The Civil War (1861-1865)

The ______was a period of war between ______and ______states. The free states were called the Army of the Union and were comprised of ______states; the ______slave states called themselves the ______States of America. By the end of the war, ______soldiers had died, which represents more than all the deaths of our other campaigns combined. Over _____of these die from ______than ______. Before the war, the country boasted31,000,000 citizens and _____ states (Minnesota, Oregon, and ______are the newest). In the South, ______people wereslaves – they made up ½ of the total population. During this time, blacks are born & live in filth, disease, and ignorance.

______, ______, ______, and ______were Presidents between 1849 and 1861. They were largely ineffective, and their inactions helped further the cause for war.

______had been suggested many times as only way to deal with slavery – in their eyes slavery was the only way to preserve their economy –they didn’t know what to do without ______. American Slavery had existed for so long (since 1619) that it was called “a ______.”

Society tried to end slavery several times during this period. “______” (1852) by Harriet B. Stowe told a violent story that moved many to join the abolitionists. The “______” was created by Harriet Tubman + other conductors to evacuate slaves from the South- nearly 50,000 were saved by the “railroad.” Tubman herself rescued over ______slaves after her escape.

The State of Slavery in America

______ruled throughout the country. Even northern abolitionists were racist by modern standards. ______, ______, and even cemeteries wouldn’t accept them; workers didn’t trust them because they worried about their own ______. In the South, girl slaves were used and sold as breeders for more slaves. Southerners saw their slaves as ______, which could be moved with them to new lands. The ______(1846) unsuccessfully tried to end slavery by making it illegal in lands won during the ______.

Several attempts made to deal with slavery but ______:

  • The Missouri Compromise (1820) – The nation kept an uneasy balance of power by admitting ______as a slave state and ______as a free state.
  • The Compromise of 1850 – ______statehood swung the balance to the North. To maintain the balance, ______and ______were allowed popular sovereignty.

The Path to War

Several events placed the country on a path to war. “______” (1856) proved that ______Sovereignty was a failure in settling this issue. As a result, ______collapsed into civil war and more than ______people were killed. The debate even spilled over into violence in the nation’s capital. In 1856, Preston ______brutally attacked Charles ______with a cane over a speech Sumner had made. In 1857, a slave named ______sued for his freedom and lost. The ______said Scott was not a free man, and that Congress had no right to outlaw slavery in any territory. The final strawscame in 1859-1860, when ______raid on Harper’s ______failed. He was captured and hanged by the South. Finally, ______election in 1860 pushed the South over the edge: slaveholders calledhim “The ______,” because he supported abolition. On December 20, 1860______seceded from the Union, in response to Lincoln’s victory.

The War Begins

Abraham Lincoln won the election in 1860 over his longtime rival Stephen ______, who Lincoln had debated several times in ______. With Lincoln’s election, the nation began to tear itself apart. During the war, Lincoln led the ______and ______led the South. Both sides made critical errors in the early years of the War – in general, Lincolnseriously underestimated the ______of the South and was not prepared for response his army received in early years of the War; the South wrongly assumed______would come to its aid – all of Europehad banned ______by 1860.

Advantages of Each Side

NORTH
  • ______Population
  • Bank ______and Factories
  • Value of goods ______
  • Horses and ______Tracks
  • Firearms and ______Production
  • 90% of total ______
  • Controlled the ______
/ SOUTH
•Excellent ______– Robert E. ______and Thomas ______
•Familiarity with the ______makes defending always easier than attacking
•______fight better than factory workers
•Profitable economy based on ______exports

Weapons of the Civil War

Most soldiers were issued smoothbore muskets that were difficult to ______and could be fired at an accurate range of only about ______yards. Rifled muskets were much more accurate and deadly with a range of up to ______yards. In the Civil War, some cannons were rifled for better accuracy and more power. Rifled cannons could accurately lob shells for almost ______yards. Smoothbore cannons were not as accurate and could be lobbed ______yards.

Key Battles of the War

  • FortSumter – April ______: Start of the War
  • Ft.Donelson– Feb. ______: Attacks by Ulysses S. ______gave the Union its 1st victory
  • ______– April 1862: Union Victory (______casualties)
  • Antietam, 1862: Union Victory – largest loss of life during the War (more than 25,000 casualties)
  • ______Proclamation – January 1, 1863; Freed the slaves only in states that seceded from the ______; It did not free slaves in border states - ______forbid Lincolnfrom freeing slaves in the Union
  • After the Emancipation Proclamation blacks began to join the Union Army. Initially they were only used for manual labor – eventually, Blacks saw live combat (54th regiment out of Massachusetts).
  • Gettysburg – July 1863: Union Victory – "______" part of over ______deaths in 3 days
  • ______– July 1863: won by Grant, cut South in 1/2 and gave the Union control of ______River; Grant was then given control of all Union armies at this time – began a "______" policy to defeat the South
  • Sherman’s ‘______’ – March 1864: Sherman "March through ______" saw total destruction from ______to ______– tore up rail lines, destroyed crops, burned/looted towns
  • Surrender at ______– April ______: Grant’s victory in Richmond was the final blow to Lee's army; Lee ______on April 9, 1865; Lincoln didn't want a humiliated South and further conflict, thereforeterms of surrender were lenient.

Effects of the Civil War

  • Creation of a single unified ______
  • To cover war debts, Union gov't issued war ______and introduced ______tax
  • U.S. now an ______nation
  • Killed the issue of ______
/
  • Abolition of ______;
  • Increased federal power – Lincolnrestricted civil liberties so nothing would detract from Union war effort - free ______/ ______also interrupted