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APUSH Chapter 20: Girding for War: The North and the South
Key Concepts
How the passage of new legislation promoting national economic development during and after the Civil War boosted the efforts of Asians, African American and white people's seeking new economic opportunities or religious refuge in the West
How the North's greater Manpower and Industrial resources and its leadership led to the Union military victory in the Civil War
Both the union and the Confederacy mobilized their economies and societies to wage the war even while facing considerable homefront opposition
The Civil War
Lincoln's Inaugural Address: said there would be no conflict unless the South provoked it, even after secession, it was still physically impossible for the Southern states to seperate. Lincoln's goal is to Simply uphold the Union.
Many problems arose over the potential disunity: how would the national debt be split? How much of the land would the South take? How would the rest of the US uphold the Monroe Doctrine and prevent European expansion in the New World without Southern agricultural power and a united republic?
Fort Sumter (1861): Since the South was taking the US arsenals with them as they seceded, Lincoln wanted to protect the two main ones, one of which was Fort Sumter in Charleston.
Lincoln clarifies to the South that he's just sending provisions to the Fort, but they would not be reinforced
hopes this will prevent conflict, but the South sees this as an attack and fight back the expedition Lincoln sent. Northerners, who were okay with letting the South go peacefully, are enraged by this dishonorable act.
In order to preserve the Union, Lincoln must keep the border states from seceding
These were slave states that were still in the Union (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware). If they left, they would increase the manufacturing capacity of the South and give them more men to fight also includes Washington DC (the capital), and if the capital fell to the South, the entire nation would too
To ensure they stayed in the Union, Lincoln declared martial law in Maryland (suspension of regular laws; military govt) and stating that his ultimate and only goal in the Civil War is to uphold the Union, not interfere with slavery.
North vs South
North
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Had extensive industrial resources and manufacturing capacity | lack of good military leadership |
better transportation to quickly send munitions and other supplies | lack of purpose → some people thought why not just let them go? Why waste time and money trying to keep people we dont like? |
higher population = more people to fight | |
powerful navy and ets. gov. on their side |
South
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
fighting defensively with the purpose of upholding their way of life | no est. navy or govt structure |
fighting on their own land - will have better military knowledge of the battlefield | poorly equipped, no transportation system |
veteran military officials like Robert E. Lee | weak economy, no manufacturing capabilities |
“King Cotton” hoped the international reliance of Southern Cotton would help them gain financial aid | Europe finds a stable cotton supply elsewhere, so they had little dependence on South → Britian needed Northern grain more, and if they helped the South, they would lose it that. |
Civil War + Other
Conscription Act: act in the North that said all men aged 20-45 had to register for the draft the rich could pay for $300 substitutes.
20 Negro Law: act in the South that said any person who owned 20(+) slaves would be exempt from fighting. Both of these acts show how this is a rich man's war and a poor man's fight
Both of these acts show how this is a __rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight (__who they also resented because of job competition)
Foreign Affairs: Ships
Trent Affair (1861): A Union warship sailing near Cuba stops a British ship, the Trent, and forcibly removes two Confederate diplomats headed for negotiations in Europe w→ Britain is outraged, but doesn't do much, as Lincoln eventually releases the Confederates
Alabama (1862): Britain built and manned Confederate warships, like the Alabama, to raid Union shipping (although, by a loophole in British law, they weren't considered warships). Eventually destroyed by a stronger Union ship.
Laird Rams: dangerous ships that were also built by the British. The Union warned Britain that if they used the ships, it meant war and the US would likely invade British-controlled Canada as revenge. Britain eventually apologized and paid damages made to American shipping due to their raids.
To protect Canada from possible retaliation by US, the Dominion of Canada is created to unify the Canadian govt
Domestic Developments
Writ of habeas corpus: says people detained by law enforcement must be put before the court to determine the legality / validity of their arrest. Normally protected people from arbitrary state action, but during the war, Lincoln suspends it to allow for the arrests of anti-Unionists. → shows how often, d__uring wartime, civil liberties are encroached upon__ (you will definitely see this happen later on!)
This was one of many of Lincoln's actions that increased his power as president; he also created a blockade and increased the size of the fed army (something only Congress can do)
Greenbacks: paper currency issued by the Union Treasury. Because it was inadequately supported by gold, its value fluctuated throughout the war (this becomes a real issue later on).
Morill Tariff Act (1861): increased duties on goods to raise revenue for the Civil War shows how est. govt gives the North an advantace
National Banking System (1863): initially created to stimulate the sale of govt war bonds, it also created a network of banks (that had been destroyed by Jackson) and established a standard bank note currency.
Homestead Act (1862): federal law that gave Western settlers cheap land if they lived on it for 5 years and somehow improved it (i.e building a house) → made land accessible to thousands of poor settlers and encouraged Westward expansion (but the land ended up being infertile).
US Sanitary Commission: created by Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell (the first woman to graduate from medical college), this govt agency trained nurses, collected medical supplies and equipped hospitals to treat wounded Union Army soldiers- many women, like Clara Barton, made nursing a respectable profession, and gave women the confidence and organizational skills to propel the women's movement in postwar years.