UNIT 4 FINAL

Road to the Civil War

Sectionalism

North: Manufacturing economy, urban areas, extensive railroads, anti-slavery.
South: Agricultural economy, dependent on cotton plantations, pro-slavery, lacked public infrastructure.
West: Farming, ranching, mining, abundant resources connected by transportation networks.

Failed Compromises

Missouri Compromise: Missouri enters as a slave state, Maine as a free state; territories south of the 36°30' line are slave states.
Compromise of 1850: California as a free state, Fugitive Slave Law introduced; resulted in increased abolitionist sentiment.
Kansas-Nebraska Act: Popular sovereignty decides status; leads to violence and manipulation of voter registration.

New Political Parties

Republican Party forms from Northern factions; anti-slavery platform. Lincoln is first candidate. Southern Democrats maintain pro-slavery stance.

The Final Miles

Election of 1860: Lincoln's victory incites Southern fear of anti-slavery measures, leading to secession.
Secession: South Carolina leads, followed by others forming the Confederate States. Border states remain in the Union.

Causes of the Civil War

Slavery: Central force of division; heavily supported in the South but opposed in the North.
Sectionalism: Regional loyalties over national unity, exacerbated by slavery.
States’ Rights: Tenth Amendment invoked by Southern states to reject federal authority.

Abraham Lincoln vs. Jefferson Davis

Lincoln: President, emphasizes union preservation and equality; anti-slavery views expressed in speeches.
Davis: Confederate president, defends slavery and secession; focuses on Confederate unity.

Advantages/Disadvantages in War

Union: Stronger railroads, larger population, manufacturing capabilities.
Confederacy: Familiar terrain, emotional motivation, better initial strategic positioning; lacks infrastructure and manufacturing.

The Anaconda Plan

Union strategy to blockade and collapse the Confederate economy; successful in the long term.

Key Battles of the Civil War

Fort Sumter: Confederate victory starts the war.
First Bull Run: Confederate victory highlights war’s length.
Antietam: Bloodiest single day; Union victory prompts Emancipation Proclamation.
Gettysburg: Turning point battle; significant Union victory.
Vicksburg: Union victory splits Confederacy; another turning point.
Appomattox: Lee surrenders, ending the war.

Important Figures

Abraham Lincoln: U.S. President, assassinated shortly after war ends.
Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederate States.
Ulysses S. Grant: Union general, accepted Confederate surrender.
Robert E. Lee: Confederate general, surrendered to Grant.

Reconstruction

Definition: Period of rebuilding after the Civil War.
Lincoln’s Plan: Easy reintegration of states; dies with assassination.
Johnson’s Plan: Lenient pardons but no support for black rights.
Congress’ Plan: Radical Republicans push for military reconstruction and civil rights.

New Amendments

13th Amendment: Abolished slavery.
14th Amendment: Granted citizenship and equal protection.
15th Amendment: Voting rights for Black men.

Southern Resistance

Black Codes & Jim Crow Laws: Restricted rights and opportunities for Black Americans.
Ku Klux Klan: Terrorist organization opposing Black rights.

End of Reconstruction

Election of 1876: Disputed results lead to the Compromise of 1877, ending military support in the South.
Further Restrictions: Segregation laws and Supreme Court decisions institutionalized racial discrimination.