The Civil WarCauses and Courses of the American Civil War

Unit V

The Road to WarThe American Civil War

Lecture I

The United States in 1824

The Mormon’s Trek Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints

Smith claimed that his church descended from the lost tribes of ancient Israel

Refused to separate church and state, practiced polygamy

Smith dies; Brigham Young led 10,000 followers to the Great Salt Lake

The Lure of the West Mexico gained independence

from Spain in 1821 Result: Mexico opened

borders to American traders

Result: Santa Fe Trail, from Missouri to Santa Fe

The Oregon Trail ran from Missouri to to the Oregon Territory Reports of Oregon’s rich

lands attracted American settlers

The Texas Revolution 1821, about 4,000 Tejanos lived in Texas

People of Spanish heritage who consider Texas their home

Spain wanted to attract more settlers to move to Texas Result: Moses Austin granted permission to start a colony in Texas Shortly after Mexico gained independence from Spain

Americans resented following Mexican laws Mexico outlawed slavery & closed the state to further immigration in

1829 Result: Austin requested that Texas become a self-governing state

1836 Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna headed for Texas with troops

The Lone Star States 1836 Texas asked

Congress to annex Texas to the Union

Northerners objected because Texas would be a slave state

Result: Congress voted against annexation

Texas remained an independent republic for almost 10 years

James K Polk America’s First Dark Horse

Candidate who received unexpected support

Nominated because Democrats could not agree on anyone else

Campaign slogan: “Fifty-Four-Forty or Fight!”

Goals: Reduce the Tariff Reestablish the independent

treasury Settle dispute over Oregon Bring CA into the Union

The Road to War 1846: US admitted Texas into the Union as a slave state

Mexico still claimed Texas as its own, saw annexation as an act of war

Polk sent General Zachary Taylor to the Rio Grande (disputed area) Result: Mexican cavalry unit ambushed American Soldiers Result: Polk declares war on Mexico

Northeasterners questioned the justice of dying men in such a war Lincoln questioned truthfulness of Polk’s message and need

for war Southerners saw expansion into Texas as an opportunity to

extend slavery and increase power in Congress

The Mexican American War

Mexico City fell in September 1847

War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848 Mexico recognized that Texas was part of the US The Rio Grande was the border between Mexico and the US Mexican Cession: CA, NV, UT, AZ, NM, CO and WY

½ of Mexico was ceded to America US paid Mexico $15 million US promised to protect the 80,000 Mexicans living in Texas

and other areas

Result: America had fulfilled Manifest Destiny: From Sea to Shining Sea

The Growth of the US1783-1853

Wilmot Proviso Congressman wants to prohibit slavery in all territories

gained from Mexican American War Result: Party Lines Crumble

Free Soil Party focused on Western Expansion Wanted to bar slavery in the territories Wanted government to provide free homesteads to settlers in

territories

How does the South feel about slavery in the Western Territories?

Compromise of 1850 California entered the

Union as a free state

Slave Trade abolished in Washington DC

Stricter Fugitive Slave Law

Status of slavery in the territories to be decided by popular sovereignty

Fugitive Slave Issue

Law allowed for special federal commissioners to determine the fate of fugitives No trial by jury or testimony by accused individual Prohibited local authorities from interfering with

capture of slaves Brought federal agents into northern communities

What were the arguments for and against the fugitive slave law? What were the

consequences?

Kansas Nebraska Act 1854 Senator Douglass drafted a bill to organize territorial

governments for Nebraska and Kansas Wanted the decision to allow slavery in each state to be settled

by popular sovereignty System where residents vote to decide on an issue

If the bill passed, it would get rid of the Missouri Compromise

Result: Bleeding Kansas Proslavery and anti-slavery settlers rushed into Kansas to vote for

territorial legislature 5,000 Missourians voted in the election illegally Result: Kansas legislature packed with proslavery representatives

The Republican Party Forms

Whig Party split apart after the Kansas Nebraska Act was passed

Northern Whigs joined with other opponents of slavery to form the Republican Party

The Republican Party marked the completing of the market revolution and massive immigration from Europe Result: Explosive economic growth in the North Reorientation of Northwest trade from the South to the East The North grew industrially, while the South lagged behind

The Emergence of LincolnThe Causes and Courses of the American Civil War

Lecture 3

Dred Scott v. Sanford 1856

Scott’s owner took him to live in territories where slavery was illegal Scott sued for freedom

Chief Justice Taney declared that African Americans were not US citizen Moreover, only US citizens

could sue in a US court Congress could not ban

slavery in the territories Violation of property rights

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Lincoln: Slavery was “a moral, a social and a political wrong” Did not want to abolish slavery where it already existed Instead, wanted to stop the expansion of slavery

Douglas: Popular sovereignty was the best way to address the issue Problem: Popular sovereignty was unconstitutional

Dred Scott decision said people could not vote to ban slavery because it would take away slaveholders’ property rights

Illinois was divided: Douglas won election for the Senate

John Brown Attacks Harper’s Ferry 1859

Wanted to inspire slaves to fight for their freedom Plan: Capture weapons at

US arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA

Captured the Ferry, then sent out word to rally and arm local slaves Problem: No slaves joined

Brown captured; Tried for murder and treason Abolitionists and

Northerners supported him

Rise of Southern Nationalism

High price of slaves made it hard for many to become planters

Many felt the opportunity for economic independence was eroding

Democrats in the South were determined to bring Kansas into the Union as a slave state

The Election of 1860 Douglas: Northern Democrat: Popular

Sovereignty

Breckinridge: Southern Democrat: Federal government should be required to protect slavery in any territory

Lincoln: Northern Republican: Opposed the expansion of slavery in any territory

Bell: Constitutional Union Party: Preserve the Union

The Election of 1860

The Secession Movement

Based argument on idea of state’s rights Argued that the states had

voluntarily joined the Union Claimed they had the right

to leave the Union

December 20, 1860 South Carolina was the first to secede

Formed the Confederate States of America President: Jefferson Davis

Failure to Compromise: Crittenden Plan

Fort Sumter Fort in Charleston, South

Carolina running out of supplies

Lincoln informed South Carolina that he was sending supplies to the fort

The Confederacy decided to prevent the government from holding on the fort by attacking the supply ships

Fort was forced to surrender: Beginning of the Civil War

The Beginnings of WarThe Causes and Courses of the American Civil War

Lecture 4

Border States Maryland had to stay in the Union or

else DC would be cut off Lincoln had Maryland lawmakers

arrested who backed the South

Kentucky important because of rivers Rivers provided invasion route for

North, but a barrier for the South Stayed in the Union

Missouri and Delaware stayed the in Union

West Virginia broke away and joined the Union

Strengths & Weaknesses

The North

22 million people

85% of the nation’s factories

Double to amount of railroad mileage than the South

All naval power and shipyards belonged to the North

Lincoln was a great leader

The South

9 million people 3.3 million were slaves

Home-field advantage

Would not have to stretch supply lines

Soldiers defending their homes were more willing to fight

Robert E Lee was a great general

Strategies Union Strategy

Anaconda Plan Smother the South’s

economy Called for a naval

blockage, to prevent transportation of goods or people

Also aimed to gain control of the Mississippi River Split the Confederacy

in 2 This plan took time to

work

Confederate Strategy

Defensive Plan

It did not want to conquer the North-it only wanted independence

Depended on King Cotton to win foreign support Cotton important to world

market South withheld cotton from the

market Hoped to force France and UK to

aid the Confederacy

King Cotton

Number of Men in Uniform

Confederate & Union Losses

Battles in the East First Battle of Bull Run 1861

Union Army defeated in VA Stonewall Jackson Rebel Yell

Confederate Victory was a shock

Seven Days’ Battles July 1862 McClellan’s Army Retreats

Union defeated a month later at the Second Battle of Bull Run

Lee ends Union threat in Virginia

Battles in the West Ulysses S Grant take

Tennessee in 1862 Seizes Forts Henry &

Donelson Opens up a river highway

into the South

Battle of Shiloh April 1862 Grant’s attack at dawn forced

Confederate troop to retreat

Union Casualties: 13,000

Confederate Casualties: 11,000

Fall of New Orleans April 1862 Union Fleet

captures New Orleans This was the largest city

in the South

Now only a 150 mile stretch of the Mississippi remained in Southern hands (Vicksburg)

Union on its way to achieving its goal of cutting the Confederacy in two

Battle of Antietam Riding a wave of victories, Lee

decides to invade the North Doesn’t wait for the go

ahead from President Davis Lee drew up invasions

plans, but these plans were intercepted by the Union

September 17, 1862 McClellan and the Union Army attack

Confederacy Retreats Fail: McClellan doesn’t

retreat