The Lead Up
What key issue did Congress have to decide when the United States gained new land?
Whether the new land would allow slavery or not
Aspects of the Fugitive Slave Act
Runaway slaves could be arrested and sent back to the South
No jury trial, and an enslaved person could not testify on their own behalf
Helping an enslaved person could lead to a fine & imprisonment
John Brown attempted to seize a federal arsenal and lead a slave revolt at this location:
Harper's Ferry
Why did President Lincoln avoid making slavery the main issue at the start of the Civil War?
He wanted the loyalty of the border states that allowed slavery, and he didn’t want to upset them for fear of further secession
South, or the Confederate States, relied on this foreign nation for support and hoped that it would recognize it as an independent nation:
Great Britain
An imaginary line dividing western territories where slavery was outlawed above the line and legal below it.
Missouri Compromise of 1820
What was the Underground Railroad, and who was one of its most famous leaders?
A secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom; Harriet Tubman led 19 trips and helped about 300 slaves gain freedom
Which political party did Abraham Lincoln represent in the presidential election of 1860?
Republican
What were some key advantages of the Union (North) during the Civil War?
Larger population, more factories and railroads, and strong leadership under Lincoln
During the Civil War, how did both the Union and Confederacy respond to internal dissent
Leaders expanded powers and suspended the right of habeas corpus, allowing arrests without trial
To appease the North, California was admitted as a free state, and to appease the South, a stricter fugitive slave law was passed. What was this legislation?
Compromise of 1850
Who were the “Border Ruffians” during the conflict over slavery in Kansas?
Pro-slavery Missourians who crossed into Kansas to vote illegally.
Which state was the first to secede from the Union (United States), and how many states seceded in total?
SC & 11
What was a major disadvantage for the Union (North) during the Civil War?
They had to invade and fight in the Confederacy (South) to win
During the US Civil War, what killed more people than actual weapons?
Diseases/infections
Territories had the right to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery or be a free state.
popular sovereignty
During the Lincoln-Douglas debates, which candidate believed that slavery would not stop without legislation outlawing it in new territories
Lincoln
What event is often cited as the official beginning of the Civil War?
Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, leading to the Union’s surrender
What were some advantages of the Confederacy (South) during the Civil War?
Belief that “King Cotton” would gain European support, experienced generals, and highly motivated soldiers with home-field advantage
Why was Clara Barton important, and what did she later establish?
She volunteered to help wounded soldiers and later founded the American Red Cross
The question of slavery in the new U.S. territories often divided how? (HINT: politically, racially, regionally)
regionally
What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dred Scott case under Chief Justice Roger B. Taney?
Slaves were property, not citizens, and could not sue in federal court.
Why did the Confederacy want the Federal government to leave the “South”?
They believed they were now a separate nation, and the Federal government had no authority there.
What was the Union’s strategy, known as the Anaconda Plan, during the Civil War?
Block southern ports, control the Mississippi River to split the Confederacy, and capture Richmond, VA
This Confederate prison in Georgia was infamous for overcrowding, poor sanitation, and extremely harsh conditions, holding about 33,000 men in just 26 acres.
Andersonville