Chapter 20: Girding For War: The North And The South (1861-1865) Flashcards
1
Q
Fort Sumter
A
- Site of the opening engagement of the Civil War.
- On December 20, 1860, South Carolina had seceded from the Union, and had demanded that all federal property in the state be surrendered to state authorities.
- Major Robert Anderson concentrated his units at Fort Sumter, and, when Lincoln took office on March 4, 1861, Sumter was one of only two forts in the South still under Union control.
- Learning that Lincoln planned to send supplies to reinforce the fort, on April 11, 1861.
- Confederate General Beauregard demanded Anderson’s surrender, which was refused.
- On April 12, 1861, the Confederate Army began bombarding the fort, which surrendered on April 14, 1861.
- Congress declared war on the Confederacy the next day.
2
Q
Border States
A
- States bordering the North: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri. They were slave states, but did not secede.
- Important for both sides to win the war.
- Provided many horses, mules, the Ohio River, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers, and grain, gunpowder, and iron and fighting-men.
- Lincoln used martial law to retain control.
3
Q
West Virginia
A
- Mountainous region that broke away from Virginia in 1861 to form its own state after Virginia seceded from the Union.
- Most of the residents were independent farmers and miners who did not own slaves and thus opposed the Confederate cause.
- the state was admitted to the Union as West Virginia in 1863.
4
Q
Trent Affair
A
- In 1861 the Confederacy sent emissaries James Mason to Britain and John Slidell to France to lobby for recognition.
- A Union ship captured both men and took them to Boston as prisoners.
- The British were angry and Lincoln ordered their release
5
Q
The Alabama
A
- A Confederate ship manned by Britons that caused chaos for the Union, destroying sixty-four Union ships before finally being sunk.
6
Q
Laird Rams
A
- the two Confederate warships built by Britain
- were designed to destroy wooden Union ships with their iron rams.
7
Q
Dominion of Canada
A
- Created a united Canada to bolster Canadians against possible United States aggression.
8
Q
Writ of Habeas Corpus
A
- a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person
- the precious privilege suspended by President Lincoln so that anti-Unionists might be summarily arrested.
9
Q
New York Draft Riots
A
- Irish-Americans in New York City rioted over the unfairness of the Conscription Law.
- were a series of violent disturbances in New York City that were the culmination of discontent with new laws passed by Congress to draft men to fight in the ongoing American Civil War
10
Q
Merrill Tariff Act
A
- superseding the low tariff of 1857 duties increased some 5-10% raise revenue and produce protection for manufacturing
- this was an act passed by Congress in 1861 to meet the cost of the war.
- It raised the taxes on shipping from 5 to 10 percent however later needed to increase to meet the demanding cost of the war.
- This was just one the new taxes being passed to meet the demanding costs of the war.
11
Q
greenbacks
A
- New paper money that was unstable
- the Civil War Union currency
- fluctuated with the nation’s credit
- fluctuated with the army’s success or failure.
12
Q
National Banking System
A
- Network of member banks that could issue currency against purchased government bonds.
- Created during the Civil War to establish a stable national currency and stimulate the sale of war bonds.
- authorized by Congress in 1863 to establish a standard bank currency.
- Banks that joined the system could buy bonds and issue paper money.
- First significant step toward a national bank. (North)
13
Q
Homestead Act
A
- Act that allowed a settler to acquire as much as 160 acres of land by living on it for 5 years, improving it, and paying a nominal fee of about $30
- instead of public land being sold primarily for revenue, it was now being given away to encourage a rapid filling of empty spaces and to provide a stimulus to the family farm
- turned out to be a cruel hoax because the land given to the settlers usually had terrible soil and the weather included no precipitation
- many farms were repo’d or failed until “dry farming” took root on the plains, as well as wheat and massive irrigation projects
14
Q
U.S. Sanitary Commission
A
- founded to provide adequate health care and stop the spread of disease
15
Q
Conscription Law
A
- A draft for the Union Army. Could be circumnavigated by substitutes or a fee of $300.
