Civil War/Reconstruction

Why did South Carolina secede from the Union? 

They insisted that the Northern states had breached their constitutional obligation to enforce federal laws like the Fugitive Slave Act, elected a president who would “inaugurate a new policy, hostile to the South, and destructive of its beliefs and safety”

What was the Union’s goal at the beginning of the war?

To keep the states united/restore the union

What was the Anaconda Plan?

Emphasized a Union blockade of the Southern ports and called for an advance down the Mississippi River to cut the South in two

What was Lincoln’s stance towards slavery in his first Inaugural Address?

He didn’t want to interfere with it where it already existed and felt that blacks were inferior to whites. He didn’t want blacks to be able to hold public office, vote, etc.

What was the impact of Fort Sumter?

Was the place where the first shots were fired of the civil war. The confederates shot at the union when they were trying to resupply it

What advantages did the Union have over the Confederacy? (3 examples)

Bigger population which meant they had more soldiers, produced most of the nation’s firearms so the south struggled to replace and manufacture weapons, had an expansive railroad network

Why is the battle of Antietam significant?

Showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army in the Eastern theater, and it gave Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation

Why was the Emancipation Proclamation issued?

He felt it was necessary for military and diplomatic purposes, but also as a matter of moral necessity.

Why was the Emancipation Proclamation significant?

It opened the door to fully ending slavery in America, and gave possibility for African Americans to become equal citizens to whites

What was the outcome of the Election of 1864?

Lincoln won

Why did the Union win the Civil War?

They had superior resources, transportation, industrial capacity, and effective leadership from Lincoln and General Ulysses S. Grant