The Civil War Flashcards
the southern views to the compromise of 1860-61 7
- In the Southern press, there had been talk of separation from 1858.
- If the Southern States left the Union, they would be free to pass measures to protect slave owners even more, with the state guaranteeing court costs to recover runaway slaves and paying for posses to hunt down fugitive slaves.
- Many Southern leaders weren’t therefore looking to ‘compromise’.
- After South Carolina seceded in December, six more states left the Union before Lincoln’s inauguration. This didn’t mean that the states expected war. They were confident that war would never come about due to the strong economic position of the South, the need in the North for cotton from the South and the knowledge that war would end the economic prosperity that had mostly characterized the 1850’s.
- A leading Southern statesman, Alexander Stephens, argued that there was not a village, town or city in the North “which does not owe its prosperity to Southern cotton”. British factories also relied on cotton, so they believed that Britain would support a separation.
- The South believed that the North would fear to take on the South in a war (plantation slaves would continue to work the land, leaving the men free to take up arms).
- If there had been a referendum of the American people on the compromise, it might have led to the Union being maintained.
the northern views to compromise 1860-61 8
-Horace Greeley (editor of the New York Tribune) a Whig who had helped to establish the Republican Party and advocated Westward expansion, wanted a free labour system in the new lands and opposed slavery. He initially favoured the South seceding and was an enthusiastic war supporter. –Many in the North believed that the South should go in peace and leave the more progressive North.
-In January 1861 an article appeared in his newspaper which said “If the Cotton States shall become satisfied that they can do better out of the Union than in it, we insist on letting them go in peace”.
-Republicans saw the compromise proposals as throwing away the fruits of electoral victory. There had also been too much mutual suspicion and sectional ill will since 1854 for the proposals to work.
-Would not accept the recognition of slavery in the Constitution or the interference with the
Northern states rights to pass Personal Liberty Laws.
It would move the US away from the social and economic progress which had been made and create a negative impression on other countries.
-If slavery had been guaranteed in new territories before they became states, the issues in ‘Bleeding Kansas’ would have been repeated.
-There was little inclination amongst Northerners, for war. Many hadn’t voted for Lincoln or wished to fight a war on behalf of slaves. It would disrupt the mutually beneficial economic system (Northern factories sold manufactured goods to the South and used Southern cotton).
-When Lincoln took office in March 1861, he appointed William Seward as Secretary of State, and he proposed that he take over the government (as a more experienced politician) and proposed a war with England to rally the nation.
why did the compromise fail in 1860-61
-Period between the election on Lincoln and his inauguration in March 1861 gave enemies of the Union time to break away.
-Outgoing President Buchanan discussed with Lincoln a measure which would guarantee constitutional protection for slavery where it existed:
-Key proposal from John Crittenden, (he supported slavery and the Union) to restore the Missouri compromise line 36 30. North of the line slavery would be prohibited from the new territories. South of the line it would be protected during the territorial phase and would be well established and protected. Compensation would be given to the owners of runaway slaves who were unable to recover them. Northern Personal Liberty Laws would be ended.
- Slavery would be introduced into the Constitution by an amendment which would be unamendable.
-The Republicans in Congress rejected these proposals.
-The South didn’t find them acceptable either
-The Founding Fathers had been careful to avoid using slavery as a word in the Constitution. The proposal would mean that slavery would be specifically protected. Republicans opposed slavery in the new territories as it would sooner or later come to an end due to the forces of economic, international and moral pressure.
Republicans possibly didn’t think there was a serious danger of the South seceding. They believed that the Union was too popular and respected for secession
When voting took place in the South on secession, the majorities were small even in the Deep South. The enthusiasm for secession in South Carolina was much greater than the other states. Some of the border states remained in the Union.
the secession of south Carolina before 1860
South Carolina had threatened secession before 1860. After the ratification of the US Constitution, fears grew in the South over time of a strong central government. Charles Pinckney, a vocal critic of the Articles of Confederation and contributor to the US Constitution, served in the House of Representatives from 1819-21. He warned that the economic interests of North and South were at odds. He further believed that slavery was the only question that could separate the Union.
what were there congressional debates over with south carolina
The congressional debate over federal taxes on imported manufactured goods showed the division between North and South. southern planters felt the tariff posed an unfair tax burden on them as they imported many manufactured goods. Citing states rights doctrine, South Carolina voted to nullify the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832. During the crisis, Vice President John C. Calhoun broke with President Andrew Jackson and resigned his office to organize southern resistance. The President sent troops to the federal forts in Charleston Harbor to enforce collection of the tariff. Calling for secession, the South Carolina legislature readied the state militia. The crisis was defused in 1833 by a compromise tariff, but the state had learned that cries of disunion could be an effective political weapon.
what was the environment like in the south
doctrine of state sovereignty under the leadership of Senator John C. Calhoun, there was little popular support for secession during the 1830s and 1840s. The escalating controversy over the expansion of slavery into the territory acquired from Mexico prompted South Carolina’s secession crisis of 1850 - 51. The Compromise of 1850 and the lack of broad-based support for secession in the South ended this crisis, but secessionists awaited their next opportunity. The election of Abraham Lincoln to the presidency in 1860 fulfilled their dreams of a republic for slaveholders.
the beginning of the civil war - 12 of April
On April 12th the South made the decision to fire on Fort Sumter, marking the beginning the American Civil War. The decision was due to the principle that US troops were essentially on foreign soil, and provisioning them was akin to a warlike act against another power. The South knew that Northern opinion would not tolerate a direct attack on unarmed boats carrying provisions to hungry men at Fort Sumter and war would be the result. Both sides had reached the verdict that war was inevitable and each believed that they would win.
the beginning of the war April 13th
Apr 13 After 34 hours of bombardment and fires raging through the fort, Major Anderson surrendered.
the beginning of the war April 14th
Apr 14 Formal Union surrender of Fort Sumter. 250,000 people turned out in New York for a Union rally. The following day, April 15, President Lincoln issued a call for 75,000 men to volunteer in order to put down the rebellion that was breaking out all across the South. The states which supported secession saw this as a direct threat, and were energized rather than scared off by Lincoln’s actions. This marked the effective beginning of the Civil War as a full-scale conflict of arms.
when did the civil war begin
14th of April
who were the confederates
the south
who were the union
the north
what were the advantages for the Confederacy in 1861? 7
=South larger armies initially.
- Weapons were not very different in quality from those in the North.
- Military leaders had been trained in the same way as those in the North.
- At the start of the war the military leadership tended to be stronger.
- They were used to horses in the rural south and their cavalry units were often superior.
- Possible recognition as an independent South, from foreign countries who relied on cotton for its manufacturing and markets.
- Sheer size of the Confederacy, 3550 miles of coastline with 189 harbours and navigable river ports.
what was the size of the confederacy
3550 miles of coastline
189 harbours
what were the advantages of the union in 1861 7
- More states were loyal to the Union, including the Border States. This robbed the Confederacy of 2 million people and industrial resources.
- More people which made larger armies
- More industry
- More railways
- More trade
- Bigger navy
- Determination of many to regain the Union.
The Union/North sides equipment 5
- Springfield rifles musket a range of 100 yards
- Spencer breech loading carbine -200,000
- Henry rifle more accurate and far reaching 15,000
- New Minie bullets that were used were more accurate as they expanded to fit the grooves of the rifle
- lighter canons for more easy and could fire times canister shots. these could explode over the enemy showering them with dangerous fragments
The Confederacy/South sides equipment 4
- British Enfield rifle (800,00)
- New Minie bullets that were used were more accurate as they expanded to fit the grooves of the rifle
- lighter canons for more easy and could fire times canister shots. these could explode over the enemy showering them with dangerous fragments
- Springfield rifled musket, a range of 1,000 yards- 1,500,000 of them produced in the south
Union percentage of US population
71%
Confederacy percentage of US population
29%
population numbers of the union
23,000,000
population numbers of the south
9,000,000 including 3.5 million slaves
farm acreage of the Union
65%
farm acreage of the Confederacy
35%
manufacturing workers in the union
92%
manufacturing works in the union
8%
manufacturing output in the union
92%
manufacturing output in the confederacy
8%
Factories in the union
110,000
factories in the confederacy
18,000
miles of railway in the union
22,000
miles of railway in the confederacy
9,000
states in the union
22
states in the confederacy
11
what were the border states
Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri , West Virginia
