1. USHistory.org CliffsNotes:
Unit 4: Civil War
USHistory.org CliffsNotes:
30. An Uneasy Peace
34. The War Behind the Lines

2. Newly Acquired Land
Land obtained via Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo sparked feud between Whigs and Democrats
Democrat Lewis Crass coined the term “popular sovereignty” to decide whether or not slavery would be permitted in new states
Illinois democrat Stephen Douglas became its strongest advocate
Henry Clay introduced the Compromise of 1850 to the Senate
California = free state; Utah & New Mexico = no slave restrictions
Fugitive Slave Law goes into effect

3. Bloody Kansas
Whigs and Democrats wanted to make sure a balance of power was present in Congress between free and slave states
New states were organized into self-governing territories before they became states
Kansas-Nebraska Act used the idea of popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery
Made Missouri Compromise null and void
Leading to representatives from pro/anti-slavery camps to stuff ballot boxes to sway the vote
Leading to Bleeding Kansas
Leading to a split in the Whig party and the creation of the Republican party

4. Bloody Kansas
To ensure Kansas voted yes to slavery Border Ruffians threatened to physically harm those who opposed it
Although Kansas would eventually legalize slavery, it was through a very fraudulent election
Free soilers created their own state constitution resulting in two state governments
Anti-slave preacher John Brown attacked the town of Pottawatomie Creek to avenge the events at Lawrence
Federal troops were sent in to put down the fighting

5. Dred Scott
The Supreme Court heard the case Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857
Scott’s “sojourn” in free territory didn’t make him free
Black people were excluded from citizenship and therefore couldn’t even bring a suit to the Supreme Court
Congress never had the right to prohibit slavery in any territory (violation of the 5th amendment)
Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
7-2 vote in favor of Sanford
2 dissenting opinions were Republicans

6. John Brown’s Raid
In 1859 John Brown led a small army of men to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in an effort to spark a slave revolt
His plan was not very well though out and failed immediately
Northerners admired Brown’s courage and motives
Southerners were shocked and outraged and called him a fanatic

7. Abraham Lincoln
In 1858 Stephen Douglas (D) and Abraham Lincoln (R) squared off in seven debates to decide who would get Illinois Senate seat
The “Debates” took Illinois and eventually the nation by storm, throwing Lincoln into the public spotlight
Douglas promoted the Freeport Doctrine and popular sovereignty during the debates
Lincoln promoted black rights and famously said “a house divided could not stand”
Douglas would win the election

8. The Election of 1860
The Democratic party was split over who to nominate for president
Northerners wanted Stephen Douglas; southerners wanted John Breckenridge
Abraham Lincoln was the Republican nomination
Lincoln would receive 40% of the popular vote but 180 electoral votes and take all northern states and California
Just weeks after the election South Carolina seceded from the Union forming the Confederate States of America
Within 3 months of the election 7 other states seceded
Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri were the border states (slave states not seceding)

9. Civil War
Fort Sumter in South Carolina housed Union soldiers and was attacked by the Confederacy on April 12th, 1861
Commencing the American Civil War
On paper the North outweighed the Confederacy in every way
More citizens, more industrial advantages, more railroads
The South has 7 of 8 military colleges (i..e, best trained officers)
The South’s greatest strength lay in the fact it was fighting on the defensive
Slavery became the face of the war after Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863
The North implemented the Anaconda Plan to suffocate the South
General Sherman implement a scorched earth policy on his March to the Sea

10. Civil War
Lincoln won the Election of 1864 and Congress would be controlled by the Republicans
On April 9th, 1865 Confederate General Robert E Lee would surrender at Appomattox, Virginia
Ending the American Civil War
Two days after Lee’s surrender Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth while attending a play at Ford’s Theatre
Vice President and southern democrat Andrew Johnson would become president
Roughly 620,000 people died in the American Civil War