AP U.S. History

Why did the Civil War occur? Many historians argue the Civil War was really a fight over states rights. Others argue the idea of the Civil War being fought over state rights is merely an attempt by Southerners to sanitize their history. The real cause of the Civil War, according to many historians, was slavery. Then again, many say the North dictated the history of the Civil War because they were the winners, so arguing that the Civil War was fought over slavery is just the North glorifying their role in the war. Of course, others say economic differences between the North and South caused the war; or the breakdown of political institutions; or the ineptitude of a new generation of political leaders. What do you think?

Southern shelling of Fort Sumter rallied the North to fight the seceding states instead of letting them go. Fort Sumter The call to raise a Union army aroused the South, just like the attack on Fort Sumter electrified the North. The Border States of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and later West Virginia would have seceded if the North had fired the first shots at Fort Sumter. Fight to preserve the Union!

The white population of the Border States was more than half that of the entire Confederacy. Also, half the hoses and mules in slave states were in Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri and two tributaries of the Ohio River flowed deep into the Confederacy. The Butternut region of southern Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois had been settled by Southerners and declaring war against slavery would have caused Lincoln headaches. I Border States The Cherokee sided with the Confederacy

Southern Advantages Fighting defensively More talented officers Southerners were bred to fight, as they managed horses and shot rifles from a young age Seized federal weapons South is one giant farm European leaders wanted the South to win Britain traditionally relied on Cotton from the South Great Britain built ships for the Confederacy More supplies Shoes, uniforms, blankets, food More railroads Better supply lines Superior navy Control of the sea Larger population 22 million and growing Better economy More factories European common folk want the North to win Northern Advantages

Two cheers for the Confederacy! Europe’s ruling classes favored the aristocratic Southern society but felt bounded by threats from the lower classes and dependence on Northern grain exports. The working people of Britain, feeling like “wage slaves”, supported the North’s moral cause (even though Lincoln didn’t vocalize one) wholeheartedly. We heart the North! Great Britain, sensing the Civil War was coming, stockpiled cotton in the late 1850s. Also, cotton growers in Egypt and India increased their output. Quiet you Luigi- looking jerk. The North exported wheat and corn to Europe, so Britain had to choose: cotton or hunger? Jefferson Davis

The image above is the CSS Alabama; built by Great Britain. This really angered the Union, as Britain became the chief naval base of the Confederacy because the Union had blockaded the Southern coast. Confederate soldiers launched raids on some northern cities from British Canada, which further angered the North. France, taking advantage of America’s distractions, sent a French army to Mexico City and overthrew the Mexican government. They created a puppet government led by the Austrian archduke Maximilian. The government collapsed when the U.S. threatened to invade Mexico after the Civil War was over. Remember the Monroe Doctrine? Maximilian

Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice to the Supreme Court. Dude. Lincoln. You can’t do that. Without Congressional approval, Lincoln: 1.Proclaimed a blockade of Southern ports. 2.Increased the size of the Federal army. 3.Reserved $2 million to three businessmen for military purposes. 4.Suspended Habeas Corpus I’m kind-of ugly

This guy is John D. Rockefeller. He buys his way out of fighting in the Civil War. He becomes the wealthiest man in the world twenty years later. For the first time in U.S. history, a mandatory draft was initiated by the Federal government in The law was really unfair to the poor because rich boys could hire substitutes to go in their place or merely pay $300. The draft was especially unpopular in Democratic strongholds like New York City, where poor, antiblack Irish Americans rioted against the forced enlistment. Although, more than 90% of Union troops were idealistic volunteers.

The Civil War created a millionaire class for the first time in American history. Some people were happy to put profits before patriotism by selling blind horses or shoes with cardboard soles The National Banking System, which was authorized by Congress in 1863, was intended to stabilize the national economy. This was the first step toward a unified banking network since 1836, when the Bank of the United States killed. The Washington Treasury issued paper money called greenbacks. Greenbacks were not backed totally by gold, so inflation took hold and greenbacks lost value over time. Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, America’s first female doctor, trained nurses to help Union soldiers The Civil War was a women’s war too. Women worked in government jobs and made supplies, like uniforms, in factories.

1. What political factors affected Lincoln’s approach to the goals and conduct of the war ? 2. Why was the South’s confidence in “King Cotton” misplaced? 3. Some historians have called the Civil War “the Second American Revolution.” What was “revolutionary “ about the political, social, and economic conduct of the war?