APUSH Unit 5 Studying

Study points

• Thirteenth Amendment

  • ratified in 1865

  • abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime

  • pivotal change that legally ended slavery throughout the United States following the Civil War

  • it consists of two sections

    • the first prohibits slavery

    • the second grants Congress the power to enforce this ban through legislation (laws)

• Fourteenth Amendment

  • ratified in 1868

  • grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the US

  • guarantees equal protection under the law

  • key provisions include

    • citizenship clause- ensures that anyone born or naturalized in the US is a citizen

    • due process clause- prohibits states from depriving any person of life, liberty, and property without due process of law

    • equal protection clause- requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all people

  • this amendment was a major step in expanding civil rights and protecting individual freedoms, particularly for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War.

• Fifteenth Amendment

  • ratified in 1870

  • prohibits the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote because of their race, color, or previous condition of servitude

  • intended to ensure that African American men, particularly formerly enslaved African American men, had the legal right to vote following the Civil War.

  • while it was a key advancement for voting rights, discriminatory practices like poll taxes and literary tests were put into place to undermine it until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

• advantages and disadvantages of each side

  • Advantages of the North

    • larger population- the north had a population of around 22 million compared to the south’s 9 million

      • this provided a larger pool of soldiers and labor

    • industrial strength- the north had a more developed industrial base, producing the majority of the country’s weapon, ammunition, and supplies

    • established navy- the North had a strong navy, allowing them to blockade southern ports, which crippled the confederate economy and limited access to supplies

    • transportation networks- the north had a more extensive railroad system, making it easier to move troops and supplies quickly across long distances

    • Stable government and Finances- the north had an established government, a functional banking system, and a recognised national currency, making it easier to finance the war

  • Disadvantages of the North

    • Unfamiliar terrain- the north forces often fought in unfamiliar southern territory, giving the confederacy a home-court advantage

    • long supply lines- northern troops had to maintain longer supply lines (because they were far from home), making it more difficult to keep forces well-supplied in the south

    • lack of military leadership early on- early in the war, the union struggled with leadership, facing several setbacks until generals like Ulysses S grant emerged

  • Advantages of the south

    • Military leadership- the confederacy had very skilled military leaders such as Robert e lee and stonewall jackson

    • Home-field advantage- the majority of the battles took place un the south, where confederate troops were more familiar with the terrain and enjoyed support from the local population

    • defensive strategy- the confederates needed only to defend their territory and outlast the north’s will to fight, rather than conquer the union (they didn’t have to win, just not lose)

    • Strong military tradition- many southern men had a background in military service, providing the confederacy with experienced soldiers and leaders

  • Disadvantages of the south

    • Smaller population- the South had way fewer people available for military service, and a significant portion of their people were enslaved.

    • limited industry- the South had a largely agrarian economy and lacked the industrial capacity to produce sufficient arms, ammunition, and supplies for a prolonged war

    • weak infrastructure- the confederacy had fewer railroads and poorly developed transportation networks, which made it difficult to transport supplies and troops

    • economic hardships- the Union’s naval blockade severely hampered southern trade and access to necessary goods, weakening the confederacy over time

    • lack of international recognition- despite efforts to secure support from European powers, the confederacy failed to gain official recognition or significant aid from foreign nations.

• causes and effects of the civil war

  • Causes

    • Slavery

      • most significant cause was the conflict over slavery

      • south relied heavily on enslaved labor for crop growing while the north was industrialized and had abolished slavery

      • the moral opposition to slavery in the north clashed with the south’s defense of it as a vital economic and social institution (necessary evil, positive good)

    • states rights versus federal rights

      • southern states advocated for states’ rights, arguing that they should have the power to make decisions about slavery and other issues without federal interference

      • northern states believed in a strong central government and that federal laws should take precedence over state laws

    • economic differences

      • the north had a more diversified industrial economy while the South was primarily agrarian and dependent on cotton exports

      • tariffs and economic policies also fueled tensions, as the south felt that northern industrial interests were being prioritized when taxes were being made at their expense

    • territorial expansion

      • as the us expanded westward, the question of wether new states would allow slavery became a contentious issue.

      • the Missouri compromise and the kansas-nebraska act attempted to manage this, but conflict continued, especially with the violent confrontations in “bleeding kansas”

    • Abolitionist movements

      • growing abolitionist movement in the north heightened tensions between north and south over the morality of slavery

      • fueled by fredrick douglass and harriet beecher stowe

    • election of abe lincoln

      • lincoln’s election as president triggered the secession of southern states, starting with south Carolina.

      • the south feared that lincoln, an opponent of slavery’s expansion, would eventually move to abolish slavery completely

    • secession of southern states

      • in response to lincoln’s election, eleven southern states seceded from the union and formed the confederate states of America, believing their way of life, including slavery, was under threat

      • the secession itself became a direct cause of the conflict

  • Effects

    • Abolition of slavery (13th amendment)

      • the civil war led to the abolishon of slavery with the ratification of the 13th amendment in 1865 whidh permanently ended the practice of slavery in the US

    • reconstruction

      • after the war, the southern states were placed under military occupation during reconstruction

      • the federal government attempted to rebuild the south and integrate formerly enslaved people into society, but it faced resistance from many white southerners

    • fourteenth and fifteenth amendment

      • the 14th amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all persons born or naturalized in the US, including formerly enslaved people

      • the 15th amendment ensured that no one could be denied the right to vote based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude

    • economic devastation in the south

      • the southern economy was devastated by the war

      • plantations, cities, and railroads were destroyed

      • the end of slavery meant the loss of the south’s primary labor force

      • the region struggled to recover economically for decades

    • growth of federal power

      • the war resulted in a stronger federal government and diminished the power of states to secede or challenge federal authority

      • the supremacy of the federal government over the states was solidified, particularly regarding issues of civil rights

    • industrialization and economic growth in the north

      • the northern economy experienced growth during and after the war, with the rise of industrialization and increased infrastructure development, including the development of railroads and factories

    • social and racial tensions

      • despite the legal end of slavery, racism and discrimination persisted, particularly in the south

      • the rise of white supremacist groups like the KKK and the implementation of jim crow laws led to ongoing racial tensions and inequality

    • loss of life and trauma

      • this war was the deadliest conflict in US history, with many soldiers killed and countless others wounded

      • the physical and emotional toll on the nation lasted for generations

    • legacy of division

      • the war left deep scars in the American psyche, particularly in the south where the “Lost cause” narrative romanitcised the confederate cause and downplayed the role of slavery

      • this narrative contributed to regional and racial divisions that persisted well into the 20th century

• major battles

  • Sumter

    • Fort Sumter is located in Charleston, south Carolina, and the fort was still under Union control even though South Carolina seceded from the Union.

    • tensions had been escalating for months as the South wanted the North to give up the fort, but Lincoln didn’t want to seem weak and surrender it to them, so he supplied it instead of evacuating it.

    • confederate forces under PGT Beauregard attacked the fort after union commander Robert Anderson refused to surrender the fort.

    • the union was outgunned and low on supplies, so they surrendered

    • this was not a battle of many casualties

    • significance

      • this was the catalyst for the civil war, following the battle, lincoln sent 75000 soldiers to supress the rebellion and this caused 4 more states to secede and join the confederacy

  • Antietam

    • fought in Sharpsburg Maryland (union state)

    • robert e lee’s first invasion of the north

      • he wanted to take the battle there because he hoped to gain foreign recognition for the confederacy and sway northern opinion against the war

    • while the battle was a tactical draw and neither side gained a decisive victory, the north claimed it as a victory because it halted the confederate invasion and provided a much-needed morale boost

    • significance

      • the union’s success here gave lincoln the confidence to issue the emacipation proclamation

        • this shifted the war’s focus to ending slavery

      • massive casualites- it was the most bloodiest battle with over 22,000 casualties

    • this battle marked a turning point in the war by halting the confederate advance into the north and giving lincoln an opening to redefine the war with the emancipation proclamation

  • Gettysburg

    • fought in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

    • often considered the turning point of the war, it marked the end of Robert e lee’s second invasion into the north and led to a decisive union victory

    • the union won at Gettysburg and this was a major blow to the confederate war effort.

      • lees army never fully recovered and was forced into a defensive war for the remainder of the conflict

    • significance

      • Gettysburg marked the turning point in the war- end of lees invasions in the north and confederates were defensive the rest of the war

      • many were killed, this is bloodiest battles of the war, beating antietam

      • abraham lincoln delivered the Gettysburg address reaffirming the principals of liberty and equality and empjasized the importance of preserving the union and the sacrifices made by those who fought at gettysburg.

      • this loss at Gettysburg weakened south morale significantly

  • Appomattox

    • fought in Virginia

    • one of the final battles of the Civil War

    • ended the conflict with Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Union General Ulysses s grant

    • in the heat of the battle, Lee realized that further resistance was futile, so he decided to surrender rather than subject his soldiers to more unnecessary bloodshed

    • lee and grant met in the McLean parlor to discuss the terms of the surrender

    • Significance

      • end of the civil war

      • natural reconciliation- the generous terms of the surrender helped set a tone of reconciliation rather than retribution

    • the end of the war ushered in the Reconstruction era

  • Vicksburg

• waving the bloody shirt cartoon

  • politicizing the war

  • the strategy used primarily by the republican party during Reconstruction to remind voters of the sacrifices made by the Union to evoke feelings of guilt and anger towards the Confederacy

• redemption and reconstruction- political and social

  • reconstruction- period immideately following the civil war, during which the federal government (led primarily by the republicans) sought to rebuild the south and integrate former slaves into society with full rights

  • Political reconstruction

    • Reentry of southern states- the former confederate states had to meet some requirements before coming back into the union

      • ex. rewriting some state constiitutions, ratifying the 13, 14, and 15 amendments, and pledging loyalty to the union

    • Federal oversight- military forces occupied the south to enforce these changes and congress passed laws to protect the rights of african american men

    • rise of black political participation- for the first time, african americans held political office at local, state, and national levels. many black men votes and became involved in politics

  • Social reconstruction

    • Freedman’s bearau- established to aid formerly enslaved individuals, providing food, housing, education, and legal assistance

    • schools and land reform- efforts were made to educate african americans and provide them with land (though land distribution failed)

    • resistance- white southerners, especially the wealthy planter class resisted reconstructoin, viewing it as imposed by the north. groups like the KKK emerged to intimidate black citizens and republicans through violence

  • Redemption (1877+)- process by which southern democrats, who opposed reconstruction, gradually regained control of the southern state governments. this period is marked by the dismantling of the reconstrucion reforms and the establishment of white supremacist control

  • political redemption

    • restoraition of southern rule- redeemer governments dominated by white southern democrats, took over from republican governments after reconstruction ende in 1877. they sought to reverse the many gains made by african americans during reconstruction

    • voter supression- through violence, intimidation, and legal means like poll taxes, literary tests, and grandfather clauses, redeemer governments disenfranchised african americans and also poor whites

    • end of federal intervention- with the compromise of 1877, federal troops were withdrawn from the south, ending reconstruction and allowing southern states to impose their own policies without federal oversignt

  • Social redemption

    • jim crow laws- redeemer governments implemented segregation laws that instituted racial segragation in all public areas

    • economic supression- many african americans were forced into sharecropping and tenant farming, systems that kept them in a cycle of debt and economic dependancy, limiting their economic mobility

    • cultural control- white supremacisr ideologies were reinforced in the south, leading to decades of social opression for african americans

• manifest destiny

  • The South saw manifest destiny as an opportunity to spread slavery to new territories, which would give them more political power in Congress through additional slave states

  • The North wanted to limit or eliminate the spread of slavery into new lands, fearing that slave power would dominate national politics if the South expanded into the West

• immigration

  • the era from 1844-1877 saw substantial immigration, particularly from Europe, and the influx of new immigrants influenced national debates on slavery, labor, and the nature of American identity.

  • many immigrants came in search of better economic opportunities, drawn by the promise of jobs and land

  • the Irish potato famine caused mass starvation in Ireland, leading to a wave of Irish immigration.

  • additionally, political revolutions in Europe in 1848 prompted political refugees, particularly from Germany

  • Key immigrant groups

    • Irish immigrants were the largest immigrant group during this period, they primarily settled in urban areas like Boston, NYC. the Irish immigrants mainly took low-paying unskilled jobs and faced significant discrimination, particularly for their catholic faith

    • German immigrants were the second largest group, many of whom were political refugees fleeing from the failed revolutions of 1848. they often settled in the midwest and tended to be more skilled than the Irish, finding work in farming and artisan trades

  • labor competition- immigrants were often willing to work for lower wages

  • role in infrastructure- the immigrants played a crucial role in working on railroad construction and canal building

  • the know-nothing party emerged- a nativist political movement that sought to limit the political power of immigrants by advocating for restrictions on immigration

• compromises/court decisions

  • key compromises

    • compromise of 1850- package of 5 bills passed to ease tensions between slave and free states following Mexican/American war.

      • it temporarily calmed tensions, but it later heightened northern resistance to slavery, and increased support for abolition

    • kansas nebraska act- allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery using popular sovereignty

      • result- deepened the sectional divide

  • key court decisions

    • Dred Scot v Sandford- Dred Scott sued for his freedom, court ruled that African Americans whether enslaved or free, were not US citizens and therefore had no right to sue for their freedom

    • Minor v Happersett- A Supreme Court decision in 1875 that ruled that suffrage rights were not inherent in citizenship and had not been granted by the Fourteenth Amendment, as some women's rights advocates argued. Women were citizens, the Court ruled, but state legislatures could deny women the vote if they wished.

    • Slaughter-house cases- a group of cases where the court began to undercut the power of the 14th amendment to protect African American rights

    • civil rights cases- A series of 1883 Supreme Court decisions that struck down the Civil Rights Act of 1875, rolling back key Reconstruction laws and paving the way for later decisions that sanctioned segregation.