IB History of the Americas Civil War Unit

Antebellum Era

1820-1861

the time between the formation of the U.S. government and the outbreak of the American Civil War. During this period, federal and state governments grappled with the contradiction of U.S. slavery.

Election of 1860

Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party was split over slavery. Although Lincoln received less than 40% of the popular vote, he easily won the Electoral College vote over Stephen Douglas (Democrat), John Breckenridge (Southern Democrat), and John Bell (Constitutional Union). As a result, the South no longer felt like it has a voice in politics and a number of states seceded from the Union.

Firings at Fort Sumter

April 12, 1861

Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina's Charleston Harbor. Less than 34 hours later, Union forces surrendered. Traditionally, this event has been used to mark the beginning of the Civil War.

Battle of Gettysburg

July 1, 1863

this three day battle was the bloodiest of the entire Civil War, ended in a Union victory, and is considered the turning point of the war

Emancipation Proclamation

January 1, 1863

Issued by Abraham Lincoln, it declared that all slaves in the confederate states would be free

Surrender at Appomattox

April 9, 1865

General Grant and Lee met in Appomattox Courthouse; and Lee surrendered. surrender terms were generous; confederates could keep weapons and horses and would not be charged for treason

Reconstruction

December 8, 1863-March 31, 1877

the period after the Civil War in the United States when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union

Missouri Crisis

February 1819

When Missouri applied to enter the union as a slave state, making the slave to free state ratio unbalanced. Congress proposed an emanicpation of slaves in Missouri, but the territory rejected the proposal. As a result, the Southerners in the senate used their power to withhold statehood for Maine.

Nullification Crisis of 1832

1832-1833

began with Tariff of 1828, John C. Calhoun claimed that states have the right to nullify, or refuse to accept, a federal law if it wasn't in the state's best interest.

Election of 1848

November 7, 1848

In the aftermath of the Mexican-American War, General Zachary Taylor of the Whig Party defeated Senator Lewis Cass of the Democratic Party.

Free Soil Party

Formed in 1847 - 1848 as a result of the crisis of 1850, dedicated to opposing slavery in newly acquired territories such as Oregon and ceded Mexican territory.

Whig Party

An American political party formed in the 1830s to oppose President Andrew Jackson and the Democrats, stood for protective tariffs, national banking, and federal aid for internal improvements

Abraham Lincoln

Born on February 12, 1809 in Kentucky, Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, saved the Union during the Civil War, and emancipated the slaves; was assassinated by Booth on April 15, 1865

Crisis of 1850

sectional disagreements related to slavery, was causing more tensions between the North and South

Bleeding Kansas

1854-1859

A sequence of violent events involving abolitionists and pro-Slavery elements that took place in Kansas-Nebraska Territory. The dispute further strained the relations of the North and South, setting the stage for the Civil War.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of discussions between Lincoln and Douglas that previewed key issues like slavery, popular sovereignty, and constitutional decisions, ultimately propelling Lincoln to national prominence.

John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry

October 16-18, 1859

an effort by abolitionist John Brown, to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia

Border States in the Union

Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, Missouri

Battle of Bull Run

July 21, 1861.

Va. (outside of D.C.) People watched battle. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson: Confederate general, held his ground and stood in battle like a "stone wall." Union retreated. Confederate victory. Showed that both sides needed training and war would be long and bloody

Battle of Antietam

September 17, 1862

Civil War battle in which the North suceedeed in halting Lee's Confederate forces in Maryland. Was the bloodiest battle of the war resulting in 25,000 casualties

Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation

September 22, 1862

stated that enslaved people in those states or parts of states still in rebellion as of January 1, 1863, would be declared free.

NYC Draft Riot of 1863

July 11-16, 1863

major four-day eruption of violence in New York City resulting from deep worker discontent with the inequities of conscription during the U.S. Civil War.

Battle of Fredericksburg

December 11, 1862

The Union, led by Major General Ambrose Burnside, was defeated and lost 12,000 men. General Robert E. Lee, Commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, was the Confederate general who led in the defeat.

Battle of Chancellorsville

April 30, 1863

The Union was defeated again with the Confederacy being led by Robert E. Lee. General. Thomas Stonewall Jackson was accidentally wounded here by one of his own men.

Siege of Vicksburg

May 18, 1863

Union army's blockade of Vicksburg, Mississippi, that led the city to surrender during the Civil War

Gettysburg Address 1863

November 19, 1863

speech by Abraham Lincoln declared that the United States had to stand as a country where all men are created equal and should be treated as equals.

Election of 1864

Lincoln vs. McClellan, Lincoln wants to unite North and South, McClellan wants war to end if he's elected, citizens of North are sick of war so many vote for McClellan, Lincoln wins

Sherman's March to the Sea

November 15, 1864

during the civil war, a devastating total war military campaign, led by union general William Tecumseh Sherman, that involved marching 60,000 union troops through Georgia from Atlanta to Savannah and destroying everything along there way.

1866 Congressional Elections

During the elections, Republicans made sure that any ex-Confederate state that ratified the 14th Amendment would be declared "reconstructed" and its representatives and senators would be seated in Congress. Only Tennessee. Johnson created a National Union Party. Not successful. Republicans swept the elections

Panic of 1873

September 18, 1873

Four year economic depression caused by overspeculation on railroads and western lands, and worsened by Grant's poor fiscal response (refusing to coin silver

Election of 1876

Rutherford B. Hayes vs. Samuel J. Tilden. Ended reconstruction because neither canidate had an electorial majority. Hayes was elected, and then ended reconstruction as he secretly promised

Political Crisis of 1877

In this crisis, Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes and Democratic candidate Samuel J. Tildon campaigned for the states still ruled by Reconstruction governments (Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana). Democratic fraud led to Hayes's election.

Sectionalism

Loyalty to one's own region of the country, rather than to the nation as a whole

Secession

Formal withdrawal of states or regions from a nation

13th Amendment (1865)

Passed: January 31, 1865
Ratified: December 6, 1865

Abolition of slavery w/o compensation for slave-owners

14th Amendment

Passed: June 8, 1866
Ratified: July 9, 1868

Declares that all people born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws

15th Amendment

Passed: February 26, 1869
Ratified: February 3, 1870

Citizens cannot be denied the right to vote because of race, color , or precious condition of servitude

Missouri Compromise of 1820

Allowed Missouri to enter the union as a slave state, Maine to enter the union as a free state, prohibited slavery north of latitude 36˚ 30' within the Louisiana Territory (1820)

Carpetbaggers

A northerner who went to the South immediately after the Civil War; especially one who tried to gain political advantage or other advantages from the disorganized situation in southern states

Scalawags

Southern whites who supported Republican policy through reconstruction

Compromise of 1850 or Clay's Compromise

Introduced on January 29, 1850

5 Bills in response to Criss of 1850:
(1) California admitted as free state, (2) Territories of New Mexica and Utah organized without restrictions on slavery (3) Texas gave up claims on New Mexico in exchange for federal assumption of unpaid debts (4) Strictly enforced Fugitive Slave Law (5) Abolition of slave trade, but not slavery in the district of Columbia

Fugitive Slave Act

September 18, 1850

required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

May 30, 1854

Created Nebraska and Kansas as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

March 6, 1857

Supreme Court case that decided US Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories and slaves, as private property, could not be taken away without due process - basically slaves would remain slaves in non-slave states and slaves could not sue because they were not citizens

1st Confiscation Act

August 6, 1861

Congress declared first that the Union could "seize" Confederate slaves (as property) and use the slaves for themselves.

2nd Confiscation Act

July 17, 1862

declared free the slaves of persons supporting the insurrection and authorized the president to employ African American as soldiers.

Conscription Act of 1863

Union act instituting military draft; service could be avoided by hiring a substitute or paying a fee.

Black Codes

1865-1866

Laws denying most legal rights to newly freed slaves; passed by southern states following the Civil War

Civil Rights Act of 1866

April 9, 1866

declared that all people born in the United States were now citizens, without regard to race, color, or previous condition.

Military Reconstruction Act

March 2, 1867

divided the South into five districts and placed them under military rule; required Southern States to ratify the 14th amendment; guaranteed freedmen the right to vote in convention to write new state constitutions

Command of the Army Act

March 2, 1867

prohibited the president from issuing military orders except through the commanding general of the army (General Grant), who could not be relieved or assigned elsewhere without the consent of the Senate.

Tenure of Office Act

March 2, 1867

Required the president to seek approval from the Senate before removing appointees.

Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871

defined crimes that deprived citizens of their civil and political rights as federal offenses, and under these laws President Grant sent federal marshals to arrest hundreds of accused Klansmen.

Civil Rights Act of 1875

April 19, 1870

Prohibited discrimination against blacks in public place, such as inns, amusement parks, and on public transportation. Declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

Nullification

A state's refusal to recognize an act of Congress that it considers unconstitutional

Westward Expansion

Lasted from 1850-1890

A movement westward for jobs, land, hope, the gold rush, adventure, a new beginning and the transcontinental railroad.

Slave Resistance

When an owner's slaves rebel against the owner, in the form of running away, boycotting work, etc

Total War

A conflict in which the participating countries devote all their resources to the war effort

writ of habeas corpus

A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Pottawatomie Massacre

May 24, 1856

Abolitionist John Brown and his men killed 5 pro-slavery men in Kansas; response to Sack of Lawrence

Second Great Awakening

1795-1835

a protestant religious revival during the early 19th century in the United States.

Lincoln's Inaugural Address

March 4, 1861

Stated that, "no state...can lawfully get out of the Union" but pledged there would be no war unless the South started it.

Lincoln's 2nd Inaugural Address

March 4, 1865

Lincoln urged Americans not to seek revenge on slaveholders and their supporters and military after the war. Instead, he urged reconstruction of the South "with malice toward none; with charity for all."

Guerilla Warfare

type of fighting in which soldiers use swift hit-and-run attacks against the enemy

Homestead Act of 1862

May 20, 1862

provided 160 acres of federal land to anyone who agreed to farm the land

1795 Milita Act

February 28, 1795

granted the President broad statutory discretion to use state militias or the Regular Army to con- front domestic unrest.

Underground Railroad

a system of secret routes used by escaping slaves to reach freedom in the North or in Canada

KKK (Ku Klux Klan)

organization that promotes hatred and discrimination against specific ethnic and religious groups