American Civil War Notes

Causes of the American Civil War

Do Now Challenge

  • Examine two maps and identify the similarities between them to understand what they represent.

Learning Outcome

  • Compare the causes of the American Civil War and how they led to conflict.

Key Terms

  • Manifest Destiny: Belief that Americans had a God-given right to expand and move West.
  • Slavery: The South's economic system relied on enslaved people on farms, while the North wanted to end slavery.
  • State’s Rights: The belief that each state should make its own laws, especially concerning the new states forming in the West.
  • Economy: The way a place makes its money.
  • Union: The Northern states that wanted to end slavery.
  • Confederacy: The Southern states that wanted to keep slavery.

Task 1: Beliefs of the Two Sides

  • Union (Blue States):
    • Slavery is morally wrong.
    • There should be a unified government making decisions for the good of the entire country.
    • The North was much richer and more industrialized than the South.
  • Confederacy (Gray States):
    • Slavery was important because their economy relied on it.
    • Each state should make its own decisions, especially regarding expansion.

Geography and Economy

  • North:
    • Cold winters and short farming seasons meant they didn’t rely heavily on agriculture.
    • The economy thrived from urbanization, with cities developing as a result.
  • South:
    • Warm, humid climate with long farming seasons meant their economy relied on slave labor.
    • The economy depended on exports to Europe from plantations.

Four Main Causes of the American Civil War

  • Slavery
  • State’s Rights
  • Westward Expansion
  • Economic Differences

Declaration of Independence and Amendments

  • Declaration of Independence:
    • Originally gave most rights to rich, wealthy men.
    • Black Americans were not initially able to benefit from the terms of the declaration fully.
    • Natives had no say in decisions.
  • Boycott:
    • Supporting a cause, such as a business, by not purchasing goods.
  • First Amendment:
    • Gives Americans the right to speak freely.
  • Second Amendment:
    • Debated over who can own guns.
  • Native Americans
    • Had to fight to protect their lands.
  • Amendment 22:
    • Sets the presidential limit to 10 years.

Economic Differences

  • Southern Economy:
    • Depended on slavery and goods from plantations/farms worked by enslaved people.
  • Northern Economy:
    • Depended on factories, industrialized technology, banking, and business.

Beliefs of the Union

  • The federal government should have the power to make laws for the entire country.
  • Slavery is morally wrong and should not spread to new territories.
  • The future of the nation depends on industry and free labor.
  • Westward expansion should be for free labor, not slavery.
  • The union must be preserved, even if it means limiting state power.

Beliefs of the Confederacy

  • States should be able to decide whether they allow slavery or not.
  • Our economy depends on agriculture and the labor of enslaved people.
  • New territories should allow slavery to protect our way of life.
  • If the federal government threatens our rights, we have the right to leave the union.
  • The right to own enslaved people is essential to our economy and society.

Progress Check Questions

  1. Which region of America relied on slave labor to support its economy?
  2. How did the Mississippi River contribute to the South’s economic success?
  3. How did geographical differences contribute to the conflict?