The Civil War

Transcription

1 The Civil War The Civil War was a fight between the United States of America (the North) and the Confederate States of America (the South). It began after the 1860 Presidential Election. The war started as the country tried to settle two questions: Should the United States keep allowing slavery? Could a state break away from the United States if it chose? Abraham Lincoln was the Republican Party candidate in He was against slavery. He believed that a state could not leave the United States. The Democratic Party had members in the North and in the South. Stephen Douglas ran as a Democrat from the North. John C. Breckinridge ran as a Democrat from the South. The vote for the Democrats split between these men. Some Southern states said they would leave the Union if a Republican became president. Lincoln won the election. Soon after, South Carolina left the Union. Six other Southern states did, too. These states formed a new government. They were now the Confederate States of America. They chose a president, Jefferson Davis. This new government gave states more freedom to make their own rules. They wanted to keep slavery. Not all the slave states joined the Confederacy. The Border States were four Southern slave states that did not. The Border States were sometimes helpful to the North. The Confederates wanted United States troops out. Lincoln told the troops to stay. He said the South could not leave the Union. The Confederates attacked Union forts to show their independence. The Union troops fought back. Soon four more states joined the Confederacy. Both sides thought the war would end quickly. They were very wrong. Each side had advantages. The North had a bigger army. It had more factories and railroads to make and to move supplies. It had more banks and money to fund the war. It also had a navy. The South was fighting on its own land. It had better military leaders, and its troops were more willing to fight. Its soldiers also had better skills with rifles. Both sides made great sacrifices. CICERO

2 Some people thought Lincoln became too powerful during the Civil War. He ended habeas corpus for a time. This meant people could be arrested and jailed without proof they had committed a crime. This violated the United States Constitution. People suspected of being Confederate spies were jailed. Lincoln blocked the South with United States Navy ships. The Southerners could not get supplies. Lincoln thought he needed to take these actions to win the war and to keep the country together. The Union lost most of the early battles. Lincoln was not pleased with the army s performance. He made a new law, the Emancipation Proclamation in It freed slaves in Southern states that fought against the Union. Lincoln did this so England would no longer help the South. The English traded with the South for its cotton, but they also opposed slavery. Once Lincoln made the war about slavery, England stopped helping the South. The commander of the Southern army was Robert E. Lee. He was a great general. He was very popular with his men. The Union began to win more battles. Most of the battles were in the South, but one of the worst battles was in the North. General Lee tried to attack Washington, D.C. The armies fought near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle lasted three terrible days. More than 50,000 soldiers were killed, and Lee was forced to retreat. The Northern army did not pursue him. The Union won this battle at great cost. Lincoln wanted his generals to win and to end the war. He believed the Union troops should have crushed any chance for the South to retreat and fight again. He replaced his commanding general with Ulysses S. Grant. The North went on to win most of the later Civil War battles. Lincoln was elected president again in General Grant still kept his army fighting. The Union Army went after Lee and his troops. Finally, they had Lee surrounded. Lee s men had little food and few supplies. Many had been killed or wounded. Lee had no choice; he had to surrender. He knew to continue would only cause more deaths. There was no way the Confederacy could win. General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, on April 9, The United States had a long road ahead to rebuild the nation after the Civil War, but the country remained as one. CICERO

3 Confederate General Robert E. Lee (right) surrenders to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House. CICERO

4 Name: Discussion Questions: The Civil War Why did the South want to leave the Union? Date: 2. What was the first state to leave the Union? 3. What advantages did the North have during the Civil War? CICERO

5 4. What advantages did the South have during the Civil War? 5. Where was one of the worst battles fought? 6. Where and when did General Robert E. Lee surrender? CICERO