Civil War Overview

Time of Irish Immigration

Time of Irish Immigration

1840s

Reason for Irish Settlement

potato famine

Region of Irish Settlement

Irish migrants settled in Northeastern cities like New York

Irish Contribution

Irish migrants worked on the Transcontinental Railroad

Irish Religion

Catholic

American Reaction to Irish Immigration

Americans viewed the Irish as a separate race, maintaining long-held prejudice towards the Irish-Catholics. Irish immigrants filled economic needs in the US, and they later settled in their own communities.

German Immigration

Germans fleeing political unrest in 1848 settled in Midwestern cities, introducing Lutheran/Reformed customs to American culture.

Chinese Immigration

Chinese immigrants arrived in Western cities during the 1840s seeking work in gold mines and agriculture, later shifting to railroad construction.

Oberlin Abolitionism

Oberlin, Ohio, played a key role in the abolition movement, opposing the Fugitive Slave Act and actively resisting the return of enslaved individuals.

Great Famine

Irish starvation and disease from 1845-1852 due to potato crop failure, leading to mass emigration to the US and spread of Irish culture.

Potato Blight

Devastating crop disease in Ireland from 1845-1850, a primary cause of Irish emigration to the US during the potato famine.

Horace Mann

Advocated using public schools to instill American values in immigrant children, emphasizing assimilation and education.

Mexican-American War

Conflict over Texas border, leading to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, granting citizenship to Mexicans in new US territories.

United States Land Commission

Established to challenge Mexican land grants, treating all grants as invalid until proven, transitioning California to American control.

James G. Birney

Presidential nominee of the Liberty Party (1840), focused on preventing the spread of slavery into new territories.

Liberty Party

A former political party in the United States; formed in 1839 to oppose the practice of slavery; merged with the Free Soil Party in 1848

Edward Ruffin

Defender of slavery who argued that increasing slave value led to better treatment and quality of life for slaves compared to Northern workers.

Henry Highland Garnet

Prominent American abolitionist, minister, and escaped slave known for his militant approach to ending slavery.

Gabriel Prosser

Leader of Gabriel's Rebellion, a planned slave revolt in Richmond, Virginia, aiming to attack and free enslaved individuals.

Denmark Vesey

Free Black leader in Charleston, South Carolina, accused of planning a major slave revolt in 1822, modeled after the Haitian revolt.

Nat Turner

Led a violent slave revolt in 1831, causing terror in the South and leading to his capture and execution.

David Walker's Appeal

Warned about the consequences of continuing slavery, advocating for slave rebellion and freedom in his influential publication.

William Lloyd Garrison

Editor of 'The Liberator' and key figure in the Anti-Slavery Society, advocating for the total eradication of slavery in the US.

Free Labor Doctrine

Belief that free labor was morally and economically superior to slavery, a cornerstone of the antislavery movement.

Elijah Lovejoy

Martyred abolitionist newspaper editor who defended his right to publish antislavery material, highlighting the incompatibility of slavery with northern values.

Theodore Dwight Weld

Led antislavery revivals in the 1830s, charged with converting people to the idea that slavery is a sin, a key figure in the abolitionist movement.

Declaration of Sentiments

1848 document at Seneca Falls mirroring the Declaration of Independence, listing grievances against male-dominated culture, a pivotal moment in the women's rights movement.

Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Organizers of the Seneca Falls Convention, advocating for women's rights and equality in the 1830s and 1840s.

Sarah and Angelina Grimke

First female representatives of the American Anti-Slavery Society, active in advocating for abolition and women's rights.

Amelia Bloomer

Advocate for women's rights who promoted the use of trousers over skirts for practicality and freedom of movement.

Elizabeth Blackwell

First American female MD, breaking gender barriers in the medical field and paving the way for women in medicine.

Sojourner Truth

Prominent African American abolitionist and women's rights activist, known for her powerful speeches and advocacy for equality.

Susan B. Anthony

Key figure in the women's suffrage movement, advocating for women's right to vote and gender equality in the United States.

Seneca Falls Convention

1848 event advocating for women's equality and voting rights

Women's Rights Movement

Developed in the 1830s and 1840s, influenced by abolitionism and reform movements

Elizabeth Stanton

Author of the Declaration of Sentiments, key figure in women's rights

19th Amendment

Passed in 1920, granting women the right to vote in the US

Second Great Awakening

Influenced women's rights movement, sparked social reform

Abolitionist Movement

Inspired women to advocate for equality and voting rights

Fremont

Nicknamed Pathfinder of the West, associated with 'free speech, free soil, and Fremont'

Southern Fire-Eaters

Threatened secession if Fremont was elected

Know-Nothing

1854 created; Anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic, Millard Fillmore 1856 election, former president, associated with the party

Dred Scott

Slave who sued for his freedom

Dred Scott Decision

1857 ruling by Chief Justice Taney declaring black people had no rights

- Declared Missouri Compromise unconstitutional
- Essentially declared any slavery-prohibiting law unconstitutional
- Interesting because Taney was famous in 1819 for defending an anti-slavery preacher in MD
- Court's "Great Self-Inflicted Wound"

Panic of 1857

Resulted from overproduction of Northern wheat, affecting North more than South

Lincoln/Douglas Debates

1858 debates where Lincoln lost but became Republican nominee for presidency

Harper's Ferry Raid

1859 John Brown's attack to end slavery with violence

John Brown

Abolitionist who was hanged after leading an unsuccessful raid at Harper's Ferry, Virginia (1800-1858)

Election of 1860

Lincoln's victory sparking secessions and war threats

How did Lincoln win the Election of 1860?

Lincoln was able to win this election because the Democratic party spilt into 2 and had 2 candidates running. Lincoln won almost all of the Northern states, which gave him enough electoral votes to become president. Won in electoral college.

Confederate States of America

Formed in 1861 with Jefferson Davis as president, emphasizing states' rights and slavery

Emancipation Proclamation

Lincoln's order to free slaves in rebelling areas controlled by the Union

Internal Revenue Service

Established federal income tax in 1861 to fund the war

Copperheads

Northern Democrats opposing the war

Fort Wagner

Site of a violent battle where the 54th Massachusetts Regiment suffered heavy losses

Battle of Antietam

Decisive Union victory in 1862, bloodiest day in American history

Four Border States

DE, MD, KY, and MS; slaveholding states Lincoln wanted to keep in the Union

13th Amendment

Outlawed slavery in 1865

Appomattox Courthouse Surrender

April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered to Grant, ending the Civil War

John Wilkes Booth

Assassin of Lincoln in 1865

Juneteenth

June 19th, 1865, when Texan slaves were informed of their freedom

Reconstruction Amendments

13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments passed post-war to grant rights to African-Americans

Winfield Scott

Proposed the Anaconda Plan to choke out the Confederacy

First Battle of Bull Run

1861 Union loss in Northern Virginia, leading to the formation of the Army of the Potomac

USS Monitor vs CSS Virginia

Battle of the Ironclads demonstrating the effectiveness of iron-plated ships

David Farragut

Union admiral who captured New Orleans in 1862

Shenandoah Valley

Strategic location during the Civil War

George McClellan

General of the Potomac Army, criticized for slow actions and overestimating the Confederacy

George Pickett

Confederate general known for Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg

Albert 'Stonewall' Jackson

Renowned Confederate general known for his tactics and bravery

Kansas-Nebraska Act

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.

popular sovereignty (Stephen Douglas)

People of territory determine whether the area would be slave or free; negated the Missouri Compromise line; Partakes in Lincoln-Douglas debates and wins Senate seat over Lincoln, but loses 1860 Presidency to him.

Anaconda Plan

1861 Union war plan by Winfield Scott, called for blockade of southern coast, capture of Richmond, capture Mississippi R, and to take an army through heart of south

The Peninsular Campaign

1862: McClellan's plan to capture Richmond (SLOWLY)

When/Where did the Battle of Antietam take place?

1862, Maryland

What was the significance of the Battle of Antietam?

Union succeeded in halting Lee's Confederate forces, pushed Confederates out of taking DC, single bloodiest day in American history with 23,000 dead

Northern Democrats

Backed Stephen Douglas and popular sovereignity; "let the south cede to avoid war!"; opposed Emancipation Proclamation

Copperheads

A group of northern Democrats who opposed abolition and the war; sympathized with the South during the Civil War

Congressman Clement Vallandigham

Spokesperson of the Copperheads

1863 New York Draft Riot

Was a 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. Because of their low wages, often less than $500 a year, they were particularly antagonized by the federal provision allowing more affluent draftees to buy their way out of the Federal Army for $300.

Robert E. Lee

Commander of the Confederate Army

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America

Army of Northern Virginia

The main Confederate army led for most of the war by Robert E. Lee, it fought in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania before surrendering at Appomattox Court House in April 1865

Appomattox Court House, 1865

Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant ending the Civil War

Ulysses S. (unconditional surrender) Grant

General of the Union Army

Emancipation Proclamation and Gettysburg Address

Two important declarations changing reason for the Civil War

Confederate strategy

fight a defensive war

Fort Sumner 1861

First shots of the Civil War, when the Confederacy fired upon a Union military base

Battle of Bull Run 1861

First major land battle of the Civil War; Union loss in Northern Virginia due to an unpredicted confederate charge with the rebel yell

rebel yell

A frightening yell that Confederate soldiers gave when entering battle. Many Northern troops commented on how unnerving it could be.

Army of the Potomac

The main army of the Union.

Union Navy

used to blockade the South and cut off their supplies

Death of Stonewall Jackson

Killed by friendly fire at Chancellorsville, 1863

Vicksburg 1863

Turning point of the Civil War in the West. Northern troops led by Ulysses S. Grant gained full control of the Mississippi River.

Election of 1848 Candidates

Candidates:
1. Zachary Taylor - WINNER, honest, ignorant (whig)
2. Martin Van Buren (Free Soil Party- made slavery an issue)
3. Lewis Cass - father of popular sovereignty (Democrat).

Zachary Taylor became president, died in office, making his vice president Millard Fillmore president

Compromise of 1850

(1) California admitted as a free state.
(2) New Mexico as a territorial government with no restriction on slavery & no votes in the Senate.
(3) Give some Texas land to New Mexico; pay Texas $10 million
(4)Ended the slave trade (not slavery) in the District of Columbia
(4)Fugitive slave law; South can go into North to pursue slaves

Responses to the Compromise

(1) Northern Democrats accept
(2) Whigs split over it (Webster unpopular in MA)
(3) Free Soilers denounce it
(4) Mixed southern reactions

California gold rush, 1849

Mostly young men, came to California in 1849 after gold was discovered in search of instant riches. Led to quick population of California, and new conflicts over slavery as California petitioned for admission as a free state. Led to Compromise of 1850

Election of 1852 candidates

BETWEEN:
(1) Democrats: Franklin Pierce: Appealed more broadly to the divided parties (Dem) due to being unknown/uncontroversial
(2_ Whigs: Winfield Scott, 'Old Fuss and Feathers'; war hero

Election of 1852 aftermath

WHIG party splits over nomination Fillmore v. Scott
Antislavery North vs. Southern Whigs that disliked Winfield Scott;

Doomed Whig Party - Democratic party united under Pierce! Leads to formation of sectional parties instead of national parties.