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Explore the key events and impact of the Civil War, including battles like Fort Sumter and Antietam, the Emancipation Proclamation, and its effects on society.
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The war began on April 12, 1861 • Fort Sumter • The South fired first
Virginia secedes • So does Robert E. Lee
Lincoln asks 75,000 men to volunteer for 3 months to bring the Southern states back into the Union
In the East… • In July, 1861, the North suffers an embarassing defeat at First Bull Run • McClellan takes command of the Army of the Potomac, and trains his troops
By Spring 1862, Grant wins the first big Northern victories at Shiloh and Nashville
McClellan finally moves to attack in that stupid idea with the boats
Lee invades Maryland to try and impress the British and French • He’s on a roll, and divides his forces
The orders are wrapped in a cigar, dropped, and found by Northern troops • Battle of Antietam
The battle is a draw • McClellan’s too slow and doesn’t chase Lee • Lincoln fires him
Frederick Douglass has been asking Lincoln to emancipate the slaves since the war started • The war is dragging on, more people are dying, and Lincoln has a big problem
Abolitionists Britain and France The Army The border states (slave states) The Constitution The Supreme Court Lincoln’s balancing act
Lee retreating back into Virginia gives Lincoln the opportunity to issue the Emancipation proclamation • It states that slaves in the Confederacy are now free
This makes no sense • 1: You can’t free slaves in territory you don’t control • 2: Why doesn’t the Emancipation Proclamation free slaves in the border states?
1: You can’t free slaves in territory you don’t control • Northern troops in Southern states can free the slaves in areas that they control
2: Why doesn’t the Emancipation Proclamation free slaves in the border states? • Lincoln doesn’t have the authority to free the slaves • Congress has to make a law, Lincoln has to approve it, and the Supreme Court must approve it, remember?
BUT…. • Since this is war, the President is Commander in Chief • This is a military decision, it weakens the South • No slaves on the farms, no cotton, no food for the Southern troops
The Emancipation Proclamation didn’t actually free many slaves at all. • It was a symbolic gesture
Some things did change… • Britian and France applaud the Proclamation, and stop supporting the Confederacy • Black troops can now join the Army
In the South… Now not only will the Confederacy have to fight Northern troops, it will have no support from Britian or France, it will have to keep the slaves from escaping or revolting, and face black troops on the battlefield
African – American soldiers • Often had the worst jobs, and were paid less • The 54th Massachusetts changed this through their bravery
The assault on Fort Wagner, and William H. Carny’s actions led to over 180,000 black men joining the U.S. Army
It’s now 1863 • The war’s been going on for two years now • Suffering not only out on the battlefields, but also at home.
In both North and South, food is getting more and more scarce • Most soldiers are farmers • Worse in the South • Trains are being used to move troops, not food to the markets • The Army takes what it wants
People in the South are beginning to grow weary of the war • Confederate soldiers are beginning to leave the army in increasing numbers
The Confederate states begin to argue under the strain • States’ rights is holding them down
In the North, Lincoln has to deal with Northern Democrats who want peace with the South • These are called Copperheads
Lincoln has some war protestors arrested and held without trial • This is AGAINST THE CONSTITUTION
Both North and South need more men, and both sides pass conscription laws • All men 18-45 must join the army • You know it as a draft
It didn’t apply to the rich (it never does) • You could hire a substitute to fight for you • “A rich man’s war, but a poor man’s fight”
The war also raised prices on everyday stuff (inflation) • Worse in the South • 9,000% rise in prices
First income taxes are established to pay for the war • Taxes on how much you make
New paper currency – greenbacks • Named for the color • We still have them
Slaves in the Civil War • Slaves that couldn’t be freed by Union troops could still do damage to their masters • Sabotage • Running away • Revolt
By the end of the war, half a million slaves escape to the North
Women in the Civil War • Nurses, spies, scouts
Civil War Prison Camps • Food shortages • Diseases • Cramped conditions