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The Civil War Era Unit Overview ( )
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Big Picture As Abraham Lincoln slipped into the District of Colombia to take the presidential oath of office, seven states had already slipped out of the union that his newly elected office presided over. Abraham Lincoln arguably would face the tallest order of all presidents: to preserve the union and ultimately resolve the slavery issue.
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The Menace of Secession
Lincoln’s actions Wait and see Southern provocations? Physical geography Topographical barriers? National controversies Debt? Domain? Underground RR European designs Imperialist interests
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Fort Sumter Forces Lincoln’s Hand
South seizures Public property—arsenals, mints, etc… Fort Sumter Charleston, SC Lincoln's dilemma Reinforce? Surrender? Middle ground—resupply Sumter Southern bombardment Sumter surrendered Lincoln calls for militia VA, AR, TN and NC secede
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The Border Strategy The Border States MO, KY, MD, DE Lincoln’s law
White population=50% of the entire Confederacy Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers Supply lines into Dixie CSA: grain, gunpowder, and iron Lincoln’s law Partial Martial (this rhymes) MD and MO War aims “Preserve the Union” Doesn’t want to rile slave owners in Border States The “Mountain White” area of Virginia, later known as West Virginia also became a border state.
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The Balance of Forces Southern Advantages Northern Advantages
Defensive position Economy (farm and factory) Home field Wealth Determination—self preservation Railroads Most talented officers Control of the seas Bred to be soldiers Manpower Despite having few factories, Southerners were able to procure weapons by seizing federal weapons, blockade running and creating ironworks. Manpower: North=22 million, South=9 million (3.8 millions slaves). —800,000 immigrants poured into the North.
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Dethroning King Cotton
Foreign sympathies The South needed intervention Britain needed cotton British aristocrats favored the South Semi-feudal, aristocratic social order British commoners favored the North Uncle Tom’s Cabin Cotton supply British warehouses were overstocked with fiber ( ) Emancipation proclamation—Civil War is over slavery Cotton “famine” Northern aid Egyptian and Indian cotton
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The Decisiveness of Diplomacy
The Trent Affair Union warship stops British mail steamer north of Cuba Forcibly removes two Confederate diplomats Britain riled Lincoln releases men Confederate commerce-raiders C.S.S. Alabama (most famous)* Built in Britain—crewed by Britons Officered by Confederates Captured 250 U.S. merchant ships Neutral? Precedent?
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Foreign Flare-Ups The Laird Rams Confederate plots Canada France
British built warships designed to sink wooden ships U.S. threatens war—possible invasion of Canada Confederate plots CSA agents plundered three banks in Vermont Canada Irish-Americans invade Canada 1866 & 1870 Dominion of Canada created in 1867 France Napoleon III installs puppet regime in Mexico (1863) Cinco de Mayo
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President Davis v. President Lincoln
States’ Rights Curse Jefferson Davis and centralized gov’t. Skilled strategist and administrator Obsessed over leadership Secession? Governors worked against Davis Defied rather than harnessed popular opinion Plague of war “Old Abe” Flexible Led fickle public opinion Charity and forbearance Delegator
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Limitations of Wartime Liberties
Upholding the Constitution? Lincoln &“necessity of war” Blockade of southern ports Increased the size of the Federal Army Advanced $2 million to private citizens (military purposes) Suspends the writ of habeas corpus Arrests dissenters “supervised” elections in Border States Censorship of press Jefferson Davis and states’ rights Local control>national needs
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Volunteers and Draftees
North Volunteers & state quotas 90% of troops volunteered Social and patriotic pressures Bounty jumpers Conscription law passed (1863) Substitutes—$300 NYC Draft Riots Irish mobs Deserters—200,000 South Mostly volunteers Smaller population Draft (Apr. 1862) Exemptions $$$$ 20+ slaves rule Conscription agents Avoided “Mountain Whites”
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Paying for the War: the North
Revenue Excise taxes on alcohol and tobacco Income tax Customs receipts Morrill Tariff Act (1861) Inflating the currency Greenbacks—value determined by nation’s credit Debt $2.6 billion in war bonds sold National Banking System (1863) Standard bank note currency Stimulate sale of gov’t. bonds
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Paying for the War: the South
Customs receipts Thwarted by the Union blockade Debt $400 million in war bonds Revenue Increased taxes 10% levy on farm produce
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The North’s Economic Boom
Business boomed Protective tariffs Technological advancements Inflation “Shoddy Millionaires” Greed and graft War profiteers Oil! Farms Cyrus McCormick & the mechanical reaper U.S. grain helped fight the war
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Women in the Civil War U.S. Government Industry Military
Clerical capacities Industry 1:4 to 1:3 Military 400 known cases of women fighting Espionage U.S. Sanitary Commission Soldier relief Nursing Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix and Sally Tompkins
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A Crushed Cotton Kingdom
Plantation economy destroyed Wealth lost Cotton and slaves Blockade Invading armies Southerners demonstrated tremendous sacrifice
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