UNIT 4 NOTES: Secession AND THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR

Secession

Presidents of the United States George Washington; Federalist (1788) John Adams; Federalist (1796) Thomas Jefferson (1800) James Madison (1808) James Monroe (1816) John Quincy Adams (1824) Andrew Jackson; Democrat (1828) Martin Van Buren; Democrat (1836) William Henry Harrison; Whig (1840) John Tyler; Whig (1841) James K. Polk; Democrat (1844) Zachary Taylor; Whig (1848) Millard Fillmore; Whig (1850) Franklin Pierce; Democrat (1852) James Buchanan; Democrat (1856)

THE OVERVIEW By 1860 the democratic Party was one of the few unsectionalized, national institutions left However, by April even the party had split into northern and southern camps at its national convention in South Carolina This would ensure the election of a republican president if the party could not unite This aroused deep fears in southern whites that a republican administration might bring the end to slavery When Abraham Lincoln is elected with only northern votes, the lower south states decide to secede Tensions would rise as the first shots of the Civil War are fired at Fort Sumter By 1861 four additional slave states will withdraw from the Union as the country will tear itself apart in Civil War

THE DEMOCRATS SPLIT Democratic Convention Held is Charleston, which was the center of southern rights radicalism Stephen A. Douglas is backed by a majority of the delegates But many southern Democrats are determined to deny him the nomination Opposition to the Lecompton Constitution Freeport Doctrine opposed federal slave code proposals The Democrats voted to run on a platform of popular sovereignty to try and get northern votes The federal slave code platform was rejected by a slim margin This led to 50 delegates walking out of the convention After a vote no candidate held a majority so they decided to meet again in Baltimore 6 weeks later But the party had fractured beyond the point of repair Southern radicals were pleased, due to the prospect of secession Two leaders of this movement were William Yancy & Edmund Ruffin

A NEW SOUTHERN PARTY The Baltimore convention was a failure Even more delegates walked out Southern delegates formed the Southern Rights Democratic Party Southern Rights Democratic Party nominates John C. Breckinridge, Kentucky for President He was the incumbent VP and ran on a slave code platform Democrats nominate Stephen Douglas Former Southern Whigs, who were anti-Democratic and former northern Whigs, who considered the Republican Party too radical formed the Constitutional Union Party They nominate John Bell, Tennessee

THE REPUBLICANS The Republican Convention was held in Chicago The leading candidate was William H. Seward, New York However, he had made speeches against slavery and its demise that may have been too radical for some He also had opposed Nativism Abraham Lincoln was the next likely choice He also opposed Nativism, but with less vigor He was considered a more moderate abolitionist advocate Lincoln takes the Republican vote, Seward accepts defeat gracefully and the Republican Party heads into the election united The Republican Platform Ban the extension of slavery Higher tariffs Homestead Act Federal aid for construction of a transcontinental railroad

The 1860 election The prospect of a Republican President was too much to handle It would mean the end of the South’s political control of its destiny Since 1789, Southerners had dominated American politics 2/3 Presidents were southern slaveholders The same can be said for Speaker of the House, president pro tem of the Senate and Supreme Court Justices A Republican victory would mark a reversal changing of American politics The Election Most southern states go to Breckinridge (11) The upper-south states go to Bell (3) Stephen Douglas wins Missouri Abraham Lincoln wins 40% of the popular vote but carries every single free state and wins the electoral vote by a large margin

Election of 1860 ELECTION OF 1860 Country is polarized (divided) over the issue of slavery. Once Lincoln is elected as president, South Carolina will secede from the U.S. along with several other Southern States. They will form the Confederate States of America 303 total electoral votes and 152 to win.

Lincoln’s Election http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGg5uDYHEQA

The lower south secedes Lincoln’s election was the final straw for southern states and was the spark they needed for secession Southerners were outraged that a President had been elected without any southern electoral votes. On December 20, 1860 South Carolina becomes the first state to secede by a vote of 169-0 By February 1, 1861 six more states followed Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas TOTAL: 7 lower southern states secede The theory is that when each state ratified the Constitution and joined the Union they authorized the government to act on its behalf while giving up some sovereignty Secessionists argued that since the states had voluntarily joined the Union, they could also voluntarily leave it. But the states could withdraw and reassert their sovereignty

The confederacy In early February 1861, these states drafted a constitution and proclaimed themselves a new nation, the Confederate States of America, or Confederacy They elected moderate Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy Former senator from Mississippi West Point grad Served in Mexican War Secretary of War (Pierce)

Opinions on secession Some Americans felt that the South should be allowed to secede peacefully. But most people in the north considered secession unconstitutional Northerners and European countries expressed that secession is the victory of anarchy A Cincinnati newspaper wrote “The Doctrine of Secession is anarchy. If any minority have the right to break up the Government at pleasure, because they have not had their way, there is an end to all government.” The secessionists argued they were merely following an example from their forefathers by revolting against a government that threatened their liberties Anti-Slavery Poet William Cullen Bryant argued “Their motto is not liberty, but slavery.”

Fort sumter As each state seceded it seized the federal property within it Major Robert Anderson chose not to surrender to southern forces moved his garrison of men from Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter (South Carolina – Dec 1860) S.C. demanded control of Moultrie Sumter was new and uncompleted Anderson was southern but loyal to the Union This move was thought to ease tensions South Carolina sends a delegation to President Buchanan to negotiate Union troop withdrawal Buchanan refuses Confederates place General Pierre G.T. Beauregard in command of the area surrounding Sumter

Civil war begins When Lincoln takes office he believed that secession was wrong, but told the South that he would not attack them When Fort Sumter in South Carolina requested supplies from the federal government, Lincoln faced a dilemma. The garrison had to be supplied of evacuated Lincoln had to decide between appearing to be an aggressor against the South and maintaining federal property. He chose to send food but not soldiers or arms. He sends unarmed ships to carry supplies Gave the south advanced notice of intentions Davis orders Beauregard to take Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 When Major Robert Anderson, refused to surrender the fort, Confederates attacked it, soon winning Anderson’s surrender.

The upper south secedes By firing on federal property, the southern states had committed an act of open rebellion. Lincoln reacted by calling for volunteers to fight the seceding states. Southerners saw Lincoln’s action as an act of war. The Upper South states of Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas seceded and joined the Confederacy, while the Border States remained uncommitted to either side.

Secession!: SC Dec. 20, 1860

Presidents of the United States George Washington; Federalist (1788) John Adams; Federalist (1796) Thomas Jefferson; Democratic-Republican (1800) James Madison; Democratic-Republican (1808) James Monroe; Democratic-Republican (1816) John Quincy Adams; Democratic-Republican (1824) Andrew Jackson; Democrat (1828) Martin Van Buren; Democrat (1836) William Henry Harrison; Whig (1840) John Tyler; Whig (1841) James K. Polk; Democrat (1844) Zachary Taylor; Whig (1848) Millard Fillmore; Whig (1850) Franklin Pierce; Democrat (1852) James Buchanan; Democrat (1856) Abraham Lincoln; Republican (1860)

Abraham Lincoln http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bjxbb-tjSAA

domestic issues and events

BORDER STATES Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware West Virginia leaves Virginia and becomes a Union state in 1863 Lincoln places these states under martial law to remove Confederate influence Made mention to citizens that he was not freeing slaves

Secession VA. 8 West Virginia secedes from Virginia in 1863 and sides with USA. Border states/slaves states remain loyal to the Union

KING COTTON DIPLOMACY A northern strategy was to blockade the South from receiving goods from foreign countries The Confederacy inadvertently helped the blockade’s success when it adopted King Cotton diplomacy Cotton was vital to the British economy Textiles were at the heart of British industry Southerners reasoned that if that supply was cut off, Britain’s economy would suffer They would then be forced to recognize the Confederacy’s independence Britain and other European powers would then become powerful allies and break the Union’s blockade So they kept cotton at home in 1861 This strategy was a failure Britain had large surpluses of cotton that lasted them through 1862 They also failed to win recognition by foreign countries as a legitimate power While the war carried on and the prospect of the South losing was real, most foreign powers did not want to jeopardize relations with the U.S.

LINCOLN'S "NECESSARY" ACTIONS Suspended “civil liberties” or parts of the Constitution writ of habeas corpus: Protects from unfair arrest and trial by jury. Occupation of Baltimore: Controlled by military---- “martial law” Arrested over 15,000 civilians: Without “probable cause”---suspicious “Rebel” sympathizers. Closed “rebel” newspapers: Violated 1st amendment rights of “free speech and press”.

New york draft riots After the initial wave of enthusiasm prompted millions to volunteer in the war effort; both sides were needing numbers in 1862 and ’63 In the north, Congress passed a federal conscription law in 1863 The rich could hire substitutes to go in their place for $300 Riots broke out in New York in 1863 Touched off by poor, anti-black Irish-Americans Mobs riots and pillaged the city Along with the dead were several lynched blacks Many American & immigrant workers do not want to fight in a war for emancipation

Confederate conscription In April 1862, the Confederacy enacted a draft that all white men ages 18 to 35 were liable for conscription The argument from many farmer’s and workers was that it was a “rich man’s war and a poor man’s fight” In October 1862 the draft is changed in the South raising the age to 45 while exempting one white man on every plantation with 20 or more slaves (Twenty Negro Law) This prompted widespread draft dodging and desertions

war and battle

OverviewofCivil WarStrategy: “Anaconda”Plan

Northern strategy Union General-in-Chief Winfield Scott initiates the Anaconda Plan to defeat the Confederacy They planned to cut the Confederacy in two, along the Mississippi River. The ultimate goal was to slowly strangle the south out of their supplies This was known as the “Anaconda Plan” Use blockade and control of the Mississippi to win the war with less bloodshed

the civil war1861-1865

Bull Run & Tardy McClellan The Union goal becomes to eventually capture the Southern capital of Richmond, Virginia In July of 1861, Union moves 35,000 men through Virginia and makes it to the stream Bull Run They are met by a Confederate army commanded by General P.G.T. Beauregard After nearly collapsing and retreating, a line of Confederates held strong under heavy Union fire “like a stone wall” Brigade Commander Thomas Jackson then becomes known as “Stonewall” Jackson A Confederate counterattack forces the disorganized and exhausted Union forces into retreat First major battle of the Civil War Won by the Confederacy Relatively low casualty numbers reinforced the confederate belief in a short war (overconfidence) The north quickly changes gears as they face the reality of this war General George B. McClellan replaces Scott as General-in-Chief in November 1861 He was a notorious “waiter” and this could cause irritation with Lincoln frequently He was a perfectionists that only attacked in the “right” conditions; afraid to take risks He made no major movements in the winter of 1861-62

Battle of Bull Run (1st Manassas), July, 1861 Northern troops were pushed back to D.C. South won this battle but “lost the war”. WHY? Failed to capture Washington, D.C. Would never be so close to Washington, D.C.

Theater/Battles 1862

The war at sea For success, the South had to import large amounts of material from abroad To shut off their imports and the export of Cotton, Lincoln ordered a blockade of Confederate ports on April 19, 1861 Due to an underdeveloped Navy, the blockade was weak in 1861 and most ships bypassed it But with industrial power, the blockade became more effective in 1862 Monitor and Merrimack The South lacked the ability to build a Navy Due to trade loopholes they had the Alabama and Florida built by Britain But their inadequate shipbuilding prevented them from ever truly challenging the Union navy But they did demonstrate an ability to innovate with what they had They constructed the world’s first combat submarines Built “ironclad” rams to sink blockade ships The South built the first ironclad ship to see action It was the Virginia, but commonly called the Merrimac since it used pieces from the steamboat of the same name In March if 1862 the Virginia sank a few union ships while shells bounced off its armor plates Very quickly the Union built its own ironclad ship, the Monitor They fought each other in history’s first battle between ironclad ships The battle came to a draw This launched a new age in naval history and retired wooden warships from battle

ANTIETAM Robert E. Lee’s armies crosses the Potomac and into Maryland on September 4, 1862 Lee splits his army into 5 parts, in which Stonewall Jackson has command of 3 of them, mostly at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia Lee settles near Frederick, Maryland for a few days On September 13, Union Commander McClellan runs into some luck Two soldiers find a copy of Lee’s orders in a field near Frederick wrapped around cigars He plans to attack Lee’s forces before he can reunite with Jackson But again McClellan moves too slow and while they do win a small victory on September 14, Lee is able to reunite his troops near Sharpsburg On September 17, McClellan finally launches a major offensive when he crosses Antietam Creek Union forces outnumbered Confederates 2-1 Single bloodiest day in American history More than 23,000 casualties Mostly considered a Union victory, but also thought of as a draw due to McClellan’s inability to continue an attack even with an advantage Confederates retreat back into Virginia on the 18th Consequences Lincoln is not happy after this Union victory and has grown weary of McClellan’s leadership Britain and France withhold diplomatic recognition of the Confederacy

Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862 It was stipulated to go into effect on January 1, 1863 It proclaimed that slaves located in any state in rebellion would be free This proclamation extended “forever”, which meant even if the union would be repaired the slaves would still be free

EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION Freed all slaves in states in rebellion against the US Did not apply to slaves in border states fighting for US No affect on southern areas already under US control. War was NOW fought to end slavery. US soldiers were “Freedom Fighters”

Lincoln’s Dilemma http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUVkXthLz4w

THE 13TH AMENDMENT The Republicans sweep the elections in late 1863 The was a public endorsement of Emancipation This gave Congress to make emancipation official The Senate passes the 13th Amendment in April 1864, but Democrats in the House block it It is not until December 6, 1865 that the Amendment is enacted into law and slavery is officially abolished

13th AMENDMENT Slavery Abolished “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The Congress shall have power to enforce by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

GETTYSBURG Robert E. Lee again leads troops into the north to try and end the war in June 1863 This comes off the back of a Confederate victory at Chancellorsville Stonewall Jackson dies from friendly fire (pneumonia) Lee learns that Union forces led by George Gordon Meade are marching against him on June 28 He orders his scattered army to reassemble at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania It is here where the armies will meet in one of the greatest battles in American History will take place DAY 1: The South has a convincing win on the first day – July 1 DAY 2: Lee’s 2nd in Command, James Longstreet advised Lee against a direct attack on day 2 He wanted Lee to move his troops south into a stronger defensive position Lee refused as he felt confident in his superior army with a direct attack – Day 2 was furious and bloody on both sides Day 3: Lee orders a frontal attack on Cemetary Ridge, because he felt the Union might be weak at the center Led by George Pickett, the 2 ½ charge was eventually shot to pieces Barely half of his men returned and the Confederacy withdraws back to Virginia in defeat 50,000 men killed, wounded, or captured

PICKETT'S CHARGE General George Pickett General Lee orders a frontal assault on Union lines to break through, surround and destroy the North.

Gettysburg Casualties The defeat of Lee at Gettysburg would be the last time Lee would invade the North and try to take Washington, D.C. Lee’s retreat at Gettysburg on July 3rd and Grant’s defeat of the South at Vicksburg on July 4th would lead to the eventual surrender of the South by 1865.

KEY BATTLES IN THE WEST DATE BATTLE VICTOR RESULT Feb. 1862 Fort Donelson Union Controlled the Ohio River March 1862 Fort Henry Union Controlled Cumberland River April 1862 Shiloh Union Controlled Tennessee River April 1862 New Orleans Union Controlled mouth of Mississippi July 1863 Vicksburg Union Controlled Mississippi River * split Confederacy in half *Turning Point Battle

Vicksburg In late November 1862 Ulysses Grant wants to cut a supply line that connects east and west in the south He launches an offensive at Vicksburg, Mississippi Eventually on July 4, 1863 Vicksburg is captured and the Union controls the Mississippi River The Confederacy has been effectively split in two This also propels Grant to trust by Lincoln and leadership of Union army The north now has a rival for Robert E. Lee

TOTAL WAR & APPAMATTOX

ATLANTA Even after these defeats in the fall Jefferson Davis was defiant and determined to win this war It was this staunch resistance that led William Sherman in his famous march to the sea from Atlanta He concluded that defeating the armies would not be enough to win the war and force surrender The railroads, factories, and farms that support the war must also be destroyed The will of the civilians who sustained the war must also be crushed “We cannot change the hearts of those people of the South, but we can make war so terrible and make them so sick of war that generations would pass away before they would again appeal to it.” On November 16, Sherman’s army marched out of Atlanta on a mission and burned a third of the city as they left They marched south to Savannah and destroyed everything in their path

WAR HERO OR WAR CRIMINAL Grant’s right hand general. Fought with Grant in the West. Most noted for this saying; “War is hell and the worse you make it the sooner it will be over.” Put in charge of the Army of the West after Lincoln appoints Grant as head of all Union troops. Responsible for the March to the Sea and using “total war” in destroying the South. William T. Sherman

Sherman’sMarchthroughGeorgiato theSea, 1864

Sherman’s March http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46tDrVMlGpY

TOTAL WAR Tactic of war where the Union marched through the South and destroyed all resources the civilian population needed to survive. Goal: To make war as horrible and destructive as possible to force your enemy to surrender. Total war brings the civilian population into the war to demoralize the enemy and force them to surrender.

Total War 3 TOTAL WAR

Total War 2 TOTAL WAR

Picture: Richmond TOTAL WAR

Appomattox Lee’s starving men who were growing smaller by the day due to desertion limped westward in Virginia hoping to meet up with the remnants of Johnston’s troops Sheridan cut them off at Appomattox on April 8 Seeing that there was no way to fight their way south through a massive Union force, Robert E. Lee conceded defeat on April 9, 1865 “There is nothing left for me to do, but to go see General Grant, and I would rather die a thousand deaths.” They met at the house of Wilmer McLean and agreed to surrender terms

Death and Rebirth There would still be a few battle throughout the spring to capture remaining armies and Jefferson Davis But for most people concerned the Civil War was over As exciting for many as the war’s end was, for the north the good news did not last long On April 14, Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford’s Theatre The United States had survived the Civil War America would no longer be a slaveholding nation America and the South would soon have to find a new identity

UNIT 4 NOTES: Secession AND THE BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR