Road to Secession & the Start of the Civil War

Winfield Scott

Aging War of 1812 and Mexican American War hero who devises the Anaconda Plan at the start of the war

George McClellan

General who excelled at training troops; hesitated to engage with the enemy; accused of having a “case of the slows”

Robert E. Lee

Asked by the Union army but resigned and later became a general for the Confederate Army.

Alexander Gardner

Scottish Photographer during the Civil war, known for his controversial photographs.

Jefferson Davis

Former Mississippi Senator and president of the Confederate states of America.

Charles Sumner

American politician and senator who was a leading advocate for the abolition of slavery and supporter for the rights of African Americans. Had a speech called “Crime Against Kansas”

Preston Brooks

not punished by congress even after beating sumner on the senate floor

Abraham Lincoln

16^th POTUS, lead and preserved the union and gave efforts to end slavery. Formed the emancipation proclamation of 1863, which freed all slaves.

Stephen A. Douglas

Introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act Bill.

Daniel Webster

American statesman and lawyer known for his strong speeches in defense of the Union and the organizing of the compromise of 1850.  

1st Bull Run

Battle where “Stonewall” Jackson gain his nickname; spectators gather to watch the battle

2nd Bull Run

Major confederate victory led by Robert E. Lee that forced the Union to retreat

Antietam

Bloodiest single day battle of American History.

Hampton Roads

Clash between two iron- clad ships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia Clash between two iron-clad ships, the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia

Peninsula Campaign

McClellan had a strategy of capturing the Confederate Capital, Richmond, Virgina

Anaconda Plan

Union strategy of blockading the South by sea, taking control of the Mississippi River, and “squeezing” the South into submission.

John Brown

Abolitionist who believed in using armed insurrection to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. Best known for his raid on the Federal armory at Harpers Ferry.

Compromise of 1850

Aimed to resolve the slavery issue in newly acquired territories across the U.S. Also aimed to maintain a balance of power between free and slave states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Repealed the Missouri Compromise, and let the people decide on where slavery should be allowed through popular sovereignty.

Lecompton Constitution

Pro-Slavery constitution for the state of Kansas which was rejected, ultimately admitting Kansas as a free state.

Border Ruffians

Pro-Slavery activists from Missouri who crossed into the Kansas territory to force people to accept slavery there. They often used violence, intimidation, and fraud.

Abolitionist

Someone who advocated for the immediate end of slavery. (Slavery was wrong in their eyes)

Know-Nothings

AKA the American Party, were a political movement that was very nativist and were against immigration.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law passed in 1850 that stated how an escaped slave must return to their owners even if they were in a free state. This led to lots of violence on slaves and tensions between the North and the South.

Popular Sovereignty

The power of the government comes from the people.

Free Soilers

People who opposed the spread of slavery to new states.

Uncle Toms Cabin

Novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe which tells the story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved man and all of his experiences.  

Caning of Charles Sumner

Preston Broks attacked Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor, causing several injuries. Led to further tensions between the North and the South.

Attack on Harpers Ferry

Led by abolitionist John Brown who armed enslaved people with guns to go out and attack slaveowners. Brown was then captured, charged, and then was hanged.

Election of 1860

Lincoln took the win become the Democratic split its voted between two other candidates.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Series of seven debates between Lincoln (Republican) and Stephen A. Douglas (Democrat) for the Illinois Senate seat.

Bleeding Kansas

Period of violent conflict in the Kansas Territory which sparked from the Kansas Nebraska act in 1854, which allowed popular sovereignty. People from both sides of slavery (Support and Not Support) came in to fluctuate the vote which caused raids and other violent things to happen.

John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry

Slave rebellion which attacked harper’s ferry in Virginia to steal weapons. The raid failed however, and Brown was hung.

Secession

Southern states leaving the U.S. to form their own separate government called the Confederate States of America. South Carolina was the first state to do this

1.     In what way did the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 go further than previous fugitive slave acts?

It imposed harsher penalties than ever before. It also restricted slaves’ right to a jury and increased federal government’s power in enforcing the law.

2. Parts of what political parties formed the new Republican Party?

Whigs, Free Soilers, and others.

3. How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) impact the precedent set by the Missouri Compromise (1820)?

It effectively repealed it. The new act repealed it because instead of the 36 30 line deciding where slavery would be enforced, the people of each state would decide where slavery was enforced through popular sovereignty.

4. Why was Senator Stephen A. Douglas so interested in organizing the land of the Louisiana Purchase territory? 

He wanted to further boost the construction of his railroad, which would help his home state Illinois and political career.

5. How did Uncle Toms Cabin influence the ideas of Northerners who had either moderate or ambivalent views toward slavery?

It made the northerners realize what slavery actually was, and how it brutally affected enslaved people. It sparked anti-slavery movements in the North, immediately converting them into anti-slavery people.

6. Why did John Brown and his men attack Harper’s Ferry?

They did this because brown aimed to start a slave revolt. He hoped to get revenge on slaveowners for torturing slaves, and he also thought that it would begin the banning of slavery in the United States.

7. Why was Lincoln dissatisfied with McClellan in the early years in the war?

This is because he was cautious and often hesitant in getting engaged with battles, even though he was well trained and loved by his troops.

8. What was the effect of Chief Justice Roger Taney’s ruling in the Sanford v. Scott case?

He ruled that African Americans were not and could not be U.S. citizens. This decision inflamed tensions between the North and the South contributing to the start of the Civil War.

9. Why did the “Deep South” states secede immediately after Lincoln’s election?

They did this due to fears over his Republican stance against expanding slavery into new territories.

10. How did the south prevent the success of the Anaconda Plan?

The South had things like strong Defenses, Blockade Runners, Moving Troops, Guerilla Tactics, and had support from foreign countries such as Britain and France.