AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

1861-1865

The Civil War

Fought between the North and South.

Triggered by the election of Republican President Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

The Civil War

Lincoln wanted to keep the Union together and end the spread of slavery.

After Lincoln was elected, southern states began to secede.

Secession

Eleven states formed their own government, called the Confederacy.

South Carolina leaves first.1860 They elected Jefferson Davis as

their president.

Border States

The slaves states of Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland did not secede.

West Virginia split from Virginia to be able to continue to have slaves.

First Shot

South fires on Fort Sumter and Civil War begins.

Battle of Bull Run.

Causes of the Civil War

Slavery was at the heart of most major issues dividing the North and South.

Way of life. Most people lived on small farms, but in the North there were several large cities. South had many plantations

Causes of the Civil War

Free Labor vs Slave Labor economy.

North was based on free labor where people could choose where they wanted to work and received a wage.

Causes of the Civil War

Southern economy was based on slave laborers who were not free to leave and received food and lodging instead of wages.

Causes of the Civil War

State’s Rights. North thought that no state had the right to secede from the Union. South argued that a state could leave then Union if it voted to do so.

Confederate Government

President: Jefferson Davis Vice President: Alexander

Hamilton Stephens Capital: Montgomery, Alabama;

then Richmond, Virginia.

The Confederacy

State Date Seceded ReadmittedSouthCarolina

Dec. 20, 1860 June 25, 1868

Mississippi Jan. 9, 1861 Feb. 23, 1870Florida Jan. 10, 1861 June 25, 1868Alabama Jan. 11, 1861 June 25, 1868Georgia Jan. 19, 1861 July 15, 1870Louisiana Jan. 26, 1861 June 25, 1868

The Confederacy

State Date Seceded ReadmittedTexas Feb. 1, 1861 March 30,

1870Arkansas May 6, 1861 June 22, 1868NorthCarolina

May 20, 1861 June 25, 1868

Virginia Apr. 17, 1861 Jan. 26, 1870Tennessee June 8, 1861 July 24, 1866

Advantages of the North

10 million more people. 22 million people in the North

compared with 12.5 million in the South of which 40% were slaves.

Established Navy

Advantages of the North

More factories to produce guns, uniforms and military supplies.

Rail system twice as large as in the south.

Most banks and cash in the North.

Advantages of the South

Better military leaders. Most of the war fought in th

South on familiar terrain. More skilled horsemen and

riflemen.

End of Slavery

More than 620,000 Americans died in the Civil War.

Union deaths: 360,000 Confederate deaths:260,000

End of Slavery

Confederate defeat led to the end of slavery and restored the Union

Much of the South was destroyed.

Ulysses S. Grant

Sixth general to head the Union Graduate of U.S. Military

Academy at West Point, N.Y. Brilliant military leader and a

stubborn fighter. Elected President for two terms

Robert E. Lee

General of Confederate forces Graduate of West Point Military

Academy, N.Y. and a hero of the Mexican War.

Lincoln offered him command of the Union but he refused.

Robert E. Lee

Disapproved of both slavery and secession, he could not bring himself to fight against his fellow Southerners.

Robert Shaw

Union officer from a wealthy abolitionist family in MA.

Commander of 54th Regiment (the first African-American unit to fight in the war).

Killed at Battle of Fort Wagner.

Clara Barton

Known as the “Angel of the Battlefields” for nursing the wounded Union troops.

1881 she founded the American Red Cross.

Robert Smalls

African-American seaman who served on the Planter, a Confederate gunboat.

He and the crew took over the boat and escaped, surrendering at the Union blockade.

Robert Smalls

His daring feat was widely publicized and Congress voted to give him a reward.