AICE History Study Guide new

Origins of the Civil War (Paper 1 - Source Based Questions)

Focus: Causes and progression leading to the U.S. Civil War.
Key Topics:
- Failed compromises
- Growing sectional tensions
- Election of 1860 (Lincoln's victory)
Political Parties:
- Democrats: Represented the South.
  - Advocated for states' rights over federal jurisdiction.
  - Feared the end of slavery expansion would lead to the end of slavery.
- Republicans: Represented the North.
  - Formed due to divisions within the Whig party.
  - Supported stopping the expansion of slavery.
  - Abraham Lincoln won the election by securing all Republican votes.
Source Analysis: Identify the author's bias based on their affiliation (North/Republican vs. South/Democrat).

Slavery Issue (1820-1850)

Political System: Understand the power of Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) and the system of checks and balances (Legislative, Executive, and Judicial).
Vocabulary:
- Peculiar Institute: Southern euphemism for slavery.
- Federal: National government formed by independent states.
- Platform: Public principles and intentions of political parties.
- Tariff: Tax on imported goods.
- Patronage: Granting jobs/privileges to supporters.
Economic Differences: North (industrialized) vs. South (agricultural, reliant on slavery).
- Agrarian: Relating to land and farming.
- Egalitarian: Society where people are equal.
Regional Terms:
- Lower South: Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi.
- Planters: Owned plantations with 20+ slaves.
- King Cotton: U.S. dominance in cotton production, reinforcing slavery.
- Yankees: Northerners.
- Plantation Agriculture: Cash crops like sugar, rice, tobacco, and cotton.
Abolitionists: Advocated for the end of slavery due to moral concerns.
Ideologies:
- Abolitionist: Someone who wanted to end slavery.
- Evangelical: Passionate Christians sharing beliefs.
- Segregation: Separating groups based on race.

Territorial Expansion

Westward Expansion: The balance of power in Congress was the main issue. Each new free state needed a slave state counterpart.
Key Events/Ideas:
- Missouri Compromise: 36'30' line; above = free, below = slave. (Ultimately failed)
- Manifest Destiny: Belief in the U.S.'s divine right to control North America.
- Sovereignty: Ultimate power.
- Gross National Product: Total value of goods/services produced in a country.
- Proviso: A condition or provision.
- Mid-term elections: Congressional elections held mid-presidential term.
Wilmot Proviso: Aimed to ban slavery in territories acquired from Mexico.
Calhoun Doctrine: Citizens can take their property (slaves) into any territory; popular sovereignty idea.
Popular Sovereignty: Settlers decide on slavery, not Congress.
Mormons: Religious group in new territories, especially Utah.
Compromise of 1850: California = free state, Utah/New Mexico = no slavery restrictions. Fugitive Slave Law was the most important part.

Sectional Divisions (1850-1856)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Showed the moral issues of slavery.
Slave Power Conspiracy: Belief that slave states had too much power in government.
Second Party System: Democrats vs. Whigs (1830s-1850s). The Whig party became the Republican party after 1850.
Nativism: Belief that native-born Americans have more rights than immigrants.
Catholic Immigrants: Fear that the Catholic Church would control immigrant voters, threatening democracy.
Republican Party Formation: Formed due to Whig party divisions over slavery; Northern Whigs joined Republicans, Southern Whigs joined Democrats.
Bleeding Kansas: Violence over slavery in Kansas (John Brown).
Kansas-Nebraska Act: Popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska, repealing the Missouri Compromise.

Republican Victory in 1860

Dred Scott Case: Denied citizenship to African Americans and strengthened the Slave Power Conspiracy.
Lecompton Constitution: Pro-slavery constitution in Kansas.
Referendum: A vote on a specific issue.
Lincoln vs. Douglas Debates: Douglas lost support from Southern Democrats.
Growing Abolitionism: Strengthened the Republican vote.
John Brown's Raid: Increased sectional tension and the need for a strong candidate.
Election of 1860: Lincoln won without Southern votes due to divided Democratic vote.

Start of the Civil War (April 1861)

Southern Secession: States seceded after Lincoln's election, fearing the end of slavery.
Lincoln's Stance: Refused to compromise on slavery expansion.
Southern Perspective: Secession meant the end of the Fugitive Slave Act.
Fort Sumter: First shots of the Civil War.
Core Argument: States' rights vs. Federal authority; slavery expansion threatened Southern power.

Civil War and Reconstruction (Paper 2)

Length of the Civil War (Four Years)

** unpreparedness**: Neither side was ready, especially the Confederates.
- Mobilization: Preparing for war.
Changing Military Strategies: Union aimed to control the Mississippi (Anaconda Plan).
Amateur Forces: Both sides had to recruit, appoint officers, and train soldiers.
Conscription: Military draft allowed both sides to recruit large armies (War of Attrition).
Leadership Issues (Union):
- George McClellan: Slow approach.
Confederate Momentum: Robert E. Lee's offensive slowed the Union.
Union Regain: Ulysses S. Grant embraced War of Attrition.
Turning Points:
- Gettysburg: Stopped Lee's advance North; Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.
- Battle of Vicksburg: Union control of the Mississippi, Anaconda Plan in effect.
William Sherman: Captured Atlanta, weakening Confederate ability to wage war.
Foreign Influences: Great Britain and France financed the Confederates, which was vital to the Confederate war effort. They never fully supported the South.
- Belligerent Status: Recognized legally as waging war.
- Commerce Raiders: Confederate warships purchased from Great Britain.
- Laird Rams: Vessels purchased [but never delivered] with iron rams to sink enemy ships.

Immediate Impact of Civil War

Suspension of Civil Liberties: Lincoln suspended Habeas corpus to preserve the Union.
- Merryman Case: Controversy over illegal detainment.
- Vallandigham: Denounced the war, banished to the Confederacy.
- The Milligan Case: Military court couldn't try civilians.
Criticism of Lincoln: Accusations of absolute power and unconstitutional actions.
Warfare Tactics:
- Guerrilla Warfare: Irregular forces harassing conventional forces.
- Martial Law: Military power over civilian administration.
Confederate Policies: Davis promised not to suspend civil liberties.
Emancipation Proclamation: Made the war about moral issues of slavery.

Impact:
* Confiscation Act: Slaves became contraband of war.
* Recruitment of Black Soldiers: Volunteered for the Union army.
* Confederate Economy: Ordnance Bureau and impressment of supplies led to poverty.
* Women’s Role: Took over jobs usually held by men.
* Union Opposition: Disagreement over the war's handling.
* War Democrats: Supported the war's successful conclusion.

Election of 1864: Lincoln won, signaling the end of the war and Reconstruction.

Aims and Outcomes of Reconstruction

Key Questions: Terms of re-unification? Treatment of Southerners? Who decides Reconstruction policy?
Lincoln's 10 Percent Plan: Reunite the Union and minimize punishment.
Radical Republicans: Harsh punishment for the South, supported African American rights.
Andrew Johnson's Reconstruction: Lenient to the South, opposed black suffrage.
Impeachment: Attempt to remove Johnson; Congress weakened his power.

Success of Reconstruction

Constitutional Amendments: 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were passed.
Southern Politics: Republicans (Carpetbaggers and Scalawags) faced opposition from Democrats.
White Southern Responses: KKK and paramilitary groups.
Freedman’s Bureau: Helped African Americans with jobs and education.
Economic System: Sharecropping kept African Americans in debt.
Achievements: Increased land farmed by African Americans, improved living standards.
Failures: Jim Crow laws (segregation), lynchings, poll