2.2 AICE AI Generated Notes

Understanding Democracy
- Both the North and South viewed themselves as democratic nations.
- Women and slaves could not vote; similar restrictions existed in other 19th-century democracies.
- Initial commitment to slavery existed in both regions; the North was as committed as the South at the start of the war.
- Both the Union and Confederacy operated under codified constitutions, limiting government power and defining individual rights.
- The Confederacy utilized the US Constitution for governance, making amendments only as necessary.
Elections and Governance During the War
- Both the USA and CSA held elections:
- 1864: Lincoln re-elected in the North.
- 1861: Jefferson Davis was the unopposed candidate in the South.
- Civil liberties were limited, particularly for those viewed as enemies (e.g., Southern soldiers were labeled rebels).

Civilian Attitudes
- Division in Northerners; minority opposition from Democrats (called Copperheads).
- Southern supporters of the Union; political shifts contributed to West Virginia’s formation.
Conscription Introduced
- Initially sufficient volunteers but conscription became necessary for both North and South, an unusual move lacking explicit constitutional authority.
- Confederate Conscription:
- First introduced in April 1862 due to small population size.
- Various laws passed from 1862-1865; faced opposition mainly from state leaders.
- Specific exclusions:
  - Only white males aged 18-35 were subject to conscription.
  - Exemptions: Teaching, substitutes allowed, and exemptions based on slave ownership.
  - Twenty Slave Law: Allowed exemptions for slave owners with 20+ slaves, controversial for maintaining slavery and suppressing rebellions.
- Union Conscription:
- Enrolment Act passed March 1863; similar exemptions and substitution provisions led to riots (e.g., New York Draft Riots).
- Riots indicated fears of job loss to freed slaves.
- Estimated only 2% of the Union army were conscripts due to recruitment from freed slaves.

Habeas Corpus: Significant legal right for personal liberty; must be suspended under specific conditions.
Lincoln's Suspension of Habeas Corpus:
- Initiated in 1861 following Baltimore Riots to preserve control in critical areas (e.g., Maryland).
- Chief Justice Taney ruled against Lincoln's suspension but Lincoln ignored it; extended the suspension to all Northern areas in September 1862.
- Military commissions emerged for trials of civilians, circumventing constitutional protections.
- Opposition grew among Northerners; Copperhead Democrats vocal against Lincoln's policies, citing changes in war aims.

Background: Leader of the Copperheads became increasingly critical of Lincoln.
Arrest and Trial:
- Arrested for speeches deemed disloyal under military law, faced military trial instead of civilian court.
- Military commission found him guilty, sparked controversy and protests in the North.
- Lincoln exiled Vallandigham instead of allowing legal trial; his actions highlighted tensions around civil liberties and military authority.

Civil Liberties: Civil liberties were constrained, but not drastic measures like in the North.
Martial Law: Implemented in various forms, with Habeas Corpus Commissioners assessing civilian cases.
Political Structure:
- Emerging government faced challenges of legitimacy and cohesion compared to the North’s established systems.

Southern Economy: Dominated by agriculture with few factories leading to heavy reliance on cotton exports.
- Blockade Effect: Resulted in food shortages and economic collapse due to the inability to export or import goods.
- Riot Incitement: Essential goods became scarce (e.g., salt pricing skyrocketing).
Legislation Response:
- Impressment Act: Allowed army supply seizures, further resentment.
- Tax-in-Kind Act: Collected 10% of crops; led to outrage among farmers and contributed to Richmond Bread Riots.

Context and Reasons: Slavery broke down as Northern armies advanced.
- Planned as a war measure to undermine the South's war economy.
Initial Proclamation:
- Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation issued September 1862, formalizing intentions to free slaves on January 1, 1863.
Content and Significance:
- Proclamation aimed at freeing slaves in rebellion states, framed as a military necessity.
- The act transformed the war’s aim from union to emancipation and encouraged enlistment of freed slaves in the army.

Northern Perspectives: Mixed feelings about the shift in war aims; some viewed it as righteous but divisive.
Southern Reaction: Perceived as an existential threat; failure to initiate mass recruitment of freed slaves.
- Approx. 500,000 to 700,000 slaves escaped to join Northern camps.
Political Divisions:
- Rise of resistance movements formed by Southern Unionists aided the Union more than anticipated.

Socioeconomic Divides:
- Majority lived in poverty, under plantation system; ideological rift between wealthy plantation owners and poorer farmers.
- Resentments towards conscription laws perceived as favoring wealthy.
Life Struggles: Evidence of rebellion against oppressive conditions in form of protests and riots (e.g., women-led bread riots).

Democratic Nature: Both North and South engaged in democratic methods during the war but differed in political cohesion and effectiveness.
Example of Governance Impact: Northern political plurality contrasts with the South’s lack of meaningful political opposition due to total war environment.
Final Resolution and Aftermath: Remaining political structures and social systems were profoundly altered post-war, culminating in the abolition of slavery but with emerging socioeconomic issues that needed addressing.