Chapter 20: Girding for War: The North and The South (1861 - 1865)

APUSH Students - view the similarities and differences between the original US Constitution and the CSA's Constitution here. Come to class prepared with your analysis of what was different/similar and why.

Problems with Secession

-The South didn't think that Lincoln would do anything about them seceding, they were proven wrong, and it led to the Civil War.

-They couldn't get the border to secede too, so they were a very small minority and highly out manned by the North.

Fort Sumter

•  Lincoln sends supplies as a provision and the south interprets it as reinforcement.
• Confederate forces attack fort - 4-12-1861
• Union surrenders and war begins
  • Lincoln claims victory because the Confederates were forced to attack first.

The Importance of the Border States

• The border states included: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and  later West Virgina.
• North needed the Border states to stay with the Union in order to win the War.
• Lincoln used his political experience  to persuade the border states to not seceed.
• Lincoln told border states that he was trying to preserve the Union, not abolish slavery.

Southern Advantages & Disadvantages in the Civil War

• Advantages
  • Confederacy could fight defensively behind interior lines.
  • Didn't have to win the war in order to gain independence.
  • Had more morale.
  • Had much more leadership with its talented officers. Most known is General Robert E. Lee and his lieutenant, Thomas J. ("Stonewall") Jackson.
  • Were able to obtain sufficient weapons by running Union blockades and by seizing federal supplies.
  • Bred to fight
• Disadvantages
  • Handicapped by scarcity of factories.
  • The little food they had was difficult to transport because of bad transportation system.
  • Economy

Northern Advantages & Disadvantages in the Civil War

• Advantages
  • Economy
    • Had 3/4ths the nations wealth and 3/4ths of the nations railroads.
  • Controlled the sea with  its superior navy.
  • More manpower.
  • Immagrants migrating for Europe supplying more soldiers and workers.
• Disadvantages
  • Had to invade the vast territory of the Confederacy, conquer it, and drag it back into the Union.
  • Didn't have very good leadership compared to the South.

Dethroning King Cotton

    South's strategy:

• Rely on Great Britain to buy cotton from them.

    Reasons for Defeat of King Cotton:

• Great Britain already had a stockpile of cotton, so they didn't need any more.
• There was a shortage of food in Great Britain and they needed "King Corn" and "King Wheat".
• The North had a blockade on the South too, so it was really hard for them to import or export anything.

Trent Affair

• Union stopped a British ship and forced off two Confederate diplomats headed to England.
• Just before Britain gave an ultimatium demanding the release of the prisoners and an apology, Lincoln released the prisoners peacefully.

The Alabama

• It was a quick, swift ship who would eventually be destroyed by a much more powerful Union Ship.
• Built in Britain - get guns from for Confederates
• Captured over 60 Union vessels
• The Union wondered if the British were siding with the south?

Foreign Flare-ups with Great Britain

The Strengths & Weaknesses of Lincoln and Davis

Strengths of Lincoln

• Had the prestige of a long established government which was financially stable and recognized
• Interpereted and led public opinion

Weakness of Davis

• The south had same constitution as North, but there was no way to deny secession.
• Davis was always fighting with the people

Lincoln's Use of Executive Power

•  He did these acts against the Constitution
  • Increased size of  the federal army
  • Gave $2 million to private citizens for war puposes.
  • Suspended the writ of  habeus corpus
  • Proclaimed a blockade

Conscription

• In 1863, the Union enacted the conscription.
   

Economic Problems in the Civil War

• Excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol were substantially increased by Congress
• An income tax was levied for the first time in the nation's experience
• The North was able to go through these times easier than the South could
• Customs receipts proved to be important revenue-raisers
• Early in 1861, Congress passed the Morrill Tariff Act, which raised the tariff
• Inflation went up

North's Economic Boom

•  North boomed from factories.
• Civil war bred millionaire class.
• Women started working outside the homes to make up for the men being gone.
• Labor saving machines and discoveries helped the North.
  • Sewing machines
  • "Sizes" for clothes
  • Mechanical reapers
  • Petroleum

The End of the Cotton Kingdom

The South fought until they could no more and it crushed everything they had.

In 1860 the South had 30% of the nation's wealth and in 1870 they only had 12%.

The Civil War made the southernor's income come to a bare minimum at only 2/5ths of the northernor's income.