topic 1
first all African American regiment
1863 - 54th Massachusetts Regiment. One of the first official Northern Black units; famous for its brave but costly assault on Fort Wagner (July 1863); helped prove Black soldiers’ loyalty and pressured for greater equal pay and service roles.
McClellan's campaign
Peninsula Campaign (spring–summer 1862) — McClellan’s cautious advance toward Richmond stalled and failed to take the Confederate capital because it was overcautious, slow movements, overestimation of Confederate strength, missed opportunities; Lincoln was frustrated by his hesitancy to attack. McClellan was removed from field command by Lincoln in late 1862 and again after mixed performance; he later ran for president (1864).
problem with Confederate money
Massive printing of currency decreasing the value + Union blockade + collapsing Confederate tax/revenue system. Severe inflation, loss of public confidence, rising prices for basic goods, economic collapse in the Confederacy by war’s end.
wilmot proviso
Proposal (1846) to ban slavery in any territory won from Mexico. Passed House several times but failed in the Senate; intensified sectional debate over expansion of slavery and contributed to party realignments.
what happened after the Union win in April of 1865
Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House (April 9, 1865); Confederate armies surrendered elsewhere; Lincoln assassinated April 14, died April 15, 1865; Reconstruction era began under President Andrew Johnson, large-scale Southern devastation and political, social, and economic reconstruction of the country
how Lincoln handled political dissention
Suspended habeas corpus in some areas, authorized arrests of suspected secessionists and dissenting newspaper editors, imposed military arrests and martial law in places, managed party politics carefully to keep border states in the Union. Lincoln argued extraordinary measures were necessary to preserve the Union; critics called them unconstitutional.
Clara Barton
Organized and delivered medical supplies, nursed soldiers, worked on battlefield relief; after the war she founded the American Red Cross (1881) in the U.S. Expanded acceptable public roles for women, showcased women’s capacity in emergency/organizational leadership and professionalized wartime nursing.
why the Battle of Gettysburg was different from other battles
Large scale, decisive Union defensive victory (July 1–3, 1863), ended Lee’s second invasion of the North, huge casualties on both sides, culminating in Pickett’s Charge failure. Strategic turning point; Union momentum increased; led to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (Nov 19, 1863)
list the early battles and the winners
Fort Sumter (Apr 1861): Confederate victory -started the war.
First Battle of Bull Run / Manassas (July 1861): Confederate victory -shocked Northerners who expected a quick war.
Shiloh (Apr 1862): Tactical Union victory but extremely high casualties and surprised commanders with the war’s brutality.
Antietam (Sept 17, 1862): Strategically a Union advantage (Lee’s invasion halted) -the bloodiest single day; led to the Emancipation Proclamation’s issuance.
electionof 1860
Nov 6, 1860 - Abraham Lincoln (Republican) won with a popular vote and a majority of electoral votes, carrying the North without Southern electoral support. Prompted Southern secession and formation of the Confederacy.
Emancipation Proclamation
Declared that enslaved people in rebellious states free (It did not free slaves in Union border states or areas already under Union control. Preliminary issued Sept. 22, 1862 after Antietam; final issued Jan. 1, 1863. Lincoln used it as a wartime measure to weaken the Confederacy, discourage foreign recognition of the Confederacy, and shift the Union goal of the war toward abolition. Made abolition an explicit war aim, allowed Black men to join the Union army, and changed diplomatic stakes.
Homestead Ac
Gave settlers 160 acres of public land for a small fee if they lived on and improved it for 5 years (or could buy after 6 months). Encourage western settlement and economic development during the war; ideological tie to Republican vision of yeoman farmers and free labor.
purpose of both Grant's and Sherman's campaigns after Vicksberg
Grant Eastern/Overland Campaign: Apply relentless pressure on Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia; inflict continuous casualties to wear down Confederates
Sherman (Western / March to the Sea): Break Confederate will and resources by destroying infrastructure, supplies, and communications - total war aimed at civilian economic base and morale.
strategies of both the North and the South.
North (Union): Anaconda Plan -naval blockade, control Mississippi River, divide Confederacy, capture Richmond; overall strategy of economic strangulation and superior manpower/industry.
South (Confederacy): Defensive strategy to outlast North’s will, protect territory, seek foreign recognition and intervention, and sometimes conduct offensives into Northern territory when opportunities arose.
compromise of 1850
California admitted as a free state; Utah and New Mexico territories decide by popular sovereignty; slave trade abolished in DC; strong Fugitive Slave Act enacted; federal assumption of Texas debt. Temporarily eased sectional crisis but included Fugitive Slave Act that inflamed tensions.
Fugitive Slave Act
Strengthened federal enforcement: required citizens and officials in free states to help return escaped enslaved people; denied fugitives jury trials and increased penalties for helping them escape. The North was outraged. This grew Underground Railroad activity, some northern states passed personal liberty laws to protect alleged fugitives, increased abolitionist sentiment and sectional tension.
how Grant was successful in the West
Aggressive, coordinated operations (capture of Vicksburg, July 4, 1863), effective use of rivers and combined forces, willingness to press advantages, smart. Gave Union control of the Mississippi River, split the Confederacy, and demonstrated effective operational command leading to his promotion to lead in the East.
why the South was so successful in the beginning of the war
Superior early military leadership (Robert E. Lee, Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson), fighting a mostly defensive war on familiar terrain, shorter interior lines, strong local support and motivation, and initial Northern underestimation of Confederate resolve.
John Brown and his purpose at Harper's Ferry.
Seize federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, arm enslaved people, spark a general slave uprising. Raid failed, Brown captured and hanged; polarized nation -South horrified; many in North saw Brown as a martyr for abolition.
kansa-nebraksa act
Created Kansas and Nebraska territories; allowed popular sovereignty (residents vote on slavery), effectively repealed Missouri Compromise. Triggered “Bleeding Kansas”, deepened sectional polarization; helped destroy the Whig Party and contributed to the rise of the Republican Party.
attack on Charles Sumner.
May 1856 - Senator Charles Sumner (MA) was severely beaten with a cane on the Senate floor by Preston Brooks (SC) after Sumner’s antislavery speech “The Crime Against Kansas.” Showed rising violence in politics and deepened sectional divisions; Sumner became a northern martyr; Brooks was celebrated in the South.
conditions in prisoner of war camps in the South
Extreme overcrowding, lack of shelter, inadequate food, contaminated water, disease, high mortality (thousands died). Many Southern camps suffered severe shortages and high death rates; Northern camps also had poor conditions but Andersonville was the worst.
Dred Scott case
Supreme Court (Roger B. Taney) held that Black people (enslaved or free) were not citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories (declared Missouri Compromise unconstitutional). Similarity to Fugitive Slave Act: Both rulings strengthened slaveholders’ legal power and denied protections; Dred Scott removed federal power to limit slavery territorially, while Fugitive Slave Act enforced slavery across boundaries.
what started the war
Immediate cause: Southern secession after Lincoln’s election (Nov 1860) and Confederate attack on Fort Sumter (April 12, 1861).
Underlying causes: Slavery (expansion and political power), sectional economic/cultural differences, political breakdowns (failed compromises).
policies/philosophies for each of the political parties
Republican Party: Formed in 1850s to oppose extension of slavery into territories, support free labor, internal improvements, tariffs.
Democratic Party: Split into Northern and Southern wings over slavery; generally pro–popular sovereignty or pro-slavery in the South.
Southern Democrats: Defended slavery and states’ rights.
Constitutional Union Party (1860): Sought to avoid secession by upholding Constitution and Union (John Bell).