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Civil War

The Basics - The following content has appeared on most New York examinations

• The Civil War raged from 1860 until 1865 and was definately a defining moment in American history. While it is true the slavery was a cause for the war, slavery in of itself is not the only cause of a conflict that led to the death of over 600,000 Americans.

• Causes of the Civil War
  

  1. Sectionalism - The country had developed very different ideas about how the government and country should operate. The South, a largely agrarian society focused on the production of cotton, was headed a by class of planters who could afford many slaves. These planters were looked up to by other, largely unedcuated farmers, most of whom could not afford more than two slaves - if they had any at all. The north, meanwhile, was a diverse economy increasingly focus on industry, trade, and new technologies. Most Northerners were educated until about the age of 13, when males were apprenticed. Because of a colder climate, cotton could not be grown. As a result, slavery was not as vital in the North. People began to think of themselves as "Southerners" or "Northerners," not as "Americans."

  2. State's Rights - One conflict that had been around since the creation of the U.S. Constitution was how much power the federal government should have. Southerners felt that the U.S. government was increasingly under the control of northerners because of the larger population of the north. Thus, they felt that state governments should have the right to ignore federal laws. This concept was called State's Rights. Northerners, on the other hand, felt that the Federal government needed to be superior to state governments.

  3. Slavery - Slavery had been in North America since the time of the colonies. However, slavery was far more prevalent in the South than in the North due to climate and economic reasons. Slaves worked cotton plantations for Southern planters. The North used unpaid apprentices for much of their labor force.

  4. Uncle Tom's Cabin - This novel, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, and others like it caused a large number of Northerners to side with the abolitionists - those calling for the end of slavery. The book depicts the intense cruelty of slavery and its harmful effects on the lives of slaves in the South. Southerners criticized the book, pointing out that it was fiction, not fact, and noted that Miss Stowe had never lived in the South.

  5. Abolition Movement - Abolitionists are those who wanted to get rid of slavery. While not a large number in the North, this group used a variety of methods to achieve its goals. Harriet Tubman helped slaves escape to Canada on the Underground Railroad. William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass wrote newspaper articles and gave speeches all over the country about the evils of slavery. Perhaps the most divisive abolitionist, however, was John Brown. Brown led violent attacks in Kansas and later on Harper's Ferry, Virginia in his efforts to end slavery. He was viewed as a hero by abolitionists and a psychotic killer by the south.

  6. Election of 1860 - The election of Abraham Lincoln, a northerner opposed to the expansion of slavery, was the final straw for the South. Soon after this election, Southerners decided they no longer had any power in the government and therefore needed to seceed from the Union.

• Secession - South Carolina led the Southern states to decalre independence and a new country, called the Confederate States of America. Soon joining the Confederacy were Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia.

• At the beginning of the war, the North held most of the advantages. The North had most of the railroad lines, more troops, more people, more industry to support the war effort, more money, and an established government. The South, however, had the two factors that led the colonists to success over Britain in the Reolutionary War - home field advantage and motivation. The South also had vastly superior officers such as Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

• The turning point of the war was the Battle of Gettysburg (July 2-4, 1863). At this battle in Pennsylvania, Lee attempted to attack Union soil. However, he made a poor decison to use Pickett's Charge, an attack of 15,000 men up a one mile wide open hill against heavy defenses. After this battle, the South never again attempted to attack on Northern soil. Lee surrendered his army at Appomatox Court House, Virginia in April, 1865.