gettysburg, PA in July 1863. was it a turning point in the war? This ended the Confederate threat to the North and the momentum was firmly with the Union from this point What was the Battle of Vicksburg and why Union Gen. Grant surrounded and captured Vicksburg, MS in July 1863 - it was the last Confederate was it a turning point? stronghold on the MS River. With Vicksburg, the Union had complete control of the river. After this win, Grant was promoted to head of all Union forces. Why was Lincoln concerned he would not The war had dragged on for years at a very high human and financial cost. Lincoln feared this would win reelection in 1864? lead people to vote for Dem. candidate George McClellen, who advocated for a negotiated peace rather than complete victory. What was the significance of Sherman's Sherman employed a ‘total war strategy, which involved waging a campaign of systematic destruction March to the Sea? (from Atlanta to through Georgia, destroying military targets, infrastructure, and civilian property to break Southern will Savannah) to fight. When did Gen. Lee’s Confederate army They surrendered April 9, 1865 at Appomattox courthouse in Virginia. Grant let the Confederate surrender and what terms did Union Gen. soldiers go home with their horses and three days of food. Grant give them? When and why was Lincoln assassinated? Lincoln was killed by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865 as a part of a plot by Confederate sympathizers to kill Union leaders and get the Confederates back in the war. What was the cost of the war in human lives? Historians estimate between 620,000 - 750,000 war deaths (as much as 2.5% of the US population of that time). It was more deadly than all other US wars combined. What role did technology play in making the New weapons like rifles, minie balls, and artillery were more lethal, but generals still used old tactics war so deadly? that called for close-quarters fighting What were other key effects of the war? - Billions of dollars worth of damage → mostly in South - Federal government strengthened and Union saved - Millions of African Americans freed