Civil War

5.3 The Civil War and Reconstruction (1860-1877)

Civil War Era

• Background

  • Slavery was the central issue, but not the only or explicitly stated reason for the Civil War

  • Four Border States (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware) were slave states that fought for the Union

  • Northerners fought to preserve the Union, while Southerners fought for states’ rights

  • Lincoln's views on slavery evolved

  • As late as 1862, Lincoln's primary goal was to save the Union, not necessarily abolish slavery

Battles

• Battle of Antietam

  • First battle fought in the East where the Union wasn't completely defeated

  • Union claimed victory and showed Britain and France that they weren't a lost cause

  • Gave Lincoln platform to announce the Emancipation Proclamation

• Battle of Gettysburg

  • Most northern point the Confederacy had reached at the time

  • Lee's troops suffered massive casualties and were forced to retreat

  • Boosted confidence for the Union

Gettysburg Address

• Delivered four months after Battle of Gettysburg

• Redefined the War as a struggle for human equality, not just preservation of Union

Influence of Political, Economic, and Social Factors

• The Civil War impacted not only the battlefields, but also the political, economic, and social realms

• Political and diplomatic consequences of battles like Antietam and Gettysburg

• Political, social, and economic conditions influenced the outcome of the war

The Civil War and the Confederacy

Central Control Under the Confederacy

• Confederate government brought southern states under greater central control

• Jefferson Davis took control of southern economy and imposed taxes

• Davis took control of transportation and created large bureaucracy to oversee economic developments

• Declared martial law and suspended habeas corpus to maintain control

• Lincoln was using similar steps in the North, causing chafing in the Confederacy

Economic Modernization and Challenges

• Davis tried to modernize the southern economy, but lagged behind in industrialization

• Rapid economic growth led to rapid inflation, causing poverty in the South

• Confederacy imposed conscription, causing further poverty and class conflict

• Wealthy were allowed to hire surrogates and were exempt from military service, causing increased tensions

Towards the End of the War

• Class tensions led to widespread desertions from the Confederate Army

• Southerners in small towns ignored the government and tried to carry on as if there was no war

• Many resisted when asked to support passing troops

The Civil War and the Union

I. Economic Impacts
A. Northern economy

• Boosted by demand for war-related goods (uniforms, weapons)

• Loss of southern markets initially harmed economy

• War economy brought boom period

• Entrepreneurs became wealthy, some through war profiteering

• Corruption widespread, prompted congressional investigation
  B. Southern economy

• Accelerated inflation rate (over 300%)

II. Workers and Unions
A. Workers concerned about job security, formed unions
B. Businesses opposed unions, blacklisted members, broke strikes
C. Republican Party supported business, opposed to regulation

III. Government Powers
A. Increase in central government power
B. Lincoln's actions

• Economic development programs without congressional approval

• Government loans and grants to businesses, raised tariffs

• Suspended writ of habeas corpus in border states

• Printed national currency
  C. Treasury Secretary: Salmon P. Chase

• Issued greenbacks, precursor to modern currency

  Salmon P. Chase

• Initially, neither the Union nor the Confederacy declared the Civil War to be about slavery

• The Constitution protected slavery where it already existed, so many opponents were against extending slavery into new territories

• Lincoln argued for gradual emancipation, compensation to slaveholders, and colonization of freed enslaved people

• Radical Republicans in Congress wanted immediate emancipation and introduced confiscation acts in 1861 and 1862

• The second confiscation act allowed the government to liberate all enslaved people, but Lincoln refused to enforce it

• Lincoln's idea of gradual emancipation was based on a law in Pennsylvania passed in 1780

• Enslaved people supported the Southern war effort by growing crops and cooking meals, leading to their liberation becoming a side effect of Union victory

• Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in September 1862 after the Union victory at Antietam

• ==The Emancipation Proclamation stated that the government would liberate all slaves in states "in rebellion" on January 1, 1863==

• It did not free slaves in border states or those already under Union control, and allowed Southern states to rejoin the Union without giving up slavery

• The Proclamation declared the Civil War as a war against slavery and changed its purpose

• Lincoln supported complete emancipation and the Thirteenth Amendment before his reelection campaign

• After his reelection, he tried to negotiate a settlement with Southern leaders for reentry into the Union and voting on the Thirteenth Amendment.

The Election of 1864 and the End of the Civil War

• General Opinion

  • North and South both favored end of the war

  • George McClellan lost due to opposing majority of Democrats

• Southern Population

  • Less than 1% owned over 100 enslaved people

  • Non-slaveholding farmers resented Confederacy and war

• Northern Opinion

  • War Democrats: war necessary to preserve Union

  • Copperheads: accused Lincoln of national social revolution

  • Most violent opposition in New York City

  • Draft riots in 1863

  • Irish immigrants resentful of being drafted

  • Feared competition with former slaves for low-paying jobs

• War Progress

  • Summer 1864 victories helped Lincoln's reelection

  • Union victory virtually assured by early spring 1865

  • Established Freedman's Bureau for newly liberated Black people

  • First federal, social welfare program in U.S. history

• End of War

  • Confederate leaders surrendered in April 1865

  • John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln five days later

  • Devastating consequences for reunited nation

• War Cost

  • Over 3 million men fought

  • Over 500,000 died

  • As many seriously wounded

  • Both governments ran up huge debts

  • South ravaged by Union soldiers

  • Sherman's March from Atlanta to sea in 1864

  • Union Army burned everything in its wake

  • Foreshadowed wide-scale warfare of 20th century

• Political Impact

  • War permanently expanded role of government

  • Government grew rapidly to manage economy and war