American Civil War Flashcards
What were the three main long-term causes of the American Civil War?
- Slavery
- Issues over the Presidency
- Issues over new states and territories
What were the main sources of income for the North and South of the USA?
- The North was very industrial and made a lot of products in factories which were sold to make money.
- The South made their money from crops grown on farms and plantations. These were then sold to the North and to other countries.
How did the North and South feel about slavery?
- The North were against slavery and wanted it to be banned.
- The South used slaves to grow and harvest their crops so they did not want slavery to be banned.
What were the important short-term causes/events of the war that fit into the long-term cause of slavery?
- Nat Turner’s rebellion in 1831 killed 60 white people, the south blamed this on abolitionists in the North.
- In 1852 an anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin led to more debate between anti & pro slave supporters.
- John Brown tried to arm a slave rebellion in 1859 but was killed. The South saw him as a murderer the north as a martyr.
What were the important short-term causes/events of the war that fit into the long-term cause of the new states and territories?
- The Missouri Compromise in 1820 meant Missouri was able to join the Union as a slave state but was the last one allowed in the North.
- New territories in the West were won from Mexico, this caused more debate whether they should be free or slave states. In 1850 California became a free state, the North passed a law to return runaway slaves to the south to keep peace.
- New territories in the West were won from Mexico, this caused more debate whether they should be free or slave states. In 1850 California became a free state, the North passed a law to return runaway slaves to the south to keep peace.
What were the important short-term causes/events of the war that fit into the long-term cause of issues with the presidency?
- Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, he had no support from the South as he was anti-slavery.
- No agreement was ever made about what would happen if states disagreed with the federal government so 6 southern states voted to secede (leave) the Union in 1860, they formed the Confederacy.
- The Confederacy voted Jefferson Davis as their President, there were now two conflicting leaders.
How were the North affected economically during the American Civil War?
- Positive- Some industries benefitted as industries associated with munitions, uniforms and railroads were making more goods and therefore making more money.
- Negative- Ordinary workers suffered as wages did not match the rising prices of the products (inflation).
The workers demanded higher wages but the owners refused. This led to protests in some industries and in some cases, Union soldiers were taken away from fighting in the war to stop these protests.
The industries that required raw materials such as cotton to make their goods lost a lot of money as the materials were not available from the South.
How were the North affected socially during the American Civil War?
- At the start of the war people rushed to join the army but eventually the North had to introduce conscription in March 1863 for all able-bodied men between the ages of 20-45.
How were the South affected economically during the American Civil War?
- Positive- Some industries benefitted such as munitions, despite the main source of income (farming) suffering.
- Negative- Railroad systems were destroyed by the Union soldiers who tore up the tracks and bent the rails.
The Confederate government tried to fund the war by taxing the people however they were not very good at collecting these taxes Therefore their solution was to just print more money which eventually led to hyperinflation (where money has no value)
The plantations which grew cotton were taken over by Union soldiers and therefore less cotton was produced.
The Confederate government asked plantation owners to grow food instead of
cotton to help with the shortages, however some owners ignored this request and continued to grow cotton instead. They hoped that they could make some profit.
There were huge food shortages as there was a decrease in the amount of people working on farms as these men were needed to fight in the army. This led to food riots in several places.
How were the South affected socially during the American Civil War?
- At the start of the war people rushed to join the army but eventually the North had to introduce conscription in April 1862 for all able-bodied men between the ages of 20-45.
- As the Union army marched into the South, they took over many plantations and homes. This forced many people in the South to leave their homes and become refugees; seeking food and shelter in other places.
- Many Southern towns and cities were destroyed due to the fighting as the Union army continued to invade places.
- During the Civil War, many guerrilla bands were created across the South. As soon as the war began, many men joined these guerrilla units as an alternative to enlisting in the Confederate army and aimed to prevent the Unionists from entering the South. Fighting as a guerrilla was attractive: it allowed men more freedom than they could enjoy in the regular army and would allow them to stay at home to protect their families and communities.
How were different groups affected during the American Civil War?
- Women- During the war, as men went off to fight, many women volunteered as unpaid nurses while thousands took on new roles as farmers, plantation managers and munition-factory workers. While many returned to their traditional roles when the war ended, the experience had changed the status of women as they had proved themselves more than capable of doing the same jobs as men.
- Black people- In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation which said that all slaves in the South were free. This meant that when states were taken back by the Union, the slaves were then free. Many black people were involved in the fighting but were still treated differently.
How were ex-Confederate leaders affected after the American Civil War?
Almost all Southerners who swore an oath of allegiance to the Union would be pardoned (forgiven) and have their property returned to them. These Southerners were then allowed to take part in elections.
Ex-Confederate government officials, military leaders and owners of land worth more than $20,000 were not pardoned however these officials were eventually allowed to apply for a pardon and many were granted.
How were freed slaves affected after the American Civil War?
- 13th Amendment- This officially abolished slavery.
- Black Codes- All 7 Southern states were made to pass these which said that all freed slaves could marry, own property, make legal contracts and testify against other black Americans in court. However they did not allow them to marry anyone from a different race or testify against white people in court.
- 14th Amendment (Civil Rights Act)- This made all freed slaves official citizens of the USA.
- 15th Amendment- A lot of freed slaves were not allowed to vote in the Southern states so this law said that no one could be stopped from voting due to their race. However many Southern states introduced difficult literacy tests instead.
Who were the ‘carpetbaggers’?
They were the Republican politicians with the most power who were originally from the North and committed to black rights. These included former Union soldiers who came South in the search of business opportunities in land, factories and railroads. They were given the nickname by the Southern Democrats because they viewed them as Northern
opportunists who came south for money and power with so few possessions that they could be stuffed into a travelling bag made of carpet material.
How successful was the Republican Reconstruction of the South?
- Successes- They created the first state school systems and made sure black people were always entitled to a free education.
They also ensured black people were treated equally with the law, could own businesses and own property.
They rebuilt roads, railways and bridges that were destroyed during the war. - Failures- By 1877 the Democrats had taken back control of all Southern states.
People lost faith in the Republican Party due to the actions of the Ku Klux Klan who persecuted black people.
Vote rigging began to occur where people added extra voting papers to the ballot boxes or deliberately miscounted the votes.
The central government began to stop helping the Republican Party with their fight for black rights and began to focus on other issues such as westward expansion.
