CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR

SECTIONALISM TO THE ELECTION OF 1860

MARKET REVOLUTION

• 1. US ECONOMIC GROWTH FROM 1815-1840:

• AGRICULTURE, INDUSTRY, FISHING ,LUMBER, FUR TRADE

• CORPORATIONS

• 2. SYSTEMS OF LABOR

• TEXTILE MILLS—• A. RHODE ISLAND SYSTEM– WHOLE FAMILY WORKED FOR THE

MILL. FATHER FARMED THE ADJACENT FARMLAND, WIFE AND KIDS WORKED IN THE MILL, LIVED IN MILL OWNED “MILL VILLAGES”.

• B. WALTHAM-LOWELL SYSTEM– UNMARRIED YOUNG WOMEN WORKED THE MILLS, LIVED IN DORMS OWNED BY THE MILL, EARNING $$ FOR THEIR DOWRY, FIRED WHEN THEY MARRIED.

• 3. SOCIAL REVOLUTION

• IMMIGRANTS, “NATIVISTS”, TENEMENT SLUMS

• 4. TRANSPORTATION REVOLUTION

• ROADS, CANALS, STEAMBOATS, RAILROADS

REFORM MOVEMENTS• 1. 2nd Great Awakening

– Cane Ridge (Ky) Revival

– Charles Finney

– Religion for the slaves.

• 2. Education

– Horace Mann (NE)

– Lancaster System (NY)

• 3. Prison Reform and the treatment of the Mentally Ill

– Dorothea Dix

– Auburn Penitentiary System (NY)

– Pennsylvania System

• 4. Transcendentalism

Emerson and Thoreau

• 5. Women’s Rights Movement (Seneca Falls Convention)

RENEWING THE SECTIONAL STRUGGLE1848-1854

• POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY “The Answer?”– NEW LAND—MEXICAN CESSION—ISSUE OF SLAVERY– ANTI-SLAVERY– “SPOT RESOLUTIONS” AND “WILMOT

PROVISO”– SECTIONAL PARTIES??– DEMOCRAT--GEN. LEWIS CASS—POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY– POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY’S FATAL DEFECT

• POLITICAL TRIUMPHS OF GENERAL ZACHARY TAYLOR—ELECTION OF 1848– DEMOCRATS—LEWIS CASS– WHIGS—GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR– FREE-SOIL PARTY—MARTIN VAN BUREN– CONSCIENCE WHIGS—MARTIN VAN BUREN– ISSUES:– RESULT:

• CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH COMPROMISE OF 1850 NASHVILLE CONVENTION REACTION TO FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW

ROAD TO SECESSION:

• ELECTION OF 1852– CANDIDATES– RESULT

• KANSAS-NEBRASKA BILL-1853– CONTENTS– OPPOSITION

• GADSDEN PURCHASE• OSTEND MANIFESTO

• KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT 1854– CONTENTS– RESULTS:

• WILLIAM SEWARD’S PREDICTION• ELI THAYER—MASSACHSETTS EMIGRANT AID SOCIETY [AKA]

“JAYHAWKS”—”Beecher’s Bibles”• “BORDER RUFFIANS”—MISSOURI• TERRITORIAL ELECTIONS 1855—LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION• “BLEEDING KANSAS”—POTTAWATOMIE CREEK MASSACRE

SECTIONAL ISSUES AND THE ELECTION OF 1856• NEW PARTY FORMED FROM A SPLIT IN THE OLD:

– REPUBLICAN PARTY CREATED FEB. 1854 (GOP)• WHIG PARTY SPLIT-(N)

– CONSCIENCE WHIGS, (S) COTTON WHIGS– 1854• AMERICAN PARTY, NATIVE AMERICAN PARTY (Know-Nothings)

– IMMIGRATION– SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIES– KANSAS

• PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION– CANDIDATES– RESULTS

• ADMINSTRATION OF JAMES BUCHANAN 1857-1861– DRED SCOTT DECISION– KANSAS STATEHOOD DEBATE– LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES

• FREEPORT DOCTRINE– HARPER’S FERRY– SUMNER-BROOKS ATTACK

ELECTION OF 1860 CANDIDATES

PLATFORMS:

Northern Democrats—Western Platform—Stephen Douglas

Southern Democrats—Southern Platform—John C. Breckinridge

Republicans—”Conservative” Platform—Abraham Lincoln

Constitutional Unionist—”save the Union Platform”—John Bell• OUTCOME:• ATTEMPTED COMPROMISES:

– Crittenden Compromise Dec. 1860

– SECESSION:

– Washington Peace Conference, Feb. 1861

• EVENTS AFTER THE ELECTION AND SECESSION:– CREATION OF CONFEDERATE GOVERNMENT

– DECLARE INDEPENDENCE

– WRITE CONSTITUTION

– CHOOSE PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENT

– LINCOLN’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS

– LINCOLN’S GOVERNMENT– FT. SUMTER– 75,000 VOLUNTEERS, THE OTHER SOUTHERN STATES SECEDE.– 4 SLAVE STATES STAYED LOYAL– MO., KY, MD., DE., [LATER WEST VA.

ADMITTED].

THE CIVIL WAR

1861-1865

START OF THE WAR

• Ft. Sumter –April 12, 1861• Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers.• More states secede: • Capital moved to Richmond, Va.• Lincoln asks Lee to lead his army. Lee

declines.• Lincoln appointed Irwin McDowell to lead the

army.

COMPARISON OF THE BLUE AND THE GRAYCATEGORY NORTH SOUTH

POPULATION 25,000,000 9,000,000 (40% slaves)

INDUSTRY/ 95% factories Tredegar Iron WorksAGRICULTURE food crops 1 metal forge, 2 gun factories

cotton, tobacco

RAILROAD 3 x mileage of south, Standard State gauge MILEAGE gauge

MONEY Greenbacks, gold supply No backing

GOVERNMENT Established 1776 No foreign recognition 1861

NAVY Naval officers stayed loyal Very few100,000 sailors

MILITARY Winfield Scott, George McClellan Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jack- LEADERS Irwin McDowell, Ulysses Grant, son, Jeb Stuart, PTG Beau-

William T. Sherman, Phil Sheridan regard, James Longstreet

CAUSE Save the Union, free the slaves Southern Independence

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES• Union’s major weaknesses:

– Over confidence,– Long lines of supply and communications– Fight an offensive war

• Southern Advantages:– Defending home and way of life– “Better fighters”– Better Generals

• Weakness:– Cotton Diplomacy

• Civil War Names– North= Union, Federals, Yankees, “Billy Yank”, Blue, USA– South=Confederacy, Rebs, Rebels, “Johnny Reb”, Gray,

CSA– North= Army of the Potomac, Army of the Cumberland– South= Army of Northern Virginia, Army of the Tennessee

• Names of Battles– North= closest physical feature (streams, creeks, churches,

mountain)– South= closest village or town

• 1st major battle of the Civil War– 1st Bull Run (Manassas) Virginia Railroad center July 1861

• Witnessed by 1000s of spectators anxious to watch only battle of Civil War!!

• North-Gen. Irwin McDowell, 35,000 troops• South- PGT Beauregard, 22, 000 troops, with 11,000

reinforcements led by Gen. Thomas Jackson• Earned nickname “Stonewall” at this battle• “Great Skeedaddle” US army routed and retreated toward Washington,

DC– Results:

» South confident that they can win the war.» North realizes war will not be 90 days long» Lincoln replaces McDowell with George McClellan.

UNION PLAN TO WIN THE WAR!!• Gen. George McClellan—Army of the Potomac

– Brilliant motivator, organizer and trainer of troops– Poor field commander and overly cautious– Spent next 9 months training the Northern army

• Anaconda Plan (Winfield Scott--1862)– 1. naval Blockade of Confederate coastline– 2. Secure the Mississippi River all the way to New Orleans. – Split CSA in half. – Cutting off “breadbasket” from the East.– 3. Keep constant military pressure on Richmond, Va.– 4. Attack the Confederate mid-section—Alabama, Tennessee and Mississippi.

• Battles of 1861 and 1862– Missouri pacified by Gen. John C. Fremont– Northern Arkansas fell to Union forces– Port Royal, SC, fell to Union navy.– Feb. 1862 Ft. Donelson, Tennessee, and Ft. Henry, Ky, taken by Gen. Grant

• Earns nickname “Unconditional surrender”, drinking problem first exposed– Mar. 1862—Blockade in place, NC coast secured.

• Battle of the USS Monitor v. CSS Merrimac (CSS Virginia) • 1st modern naval battle Ironclad ships, Merrimac withdrew.