Civil War and Reconstruction

U.S. History

Events Leading to Civil War

Mexican War to 1861

Missouri Compromise, 1820• In 1819, the Missouri Territory applied for statehood and

wanted to be admitted to the Union as a slave state.

• At this time, there was an equal number of free and slave states, and free states did not want to admit Missouri as a slave state and change the balance of power in the government.

• In the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state, and Maine was admitted as a free state.

• Also, slavery was outlawed in the Louisiana Territory was north Missouri's southern border, except Missouri itself. Henry Clay played an influential role in getting the Missouri Compromise passed.

Nullification Crisis, 1832• The Tariff of 1828 placed a tax on imported goods in order to

make American-made goods more competitive. The tariff was meant to help American factories.

• The South, seeing this as beneficial to the North, and called it the Tariff of Abominations.

• Later that year, South Carolina printed the "South Carolina Exposition and Protest." It said a state had the right to declare an act of Congress null and void within its state.

• Congress then passed the Tariff of 1832, which lowered the Tariff of 1828. In response to this tariff, South Carolina threatened to secede from the Union if the tariff was enforced within the state. This became known as the Nullification Crisis.

• As President Jackson prepared to send troops to South Carolina, Henry Clay introduced a new tariff, and South Carolina did not secede.

Free Soil Party, 1848• This political party was formed in 1848 by

people who were against the expansion of slavery to the western territories.

• The party did not last long, though they nominated presidential candidates in the 1848 and 1852 elections and had two senators and fourteen representatives in Congress.

• Many people who had been members of the Free Soil Party became members of the Republican Party when it was formed in 1854.

Underground Railroad, 1840-1860

• The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes that fugitive slaves took to escape from the South and gain freedom in the northern states or Canada. Along the way, slaves stayed in abolitionists' homes and were protected by abolitionists.

• Harriet Tubman is one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad. After escaping using the route, Tubman went back to the South at least 19 times and helped over 300 slaves escape.

Compromise of 1850• After the Mexican War, the United States had

gained new territories in the West. Henry Clay proposed the Compromise of 1850 to deal with the issue of slavery in these new lands.

• The compromise stated that California was to be admitted as a free state, and New Mexico and Utah were to decide on the issue by popular sovereignty, meaning that the people living in the territories voted on whether or not to allow slavery.

Fugitive Slave Act, 1850

• Part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act placed a $1,000 fine on law enforcement officials who did not arrest escaped slaves. The law was passed because slaves were escaping to the North, and Northerners made no effort to capture and return escaped slaves to their owners.

Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852

• This book, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published in 1852. The novel described the realities of slave life in harsh detail. It was one book that contributed to the anti-slavery movement.

Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854• Kansas and Nebraska were both part of the Louisiana

Purchase and were north of Missouri's southern border. Senator Stephen Douglas, who wanted support from Southerners for a transcontinental railroad, introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

• In this act, part of the Missouri Compromise was repealed, and the people who lived in Kansas and Nebraska territories were able to decide on the issue of slavery by popular sovereignty.

• This meant that the people living in the territory would vote on whether or not to allow slavery there. People from free and slave states moved to Kansas, hoping to become the majority in the territory.

• In 1856, a group of people who were pro-slavery burned a hotel in Lawrence, Kansas. A few days later, John Brown and other abolitionists killed five people who were pro-slavery. Kansas became known as "Bleeding Kansas" because of the violence shown by both pro-slavery and antislavery forces. 

Republican Party, 1854

• The Republican Party formed in 1854 in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The party formed because its members were against the expansion of slavery into new states. The party did not push for the abolition of slavery, but it did not want slavery to expand past the states in the South.

Sumner-Brooks Incident, 1856

• In May 1856, Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech on the Senate floor entitled "The Crime Against Kansas." In the speech, Sumner spoke out against the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

• He blamed the violence in Kansas on the act and criticized both Andrew Butler of South Carolina and Stephen Douglas of Illinois for supporting the act.

• A few days later, on May 22, 1856, Preston Brooks (congressman and nephew of Andrew Butler) attacked Sumner and caned him on the Senate floor. Brooks thought that Sumner had dishonored the state of South Carolina and his uncle. This is just one event that shows how divided the country was over slavery.

Dred Scott v. Sandford, 1857

• Dred Scott was a slave who sued his former owner after that owner took him to live in a free state and then a free territory. The case reached the Supreme Court in 1857. The Court ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional because Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in the territories. It also declared that African Americans could not become citizens of the United States and reinforced the idea that slaves were property and that property owner's rights were protected.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 1858• The Lincoln-Douglas debates took place in several towns

in Illinois while Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were both campaigning for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In the second of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln asked Douglas to explain how he could support popular sovereignty and the Dred Scott decision. Douglas took a stance that was neither pro- nor anti-slavery and argued that even though the Dred Scott decision stated that territories could not forbid slavery, they could keep slavery out by not passing laws that protected slavery.

• This argument is known as the Freeport Doctrine. Douglas was elected senator in the 1858 election, but Lincoln went on to win the presidential election in 1860.

Harpers Ferry, 1859• Harpers Ferry, Virginia was a federal arsenal,

meaning it was a fort that held guns and other ammunition. John Brown, an abolitionist, led a raid at Harpers Ferry to steal weapons and give them to slaves. He hoped the slaves would start a rebellion to gain freedom. Shortly after the raid, John Brown was captured and executed. Slave owners feared that there would be additional slave rebellions.

Presidential Election, 1860• In the presidential election of 1860, the issue of slavery divided

the country and divided the Democratic Party. Northern Democrats chose Stephen Douglas of Illinois as their candidate. Southern Democrats were not pleased with Stephen Douglas' position on slavery, so they chose John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky as their candidate. The newly formed Constitutional-Union Party did not take a stand on slavery and nominated John Bell of Tennessee.

• Abraham Lincoln of Illinois was the Republican candidate. Abraham Lincoln won all of his electoral votes from free states, and John C. Breckinridge won all of his electoral votes from slave states. With 180 electoral votes, Abraham Lincoln was elected president.

• In response to Lincoln's election, southern states began seceding from the Union.

Events of Civil War

Secession, Dec. 1860 – June 1861

• Following the presidential election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina seceded from the United States. Other states followed, and they formed the Confederate States of America.

Fort Sumter, April 1861

• The first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, when Confederates opened fire on the fort which held U.S. artillery. There was return fire, but it was ineffective. The fort surrendered on April 13 and was evacuated.

First Battle of Bull Run

• (Also known as First Manassas because of the town near it was fought) was the first confrontation between the two armies and a humiliating defeat for the Union forces. Fought only 30 miles from Washington, DC, it could have led to an invasion of the capital by Confederate forces had the southern troops been better organized.

Anaconda Plan/Blockade, 1861-1865

• Union general Winfield Scot created a plan to limit the South's ability to trade. Called the Anaconda Plan, it called for the Union to blockade the Confederacy's coastline to keep the South from importing or exporting goods and for the Union to take control of the Mississippi to separate Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas from the eastern Confederate states.

Antietam, Sept. 17, 1862

• Was the bloodiest single day of the war, halting the Confederate advance. McClellan hesitated, however, and Lee’s army slipped away to fight another day.

Battle of Hampton Roads, March 1862

• Also called the Battle of Monitor and Merrimack, Union ship USS Monitor and Confederate ship CSS Virginia (it had previously been named "Merrimack") battled at Hampton Roads.

• The ships were both ironclad, marking the first time this kind of technology had been used in a naval battle.

Ironclads

• Armor-plated steamships that marked the shift from wooden to steel warships

Monitor

Merrimack

Emancipation Proclamation, January 1863

• Lincoln declared all slaves in Confederate states to be free. Slaves in the Union states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware were not freed, as Lincoln wanted these states to stay loyal to the Union.

• This proclamation changes the goal of the war to ending slavery instead of just preserving the Union. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, the Union began allowing African Americans to join the army. They were assigned to segregated units and paid less than white soldiers.

Battle of Vicksburg, May-July 1863

• In a series of maneuvers, General Grant and his army crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederates into the city of Vicksburg, Mississippi. The Confederate army formed a defensive line around the city; however, Grant besieged it until the Confederates surrendered. The Union now had control of the Mississippi River.

Battle of Gettysburg, July 1863

• Union leader Meade stopped the Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania at Gettysburg. This battle was one of the bloodiest battles in the Civil War, with both the North and South losing thousands of soldiers.

Sherman’s March to the Sea, May – Dec. 1864

• William T. Sherman made from Chattanooga, Tennessee to capturing Atlanta in September of 1864. Sherman burned the city and continued his march to the sea destroying bridges, factories, and railroad lines. Union forces cut a nearly 300 mile path of destruction across Georgia in route to the city of Savannah, which surrendered without a fight.

Surrender, April 9, 1865

• Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, which officially ended the Civil War.

Lincoln’s Assassination, April 14, 1865

• While at Ford’s Theater, an actor named John Wilkes Booth assassinated Lincoln on April 14, less than a week after Lee had surrendered to Grant and ended the Civil War.

Political Issues of the War

Writ of Habeas Corpus

• the guarantee that a person cannot be imprisoned without being brought before a judge

• In order to control Maryland from secession, Lincoln declared martial law in Maryland, suspended the writ of habeas corpus and jailed the strongest supporters of the Confederacy. This allowed the Maryland legislature to vote in favor of remaining with the Union.

Draft

• Lincoln established the draft – a policy in which the government selects certain individuals for military service rather than waiting for them to enlist

Copperheads

• Lincoln’s most notable political opponents were called the copperheads after the deadly snake.

• Were Union Democrats who criticized Lincoln and the war.

• They played on some northerners’ fears and predicted that freeing southern slaves would mean huge numbers of African Americans migrating north to steal white jobs.

• Radical copperheads even encouraged Union soldiers to desert (abandon) the army, while calling on citizens to resist the draft.

African American Participation

54th Massachusetts

• The first African American regiment was organized in the North.

• Fought at Fort Wagner near Charleston Harbor in July 1863, losing nearly half of its soldiers in the battle.

Women’s Role

Women in Civil War

• Helped out as nurses during the war effort

Notable women:

• Elizabeth Blackwell: first female physician in the U.S. – started the nation’s first training program for nurses

• Clara Barton: helped to form the American Red Cross

Reconstruction

Freedman’s Bureau, 1865

• Congress set up this bureau to assist former slaves. The bureau set up schools for African Americans and helped set up farms at which the former slaves could work.

Tuskegee Institute

• School created by Booker T. Washington on July 4, 1881.

• Originally called the Normal School for Colored Teachers and changed the name to Tuskegee University when it was established in 1880 by act of the Alabama State Legislature.

13th Amendment, 1865

• This amendment abolished slavery in the U.S. It is known as one of the Reconstruction Amendments, which extended rights to former slaves after the Civil War.

Black Codes, 1865-68

• Black codes were a series of laws passed by ex-Confederate states that restricted the rights of blacks in the South. These codes included segregation in public spaces and restrictions on blacks' rights to be free laborers, to own land and homes, and to testify in court.

Civil Rights Act of 1866

• This act granted African Americans citizenship and gave them the rights to make contracts, sue, and own property. The citizenship rights of African Americans were also protected under the 14th Amendment.

Reconstruction Acts, 1867

• These acts divided the former Confederate states into five military districts, except for Tennessee.

• Tennessee was not included in this because it had ratified the 14th amendment and had been readmitted to the Union.

• A general was in charge of each military district, and soldiers occupied the states. Other Reconstruction Acts included barring Confederate leaders from voting or holding office and making the Confederate states ratify the 14th Amendment before being readmitted to the Union.

14th Amendment, 1868

• This amendment, passed in 1866 and ratified in 1868, stated that all people born in the U.S., except Native Americans, were U.S. citizens. It is one of the Reconstruction Amendments.

Johnson's impeachment & Tenure of Office Act, 1868

• President Johnson was impeached after removing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton from office without the approval of Congress.

• This was in violation of the Tenure of Office Act, which had been passed in 1867. Johnson faced a trial in the Senate in which he was one vote short of being convicted and removed from office.

• Tenure of Office Act required the Senate to approve the removal of any government official whose appointment had required the Senate’s consent.

15th Amendment, 1870

• This amendment gave African American men the right to vote. It says that no citizen of the U.S. can be denied the right to vote based on race or color. It is one of the Reconstruction Amendments, along with the 13th and 14th amendments.

Election of 1876 & Compromise of 1877

• In the 1876 presidential election, Democrat Samuel Tilden won the majority of the popular vote, but there was a dispute over who won the electoral votes in several states. A committee decided that Republican Rutherford B. Hayes won those electoral votes, and he was elected president. The Democrats said they would accept Hayes as president if federal troops were removed from the South.

• This agreement is known as the Compromise of 1877, and it was the official end of Reconstruction.

Jim Crow Laws, 1880s

• These were laws that segregated blacks from whites. They began to appear in the 1880s, after Reconstruction had officially ended. The laws forced blacks to sit on separate areas on trains and attend different schools than whites did, along with having many other effects on daily life.

Grandfather clause, 1895

• This clause was added to many Southern states' voting laws to keep African Americans from voting. Many Southern states required voters to pay poll taxes or pass literacy tests, but this clause stated that a person could vote anyway if he or his ancestors had the right to vote as of January 1, 1867. Because African Americans did not have the right to vote until after 1867, the clause allowed poor or illiterate whites to vote while still keeping the vote from blacks.

Carpetbagger

• a Northerner who came to the South in the Reconstruction period and carried bags made out of carpet material. Most of them were interested in making money in the areas that needed to be rebuilt, but some wanted to help the newly freed slaves.

Ku Klux Klan

• a group of white supremacists who wanted to keep white control of the South and did not want African Americans to vote or hold office. They threatened African Americans with violence to keep them from voting.

Military Reconstruction

• In response to white efforts to undermine Reconstruction, the federal government established military rule over the former confederate states

• These military governments sought to make sure each state instituted laws passed by Congress

• This was hated by most southerners

Radical Republicans

• a group of Republicans who supported punishing the Confederate states.

• Radical Republicans wanted to force the majority of white males in the Confederate states to take an oath to the U.S. and to exclude anyone who had served in the Confederate government or army from participating in new government.

• Radical Republicans also wanted to take land away from Southern plantation owners and distribute it among the newly-freed slaves. Representative Thaddeus Stevens of Pennsylvania was one of the leaders of the Radical Republicans.

Presidential Reconstruction

• refers to the policies favored by Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson in allowing the Confederate states back into the Union. Johnson wished to pardon anyone in the Confederacy who swore an oath of loyalty to the United States. Johnson's policies were much more lenient than those of the Radical Republicans.

Scalawag

• a Southern white who helped in the Reconstruction effort. Some Southerners viewed scalawags as traitors to the South.

Tenant Farmer

• After slavery, many went to work on plantations owned by whites, where they worked for wages, pay rent for the land they farmed.

• Most tenant farmers eventually became sharecroppers

Sharecropper

• a person who grew crops on land owned by someone else and gave the landlord (owner of the land) a share of the crop to pay for expenses.

• Many of these people were freed slaves who could not afford to buy their own land. Tenant farmers are similar to sharecroppers, except they may pay their rent in cash.

Solid South

• the states of the Southern U.S. that traditionally supported the Democratic Party after the Civil War. By 1876, only three Southern states (Florida, South Carolina, Louisiana) were under Federal occupation and Republican rule.

The Grant Administration

“Whiskey Ring”

• In 1875, a group of government officials and distillers in St. Louis, Missouri, cheated the government out of millions of dollars by filing false tax reports

• Reportedly Grant’s private secretary, Orville E. Babcock was involved

Tenth Amendment and Texas v. White

• Federal government had the authority to oversee the restructuring of southern state governments.

• Decision served to expand the powers of the central government and establish that, henceforth, the authority of the federal government would take precedence over that of the states

• As a result, southern states could no longer appeal to the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution (this amendment states those rights not delegated to the federal government are reserved for the states) to claim that states’ rights outweighed federal laws

Wade-Davis Bill

• Required majority of the adult white males in a former Confederate state to take an oath of allegiance to the Union

• Lincoln pocket vetoed (let the session of Congress expire without signing the legislation)

• Thought that imposing the legislation would be counter-productive