Short Answer
Why was the battles of Gettysburg such a decisive battle?
Because it turned the tide of the war, no longer favoring the south. The southern army started losing the war, and lost it two years later.
Two major rulings in Dred Scott case?
1) Enslaved people do not have rights; they’re property
2) Missouri Compromise cannot limit slavery’s growth westward. C.J. Roger Taney wrote the opinion.
Describe in detail why the formation of the 54th Mass. Inf. was so important during the Civil War?
They showed that African Americans could fight just as well as white soldiers, and allowed them to fight to end slavery. Col. Robert Gould Shaw commanded the regiment and died in combat.
What is a border state? List the four originals?
Border states were states that stayed with the Union, but kept slavery. E.Proclamation did not apply to them b/c Lincoln didn’t want them joining the Confederacy/southern states. Kentucky, Missouri, Delaware, and Maryland (W. Virginia).
In your opinion, was suspending Habeas Corpus a good decision or not?
Lincoln suspended it because too many people were voicing support for the south and he needed them to stay quiet to keep the border states in the Union.
Who was Jefferson Davis?
Confederate president during the Civil War. Former senator of Mississippi, and general. Imprisoned after the war for two years but never charged with a crime. (Lincoln hoped he would flee the country after the war).
Who were the Border Ruffians and what did they do in Kansas?
Kansas was allowed to vote on whether to have slavery, Border Ruffians crossed into the state and terrorized people into supporting the vote FOR slavery. They killed hundreds, leading to the nickname “Bleeding Kansas”
Technology in the Civil War?
Ironclad ships replaced wood boats during the Civil War. Wood boats were no match for the ironclad ships since cannonballs could not penetrate the iron. Wood ships became obsolete. It created a new age of naval warfare. Bullets became more evolved with rifles, they were no longer round and smooth; minieballs were grooved so they would leave the barrel of the gun spinning for much more accuracy. They were also pointed so that they could break through its target with more ease. Finally, brick-and-mortar forts also became obsolete because rifled guns could target them more easily, making them useless as defense measures to protect important harbors and cities.
Round bullets were not as accurate and wouldn’t be as effective, wooden ships would be no match for ironclads, and brick-and-mortar forts were useless against long-range guns.
Battles became much more brutal and more people than ever were killed or wounded. It led to more devastation throughout the south, leaving cities in ruins. It also made people aware of the idea that advancements in technology sometimes work a little too well, and can be overly devastating.
What is an arsenal? Which famous location is an example?
It’s where weapons are kept by the Army, and John Brown tried to take one over at Harpers Ferry but failed. He was captured, jailed, and hanged.
What was the Emancipation Proclamation?
1st P-It was a document that stated every slave in a state of rebellion was freed. It became official on Jan. 1st, 1863. A victory at the Battle of Antietam gave Lincoln the authority and opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation because then he could claim the North was winning the war. It left out the border states of Kentucky, Missouri, Delaware, and Maryland (W. Virginia came later).
2nd P-Enslaved people were being used by the northern army after they ran away. Enslaved were being used in the south for military purposes. The war began because of “States rights” and the south didn’t want to admit that it was over slavery. The E.P. made it a war to free slaves, which meant that the south would have a harder time justifying the war’s motives and keeping slaves. The E.P. also kept England and France out of the war b/c they’d freed their own slaves, and had stockpiled cotton before the war and did NOT need more.
3rd-The E.P. did NOT include the border states because Lincoln was afraid those states would secede (leave) the Union and join the Confederacy, which would have made winning the war much harder. The E.P. targeted slave labor, which would devastate their economy. The Anaconda plan was forcing the south to rely on itself to survive without outside help and the E.P. destroyed the help they would need to do that.