USA: A House Divided 1850 - 1865 Flashcards
When did the deed Scott case happen?
1857
How are the marks distributed in the how useful question?
3 for provenance
3 for interpretation
4 for ommisons
2 for historiography
How are the marks distributed in the two source question?
3 marks interpretation source 1
3 marks interpretation source 2
8 marks ommison
2 marks for historians views
How are the marks distributed in the how fully question?
3 marks interpretation
7 marks ommisons
2 marks historians views
How many marks can you get for provenance in the how useful question?
3
How many marks can you get for interpretation on the how useful question?
3
How many marks can you get for ommison in the how useful question?
4
How many marks can you get for historiography in the how useful question?
2
How many marks can you get for interpretation of the first source in the two source question?
3
How many marks can you get for interpretation of the second source in the two source question?
3
How many marks can you get for ommison in the two source question?
8
How many marks can you get for historiography in the two source question?
2
How many marks for interpretation can you get for the how fully question?
3
How many marks can you get for ommison in the how fully question?
7
How many marks can you get for historiography in the how fully question?
2
When was the decision reached on the Dred Scott case reached?
6th of March 1857
Who did the mid term elections in 1858 show was winning?
The republicans
Who was the northern democrat candidate?
Stephen Douglas, who opposed slavery in kansas so was unacceptable to Southern voters
Who was the southern democrat candidate?
John Breckinridge
Who was the republican candidate in the 1860 election?
Abraham Lincoln
Who was the constitutional unionist parties candidate in the 1860 election?
John Bell
What was the constitutional unionist party formed of?
Supporters of the former American party (know nothings) and some southern whigs
What did the constitutional unionist party want?
To keep the union together
What did Alan farmer describe the election of 1860 as?
Largely sectional
The most important in American history
What candidates were the North beerwen in the 1860 election?
Abraham Lincoln (Republican) Stephen Douglas (Northern democrat)
What candidates were the South between in the 1860 election?
John Bell (constitutional unionist) John breckinridge (Southern democrat)
How many southern States did Lincoln not even enter his name in?
10
How many southern votes did Lincoln get?
None
How many states did John Bell (constitutional unionist) win the 1860 election?
3
Won 39% of the southern vote
But only 5%of the the free states
Failed to make any impact in the North
How many states did John breckinridge (Southern democrat) win in the 1860 election?
11 of the 15 slave states
Won 45% of the southern vote
5% of the vote in the free states
How many states did Stephen Douglas (Northern democrat) win in the 1860 election?
2 (missouri and part of new Jersey)
12% of the southern vote
Most of his support came from traditional democrat voters in the North
How many states did Lincoln win in the 1860 election?
All the free states
40%of the total vote
No votes in the South
What percentage of Americans voted in the 1860 election?
81%
Did the 1860 make it clear that the 2 party system had broken down?
Yes
Did most northerners believe that Southern threats about secession were fake?
Yes
Why does Alan farmer think Northerners voted for Lincoln?
Most northerners voted for Lincoln because he represented their section
A vote for Lincoln was a vote against the Democrats and slave power
Aside from the republican party’s view on slavery what else appealed to northeners about the Republican party?
Their “free men, free soil, free labour policy”
According to Alan farmer.
Was the slavery debate reignited by the 1860 election?
It was quite clear now that compromise was almost impossible. The North had voted for a party that opposed slavery whilst the South had voted for a party that defended slavery.
Was Lincoln an acceptable president to southeners?
It was quite clear that to many southeners, Lincoln was unacceptable as president.
It is no coincidence that within days of Lincoln’s election the South was planning to leave the union.
Many argue that the key result of Lincoln’s election was to cause secession and start the civil war.
His election started the inevitable process towards secession.
For many historians it was Lincoln’s election that started the events that led to civil war a month after his inauguration.
What did historian Eric Foner think about the results of the 1860 election?
The programme of the Republican party was key cause of the civil war
What is Thomas Johnson’s definition of sectionailsim?
The political, cultural and economic clashes between geographical sections of the United States.
What is Charles and Mary beards opinion on sectionalism?
They belive that the North and South were so different that it was inevitable that they would split and that a civil war would start.
Was there greater industrial development in the North than the South?
Yes, there was a big difference between the North and South in economic development.
There was greater industrial development in the south.
There were approx. 140,000 factories in the USA in 1850, of which only approx, 20,000 were in the south.
Which economy was more modern & diverse?
The Northern economy was more modern and diverse than the southern economy.
There were huge financial and trading centres in the North East.
An industrial based economy in the North east and food producing farms in the North West.
The Southern economy was based primarily on agriculture and the production of cotton.
What was the southern economy based upon?
Primarily on agriculture and the production of cotton
Where was most of the United States industrial output?
In the North.
The South had 35% of the population and produced 10% of industrial output.
The North had 65% of the population and produced 90% of the industrial output.
Was the North more urban than the South?
Yes
By 1860 only 20 southern towns had populations of more than 5000.
The two largest southern cities Charlestown and Richmond only had a population of 40,000.
New york had a population of over 800,000
By 1860 how many southern towns had a population of over 5000?
20
What were the 2 largest southern cities?
Charlestown and Richmond
With populations of 40,000
What was the population of the 2 largest southern cities?
Charlestown and Richmond had populations of 40,000
What was the population of new york city?
800,000 +
Did the North or South have more railways?
The North had greater railway milage.
The North had 22,000 miles of railway (71%) compared to the south’s 9000 miles (29%).
The South tended to rely more on their river network than railways.
Did the North or South have more railways?
The North had greater railway milage.
The North had 22,000 miles of railway (71%) compared to the south’s 9000 miles (29%).
The South tended to rely more on their river network than railways. W
What did the South rely on more than railways?
Their river network
What were the Norths views on tariffs?
The North favoured tariffs as a way of protecting their industries from cheaper foreign products from places like Britian.
What was the south’s view on tariffs?
The South opposed any tariffs on goods or trade because it would reduce their profits from cotton sales
And make their cotton more expensive to buy abroad.
The South preferred free trade.
Who are abolitionists?
Those who took part in the campaign to abolish slavery.
What is abolition?
The campaign to abolish slavery .
What is the anaconda plan?
Union strategy for winning the war put forward in 1861 by General Winfield Scott. Consisted of a concerted effort by all Union armies and the Navy to ‘squeeze’ the South until the overwhelming Union strength could be made to tell.
What is Andersonville?
The most notorious of the Confederate Prison Camps. Thousands of Union prisoners were held in this swampy part of Georgia and many died from illness and malnutrition. Conditions caused uproar in the North (although some of the union prisons were also poor) and the commandant was executed for war crimes after the southern defeat.
What is Appomattox court house?
The sight of Lee’s surrender to grant in the spring of 1865.
When did lee surrender to grant?
1865
What is Atlanta?
The chief Southern city in the West and for long the target of Union Generals. Finally taken by Sherman and burned in 1864.
What is the blockade also known as?
The Anaconda plan
What is the anaconda plan also known as?
The blockade
What is the blockade?
One of the Union’s main tactics was to blockade Southern ports with the vastly superior Union navy in order to both prevent the export of cotton and the import of war goods in the south.
What is the anaconda plan?
One of the Union’s main tactics was to blockade Southern ports with the vastly superior Union navy in order to both prevent the export of cotton and the import of war goods in the south.
What is the blockade/anaconda plan?
One of the Union’s main tactics was to blockade Southern ports with the vastly superior Union navy in order to both prevent the export of cotton and the import of war goods in the south.
What are blockade runners?
Small, fast ships which sped in and out of Southern ports in defiance of the blockade. Skippers became Southern heroes.
What are the border states?
States such as Tennessee, Kentucky & Maryland, sometimes known as the ‘Upper South’ which did not officially join the Confederacy - though they were sympathetic to the South. It was a major part of Lincoln’s political strategy to keep these states loyal to the union.
Why is California important?
Discovery of gold increased its importance. Was part of the struggle over the expansion of slave holding territory in America.
What is the Charleston mercury?
Like the New York tribune for the north, this newspaper was a major source of southern opinion throughout the era.
What was the compromise of 1850?
This attempted to solve the slave issue in 1850. It allowed California to enter as state and offered the idea of popular sovereignty to the other territories won from Mexico. Also introduced the Fugitive slave Act which was very unpopular in the North. In the time the compromise became hated in the North as a sell out to slavery and began this idea of a “slave power conspiracy”.
What was the confederacy?
The collective name given to those states who broke away or ‘seceded from the ‘union’ called the United States of America.
What was conscription?
The act of making it compulsory to join the armed forces. Introduced into the South in 1862 and the North in 1863. In the North not all men were called at the same time giving rise to the ‘Draft’. In both North & South, conscription was highly unpopular and the cause of considerable conflict and corruption. Sparked off the ‘New York Draft Riot’
Who were copperheads?
Former Democrats living in the North. These extreme opponents of the war were powerful for a time around 1862-3 when things were going badly for Union forces. Their activities were regarded by the authorities as treasonable and their leaders were often prosecuted (see Clement Vallandigham’ in the Who’s Who). Got the name from the poisonous Copperhead snake
Why was cotton important?
It was the main source of wealth for the south.
Why was Cuba important?
A Caribbean island. At various times Southerners cast their eyes towards acquiring Cuba as an additional slave-holding territory. In 1853 President Pierce tried to buy Cuba as a new slave state.
Who were the democrat party?
The ‘Southern Party’ i.e. the Party which before 1854 was most in favour of the Southern outlook on Slavery, Taxation, the Tariff etc. The Party was dominated by politicians from the South. After 1854 the Party split into Northern & Southern sections and in the North it crumbled in the face of the new Republican Party.
What was the emancipation proclamation?
Lincoln ‘went public’ on his intention to emancipate the slaves following the Battle of Antietam in September 1862. A huge symbolic act and a milestone in American history.
When was the emancipation proclamation made?
Following the battle of Antietam in September 1862.
Who were fire eaters?
Descriptive of the most extreme members of a Southern political movement usually used to describe those most in favour of preserving and/or extending slavery and leaving the Union.
What was the free soil party?
A Party formed out of anti-slavery groups, later absorbed into the Republican Party
What was the freed men’s bureau?
An organisation set up to aid freed slaves.
What was the fugitive slave law 1850?
A symbol of Southern domination of politics prior to the war, these laws compelled states to return runaway slaves to their masters. The cause of much bitterness and conflict especially in the New England states
When was the fugitive slave law passed?
1850
What was guerrilla warfare?
A common tactic employed by pro-Confederate bands, especially in the Border states.
What was habeas corpus?
A legal device built into most constitutions to ensure that persons cannot be imprisoned without trial. Often suspended during times of crisis - both North & South suspended it at various times and places throughout the war. Lincoln was accused of being unconstitutional for suspending it during the civil war.
What was harper’s ferry?
The scene of John Brown’s raid.
Why was kansas important?
The ‘battleground’ of pro and anti- slavery groups in the period 1854-1858. “Bleeding Kansas” became a rallying cry for the new Republican Party.
What was the Kansas-Nebraska Axt 1854?
This act above all other factors wrecked the compromise of 1850 and made the north/south divide wider and more bitter.
Who were the know-nothings?
A ‘nativist’ Party or semi-secret organisation (the name came from members who when asked about their Party were urged to reply, “I know nothing”) who were anti- Catholic, immigrants etc. Was a potent political force among young working class voters for a while in the mid ‘50s who feared for their jobs in the face of widespread immigration into the US - often by unskilled people from largely Catholic countries. Many were also absorbed into the Republican Party.
What was manifest destiny?
The belief that (white) Americans were destined to rule over the whole of the Continent from Atlantic to Pacific.
What was the Missouri compromise (1820)?
A much earlier attempt (1820) to set the limits on slavery at line of latitude 360, 30’
When was the Missouri compromise?
1820
What was a much earlier attempt (1820) to set the limits on slavery at line of latitude 360, 60’ called?
The Missouri compromise (1820)
What did the Missouri compromise (1820) set the limits of slavery at?
set the limits on slavery at line of 360, 60’
