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CIVIL WAR 1861-1865

CausesThere were many causes for the

outbreak of the Civil War. Many people agree slavery was the main cause for the war. In addition, sectional differences led to conflicts. Northern and Southern states were developing different lifestyles and cultures. Differences in the economic life of the North and the South also contributed to the conflict. The North’s economy focused on finance and manufacturing, and the South specialized in crops and agricultural trade. Southern states also began to question the extent of the federal government’s power.

Abolitionists MovementThe Abolitionist Movement was active

in Northern and Western states before the Civil War. Abolitionists wanted slaves to be freed. Some abolitionists favored relocating them in Africa. Many, but not all, abolitionists believed African-American slaves should have the same freedoms as their owners. Southern states opposed the abolition of slavery; it was a financial necessity and part of their social structure. The South’s agricultural trade depended on crops produced with slave labor.

The North’s population was three times that of the South. Most other countries recognized the Union as the government in America. However, Britain and France had friendly relations with the Confederacy and considered aiding the South. The North also was more affluent.

The South had about nine million people, including about three million slaves. The average Southerner was not as wealthy as the average person living in the North. About 90 percent of American industry and railroads were in the North. Reliance on slave labor discouraged the creation of new jobs in the South. This discouraged immigration, and most immigrants settled in the North.

A Nation Divided

The Leaders

Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth President of the United States. He opposed the expansion of slavery. A Republican, Lincoln led the Union during the Civil War. John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865.

Jefferson Davis was President of the Confederate States of America. During the Mexican War, he had been an officer in the United States Army. Davis also had served as the United States Secretary of War. When the South surrendered, he was charged with treason and prohibited from running for public office again.

Strategies

Anaconda Plan

Union General Winfield Scott suggested the Anaconda Plan to halt Southern trade. The plan would impose a blockade. This would eventually enable the North to control the Mississippi River. Meanwhile, the army would divide and isolate sections of the South and capture its vital cities and the capital in Richmond, Virginia. Under General Ulysses S. Grant, the North’s strategy kept pressure on General Robert E. Lee’s army and constantly weakened their numbers. The larger population of the North made this possible.

King Cotton

The Confederacy adopted a defensive strategy and attempted to secure alliances with more powerful countries such as Britain and France. To do that, the South needed to show it could win the war. As a result, the Confederate army attacked Union territory to draw Union troops away from the South and to impress potential allies. As the war continued, the Southern strategy became one of evading the Union army, prolonging the war, and inflicting casualties to demoralize the North.

1. Describe the Anaconda Plan in your own words.

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2. Describe the meaning of King Cotton in your own words.

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