The American Civil War - Beginnings
The Presidential Election of 1860
Candidate Rivalry: In , Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln ran against each other for the presidency. This followed their previous well-known political debates, particularly those focused on the institution of slavery.
Election Outcome: Abraham Lincoln won the election to become the President of the United States.
Statistical Breakdown of the 1860 Election: - Republican (A. Lincoln): Won with electoral votes and of the popular vote. - Southern Democrat (J. C. Breckinridge): Received electoral votes and of the popular vote. - Northern Democrat (S. Douglas): Received electoral votes and of the popular vote. - Constitutional Union (J. Bell): Received electoral votes and of the popular vote.
Initial Executive Stance: Upon taking office, Abraham Lincoln did not initially intend to end slavery.
Contextual Realities of Slavery and Legal Precedents
The Clotilda: Known as the last slave ship in the United States. In July , the captain of the ship reportedly burned and sank the vessel to hide evidence of the illegal voyage.
Enforcement of Slab Trade Bans: In , the case of the Camargo highlighted the enforcement of slave trading laws; it involved the only man convicted of slave trading who was subsequently sentenced to death.
Political Complicity: Historical research indicates that more than members of Congress were slave owners.
New Mexico Territory Slave Code (-): Slavery was codified in specific territories long after many assumed it was restricted.
Native American Enslavement: Research such as Reséndez’ The Other Slavery demonstrates that the enslavement of Native Americans persisted in some cases into the early .
Southern Secession and the "Lost Cause" Myth
Motivation for Secession: The South received no support for Lincoln during the election. Southern states seceded because they falsely believed Lincoln intended to immediately end slavery.
Demographic Logic: Lincoln won the election despite lacking Southern support because of the significantly higher population in the Northern states.
Definition of Secession: Secession refers to the South splitting from the Union to form their own entity because they wanted to continue the practice of slavery.
Legal Status of Secession: Secession is not legal. While supporters claimed a right to leave because they had joined voluntarily (invoking "states' rights"), they did not legally secede.
Documenting the Causes: Primary source documents like the "Declaration of Causes of Seceding States" explicitly link secession to slavery.
Historical Revisionism: Organizations and individuals like Rutherford worked to "whitewash" slavery in Southern textbooks. This created a false narrative—the "Lost Cause"—claiming states' rights was the true cause of the war rather than slavery.
The Confederate States of America (CSA)
First State to Secede: South Carolina seceded on December , .
The Initial Bloc: South Carolina was followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.
Formation: The states that seceded formed the Confederate States of America.
Leadership: Jefferson Davis was named the President of the Confederacy.
Legislative Action: The Confederacy wrote a new Constitution that explicitly made slavery legal.
Commencement of the American Civil War
General Definition: A civil war is a conflict between people of the same country. The American Civil War is considered one of the worst in history.
Central Conflict: The war was fought to keep the South from leaving the Union, with slavery serving as the major issue that separated the two sides.
Fort Sumter: The war officially began at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, on April , .
Surrender of the Fort: As a Union fort located in the South, it was difficult to defend. Union forces surrendered the fort hours after the conflict began.
Composition of the Belligerents: At the beginning of the war, there were states in the Union (North) and states in the Confederacy (South).
Comparative Advantages: North vs. South
Union (North) Strengths: - Significantly larger population. - Higher concentration of factories for weapon and supply manufacturing. - Extensive network of railroad tracks for transportation of troops and gear.
Confederacy (South) Strengths: - Home-field advantage; most battles were fought on Southern land. - Proximity to their own supplies. - High motivation to protect their homes. - Soldiers often possessed superior outdoor survival and combat skills.
Military Technology and Civil Liberties
Ironclad Ships: These were vessels featuring iron plates for protection against cannon fire.
Advanced Ballistics: Implementation of deadlier cannons and bullets.
Riflery: Development of more accurate rifles.
Suspension of Habeas Corpus: During the war, President Lincoln suspended the writ of Habeas Corpus, which is the legal right of an individual to be brought before a judge to determine the legality of their imprisonment.
Major Battles and Turning Points
Battle of Bull Run (Virginia): One of the first major battles; won by the Confederacy. It signaled to the North that the war would be long and difficult.
Battle of Antietam (Maryland): - Date: September , . - Significance: The first Confederate invasion of Northern territory, led by Gen. Robert E. Lee. - Casualties: The bloodiest single day in U.S. history with men killed over a -hour period. - Political Result: The Union stop of the Confederate army allowed Lincoln to move forward with plans for the abolition of slavery.
Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania): - Date: July -, . - Scale: Union soldiers fought Confederate soldiers. - Casualties: More than men were killed or wounded. - Significance: Considered the turning point of the war. It prompted Northerners to support the war effort through "war bonds."
The Emancipation Proclamation and the Gettysburg Address
The Gettysburg Address: Several months after the battle, Lincoln dedicated a cemetery at the site. His famous two-minute speech honored the fallen and the cause of the Union.
Emancipation Proclamation: - Preliminary Offer: Lincoln initially offered to pay slave masters in border states to give up their slaves, but the offer was rejected. - Declaration: Effective January , , Lincoln declared all slaves in the Confederacy to be free. - Direct Impact: The Proclamation allowed Black men to serve in the Union Army and Navy. While the South ignored the law, it shifted the war’s focus entirely to slavery.
Resistance and Diverse Contributions
The Underground Railroad (-): The South lost approximately slaves during this period. While many used land routes, thousands also fled by sea.
Harriet Tubman: A central figure of the Underground Railroad; Maryland hosts museums in her honor.
Women in the War: Women served as nurses on both sides. Clara Barton was the most famous Union nurse and later founded the American Red Cross.
Espionage: Mary Bowser, a former slave, reportedly served as a spy for the Union.
Black Service: Approximately Black men served in the Union Army. In contrast, they made up less than of the estimated Confederate soldiers.
Diverse Participants: Roles were also played by Native Americans, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, and Cubans.
Conclusion of the War and its Aftermath
Command Change: In March , Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was appointed to lead the Union Army.
Lincoln’s Re-election: November , .
The Surrender: On April , , Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox.
Assassination: On April , , John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln at a theater. Lincoln died at on April .
Abolition: The Amendment was ratified on December , , officially abolishing slavery.
Pardons: Jefferson Davis was imprisoned for years; eventually, President Andrew Johnson pardoned him and other Confederates.
Modern Remnants: Cannonballs from the war are still discovered underground in Charleston. Regarding state flags, Mississippi was the last to remove Confederate symbols, changing its flag in to a white magnolia blossom design.