🇺🇸Honors US History Unit 7 – The Civil War and Reconstruction

Key Events and Timeline

• 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected as the 16th President of the United States, leading to the secession of southern states
• 1861: Confederate forces attack Fort Sumter in South Carolina, marking the beginning of the Civil War
  • Seven southern states initially secede, forming the Confederate States of America
  • Four more states join the Confederacy after the attack on Fort Sumter (Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee)
• 1862: Battle of Shiloh results in a Union victory, halting the Confederate advance in the West
• 1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln, declaring all slaves in rebel states to be free
  • Battle of Gettysburg becomes a turning point in the war, with the Union defeating Confederate forces in a three-day battle
  • Siege of Vicksburg gives the Union control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two
• 1864: General William T. Sherman's "March to the Sea" campaign devastates the South, weakening the Confederacy's ability to continue fighting
• 1865: Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the Civil War
  • President Abraham Lincoln assassinated by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C.

Causes and Tensions

• Slavery and its expansion into new territories, with the North opposing the spread of slavery and the South advocating for its protection and extension
• Economic differences between the industrialized North and the agricultural South, which relied heavily on slave labor
• States' rights and the debate over the power of the federal government, with the South favoring greater state autonomy
• Abolitionist movement gains momentum in the North, with figures like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe influencing public opinion
• Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allows for popular sovereignty in determining the status of slavery in new territories, leading to violent conflicts (Bleeding Kansas)
• Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court decision in 1857 rules that African Americans are not citizens and that Congress cannot ban slavery in territories
• John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859 attempts to incite a slave rebellion, further escalating tensions between the North and South
• Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, a Republican opposed to the expansion of slavery, triggers the secession of southern states

Major Figures and Leaders

• Abraham Lincoln: 16th President of the United States, led the Union during the Civil War and issued the Emancipation Proclamation
• Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War
• Ulysses S. Grant: Union general who led the United States Army to victory and later became the 18th President
  • Oversaw the Reconstruction era as President, working to protect the rights of newly freed African Americans
• Robert E. Lee: Confederate general who commanded the Army of Northern Virginia and surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House
• William T. Sherman: Union general known for his "March to the Sea" campaign, which devastated the South and weakened the Confederacy
• Frederick Douglass: Former slave who became a prominent abolitionist, orator, and writer, advocating for the end of slavery and equal rights for African Americans
• Harriet Tubman: Former slave who became a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves escape to freedom in the North
• Thaddeus Stevens: Radical Republican congressman who advocated for harsh treatment of the South during Reconstruction and championed civil rights for African Americans

Military Strategies and Battles

• Union strategy: Anaconda Plan, which aimed to blockade southern ports, control the Mississippi River, and squeeze the Confederacy from all sides
• Confederate strategy: Defensive war, focusing on protecting their territory and wearing down the Union's will to fight
  • Hoped for foreign intervention and recognition of the Confederacy as an independent nation
• Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas): First major battle of the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory and dispelling the notion of a quick war
• Battle of Antietam: Bloodiest single-day battle in American history, ending in a tactical draw but a strategic victory for the Union
  • Provided Lincoln with the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation
• Battle of Vicksburg: Union victory that secured control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy in two
• Battle of Gettysburg: Turning point of the war, with the Union defeating Confederate forces in a three-day battle and halting Lee's second invasion of the North
• Sherman's March to the Sea: Union campaign that devastated the South, destroying infrastructure and weakening the Confederacy's ability to continue fighting

Social and Economic Impact

• Emancipation of over 4 million slaves, transforming the social and economic landscape of the South
• Destruction of southern infrastructure and economy, with many plantations and farms left in ruins
  • Collapse of the plantation system, which had relied heavily on slave labor
• Displacement of civilians, with many southerners becoming refugees as a result of the war
• Women take on new roles in the absence of men, managing households, farms, and businesses
  • Increased participation of women in the workforce, particularly in the North
• Inflation and shortages of goods in the South due to the Union blockade and the strain of war on the economy
• Rise of the Republican Party as a dominant political force, advocating for the abolition of slavery and a stronger federal government
• Increased industrialization in the North, with the war stimulating the growth of factories and the economy

Reconstruction Policies and Challenges

• Presidential Reconstruction under Andrew Johnson, which aimed to quickly readmit southern states without guaranteeing rights for freed slaves
  • Johnson's lenient policies towards the South led to conflict with Radical Republicans in Congress
• Congressional Reconstruction, led by Radical Republicans, which sought to punish the South and ensure civil rights for African Americans
  • Passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, abolishing slavery, granting citizenship, and ensuring voting rights for African American men
• Freedmen's Bureau established to provide aid and education to newly freed slaves and poor whites in the South
• Black Codes and Jim Crow laws enacted by southern states to limit the rights and freedoms of African Americans
  • Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups use violence and intimidation to suppress African American political participation
• Sharecropping and tenant farming emerge as a new form of labor in the South, often perpetuating economic inequality and dependence for African Americans
• Compromise of 1877 ends Reconstruction, with the withdrawal of federal troops from the South and the restoration of white Democratic rule

Legacy and Long-Term Effects

• Abolition of slavery and the recognition of African Americans as citizens, laying the foundation for future civil rights struggles
• Increased power of the federal government, with the war establishing the supremacy of the Union over states' rights
• Economic and industrial growth in the North, with the war accelerating the process of industrialization
  • Widening economic gap between the North and the South, with the South struggling to recover from the destruction of the war
• Rise of the "Lost Cause" mythology, which romanticized the Confederacy and minimized the role of slavery in the war
• Continued racial inequality and discrimination, with the failure of Reconstruction to fully address the social and economic disparities between whites and African Americans
  • Legacy of racial violence and oppression, as seen in the rise of lynching and segregation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
• Reunification of the nation and the gradual reconciliation between the North and the South, though tensions and differences persisted
• Establishment of national cemeteries and memorials to honor the sacrifices of soldiers on both sides of the conflict

Important Primary Sources

• Emancipation Proclamation (1863): Issued by President Lincoln, declaring all slaves in rebel states to be free
• Gettysburg Address (1863): Lincoln's famous speech at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
  • Reaffirmed the principles of democracy and equality, and the importance of the Union cause
• 13th Amendment (1865): Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States
• 14th Amendment (1868): Granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States, including former slaves
  • Prohibited states from denying any person life, liberty, or property without due process of law
• 15th Amendment (1870): Guaranteed the right to vote for all male citizens, regardless of race or color
• "What the Black Man Wants" speech by Frederick Douglass (1865): Argued for full civil and political rights for African Americans
• "The Bonnie Blue Flag" (1861): Popular Confederate song that expressed southern pride and the desire for independence
• "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1862): Union song that connected the war effort with a divine cause and the fight against slavery