Topic 5.7: The Election of 1860 and Secession
Question from (5.6)
What was the result of the split between the two-party system of Democrats and Whigs, which broke apart over issues of Slavery?
The two-party system of Democrats and Whigs broke apart as issues of Slavery became more divisive.
What were the significant battles of the Civil War?
- Fort Sumter: South Carolina cut off supplies to the federal fort and then blew up provisions sent via ship from the Union, giving Lincoln a reason to declare war
- First Battle of Bull Run: 30K Union troops confronted Confederate troops, where Stonewall Jackson led the Confederacy to victory
- Battle of Vicksburg: the Union gained control of Mississippi river, cutting Confederacy in half
Question from (5.9)
What was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address? What was the hope for this address?
With his Gettysburg Address, following the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln hoped to further define the scope of ending the war by defining the fighting of slavery as the fulfillment of democratic ideals and unify the nation
What was the Civil Rights Act of 1866? What court case did it repeal?
The Civil Rights Act of 1866 ensured that all citizens would be equally treated under the law (repealed Dred Scott and tried to shield from Black Codes)
What was the Freedman's Bureau?
(Bonus: What was the system of Sharecropping)
The Freedman’s Bureau tried to help reunite black people with their families, provide opportunities for education, find work opportunities, and established social welfare
Sharecropping was a system of contract labor where a landowner would lease land and tools/supplies to a Black person (or sometimes a poor white person) for them to grow crops, a portion of which went to the landowner. The black person would work the fields, but they could never escape the debt in the contract, forcing them to continue to work for the landowner
What was the Election of 1860? What was the Significance of this election, and how did it contribute to the start of the Civil War?
During the Election of 1860, republican Abraham Lincoln ran for the presidency with a plan to reduce (not completely abolish) slavery. Southern Democrats viewed Republicans as a threat to the institution of slavery and threatened secession if Lincoln was elected president.
The Election of 1860 resulted in a turning point in the tension behind the issue of slavery, as following Lincoln's election into office, South Carolina seceded from the union, beginning the Civil War.
What was the North's Strategy(Anaconda Plan)?
The Anaconda Plan utilized the naval advantage to blockade Southern ports and control trade, encircling the South from receiving British and French aid (who were their major trade partners for King Cotton, though this wasn’t helpful as Egyptian and Indian cotton made King Cotton less important)
What was Lincoln's 10% Reconstruction Plan? What happened following Lincoln's assassination with the Reconstruction Plan?
The 10% plan was Lincoln’s lenient plan to allow reentry of the union with 10% of the electorate pledged loyalty, and the legislature had to ratify the 13th Amendment. It was not implemented after he was assassinated, though. Andrew Johnson, a Southern democrat who wanted less harsh policies, took over following Lincoln's assassination. While he achieved the goal of rejoining the South, he watched as Southern Whites regained power (ex. Black Codes) and had no sympathy for the newly freedmen
What was the Civil Rights Act of 1871?
The Civil Rights Act of 1871 ensured equal accommodations for all citizens in various locations
What were some examples of white supremacist groups, hate groups, or legislative measures that were put in place to oppress black people?
Bonus Points: What Act combated these hate groups and oppressive acts
Ku Klux Klan: White supremacy org that would lynch black people, burn buildings, and control local politics (the White League did similar things)
Black Codes: tried to codify White Supremacy, placing legal restrictions on Black people, including their ability to have loans, buy land, testify in court, and induced Segregation
(To combat this, the Force Acts gave the president power to use military force to protect African Americans)
How many states decided to secede? What was their name?
11 Southern states seceded during the Civil War and named themselves the Confederate States of America
What was Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation? What was the goal of this Proclamation?
The Emancipation Proclamation was Lincoln’s strategy/address that “freed’ slaves in rebelling states, where he had no authority, but not in Slave border states, where he could. More of a military strategy to shift the Union scope to ending Slavery in the US
What were the differences between the beliefs of Moderate Republicans and Radical Republicans when adapting the South back into the nation during Reconstruction?
Moderate Republicans, like Lincoln, were for leniency towards the South, believing the South never left the Union because it wasn’t legal to do so.
Radical Republicans wanted harsher punishments for the southern secessionist states
Explain the Reconstruction Amendments. [13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments]
13th Amendment - abolished enforced labor/freed the slaves
14th Amendment - gave citizenship to all "natural-born" people
15th Amendment - suffrage for all (except women)
What was the difference between the Scalawags and the Carpetbaggers? How did the Southerners feel about both?
Scalawags were Southerners who allied with Republicans in the North and were able to get offices.
Carpetbaggers were people who came from the North to take Southern offices after many Democrats/Confederates were kicked out.
Both hated by Southerners
Who were the Copperheads?
Copperheads were peace democrats who wanted slavery but didn’t want to secede or fight a war
What was Sherman’s March To The Sea?
Sherman’s March To The Sea was a victory by General Sherman. It was a march of soldiers to the sea, using scorched-earth tactics to destroy Southern railroads and crops
What was the Wade Davis Bill?
The Wade Davis Bill wanted 50% to pledge loyalty and new state constitutions. This bill was pocket vetoed by Lincoln prior yo his assasination
Explain the Reconstruction Act of 1867.
The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 divided the South into 5 military districts and put them under military occupation (Military/Congressional Reconstruction) to enforce these new laws [ended Black Codes]. To rejoin the Union, states would need to ratify the 14th Amendment and have universal male voting rights in their constitution
How did the Election of 1876 mark the end of Reconstruction?
The Election of 1876 marked the End of Reconstruction as Republican Rutherford B. Hayes and Democrat Tilden both didn’t win the Electoral College, but Tilden won the popular vote. After a recount between just the two candidates in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Florida, a committee of republicans declared the votes for Hayes.
Question from (5.8)
Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each side in the Civil War.
- South: The South fought a defensive war on their homefront, had more experienced military leaders (ex. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson)
- North: Had higher population/larger army, access to the Navy to control seas/rivers, access to trains to transport resources and troops, and had the majority of US economy via banks and manufacturing, and better government
- The North rapidly mobilized its manufacturing capacity to produce supplies for the war
- The North blockaded the South during the war, stopping their efforts to gain revenue via trade and tariffs
Both sides faced opposition to the war, including people not agreeing to pay a War Tax in the South bc STATES RIGHTS and the NYC Draft Riots in the North of poor men rioting since they were drafted, but the rich could pay to escape the draft
Describe the change in women’s roles during the Civil War.
There was increased participation in “Men’s” work, like in the factories in the North and the plantations in the South. Women also had significant involvement in medicine. For example, Clara Barton founded the Red Cross
What were Black Codes?
Black Codes were laws enacted in the Southern United States after the Civil War to restrict the freedoms of African Americans and maintain white supremacy.
Women faced various splits as a result of the extension of rights to black people. What was the name of a women's rights association that arose during this period?
The National Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was founded by Stanton and Anthony to fight for national suffrage
What was the Compromise of 1877? What did this mean for Black people in the South?
Democrats were outraged over the Election of 1876, which led to the Compromise of 1877. The Compromise of 1877 stated that Democrats would allow Hayes to be in office if Military Reconstruction ended.
This led to even further harsh policies being enacted against Black people in the South