Civil War and Reconstruction: Key Events, Strategies, and Political Challenges

Why did political compromises like Popular Sovereignty fail in the 1850s?

They intensified tensions by encouraging violence in territories and failing to provide a stable solution to the expansion of slavery.

How did Popular Sovereignty contribute to violence?

It allowed residents to vote on slavery, prompting armed migration by pro- and anti-slavery groups and resulting in violent clashes.

What was the impact of the Dred Scott decision on sectional tensions?

It ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress couldn't ban slavery in the territories, enraging the North and emboldening the South.

How did John Brown's Raid polarize the nation?

The North viewed Brown as a martyr for abolition, while the South saw him as evidence of Northern support for violent rebellion.

What political arguments did the South use to justify secession?

States' rights, compact theory, and the belief that the federal government had violated Southern constitutional liberties.

What economic arguments supported Southern secession?

Claims that Northern policies harmed the Southern economy and protected Northern industry.

What moral arguments did the Confederacy use for secession?

Many Southerners framed slavery as a 'positive good' and claimed moral duty to preserve it.

How did the Brooks-Sumner Affair reflect the breakdown of compromise?

The violent attack in Congress symbolized collapsing civility and rising extremism, further damaging national unity.

What major challenge did Lincoln face at the start of the war?

Maintaining Union control of federal property without provoking the Border States to secede.

Why were Lincoln's early wartime actions controversial?

Measures like calling troops without Congress and suspending habeas corpus raised questions about presidential war powers.

What were the Union's major advantages in the Civil War?

Larger population, stronger industrial capacity, superior navy, and more extensive transportation networks.

What were the Confederacy's major advantages?

Defensive strategy, strong early military leadership, and high motivation fighting on home soil.

What was 'King Cotton' diplomacy?

The Southern belief that European nations would intervene to protect access to Southern cotton—a strategy that ultimately failed.

What was the Trent Affair?

A diplomatic crisis where the U.S. seized Confederate envoys from a British ship, nearly provoking British intervention.

What political challenges did Lincoln face during the war?

Managing dissent, dealing with Copperheads, financing the war, and maintaining public support.

What political challenges did Jefferson Davis face?

Weak central authority, resistance to taxes and conscription, and state-level obstruction.

What killed most Civil War soldiers?

Disease—not battlefield wounds—due to poor sanitation, overcrowded camps, and medical limitations.

What were the long-term strategies of the Union and Confederacy?

Union: Anaconda Plan, total blockade, capture of the Mississippi, and offensive campaigns. Confederacy: Defensive war of attrition.

How did early battles like Bull Run affect strategy?

They shattered Northern expectations of a quick war and strengthened Southern confidence.

Why was Antietam a major turning point?

It halted Lee's invasion, allowed Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and reduced Confederate chances of foreign recognition.

Why was Gettysburg significant?

It ended Lee's last major offensive into the North and marked a major momentum shift in the Union's favor.

What was the intent of the Emancipation Proclamation?

To free slaves in Confederate-controlled areas, weaken the Confederacy, and redefine the war's moral purpose.

How did the Thirteenth Amendment differ from the Emancipation Proclamation?

It abolished slavery nationwide, not just in rebelling states.

How did Union war aims shift during the conflict?

From solely preserving the Union to also destroying slavery as a war objective.

How did African American soldiers contribute to Union victory?

They provided critical manpower, served bravely despite discrimination, and bolstered the Union's moral and military strength.

What was 'total war' as practiced by Grant and Sherman?

Targeting not just armies but also resources, infrastructure, and civilian support systems to break Southern resistance.

Why was Sherman's March to the Sea significant?

It crippled Southern logistics, lowered morale, and demonstrated the Union's overwhelming strategic advantage.

How did military success affect the Election of 1864?

Union victories—especially the capture of Atlanta—boosted Northern morale and secured Lincoln's reelection.

What major factors led to Union victory?

Industrial superiority, effective blockade, better transportation, strong leadership from Grant and Sherman, internal Confederate divisions, and the destruction of Southern economy and morale.

Why did the Confederacy ultimately surrender?

Exhaustion of resources, loss of major armies, failure of foreign intervention, and collapse of civilian support.