Description
Summary: This chapter concentrates on the history of the American Civil War, touching on some major battles, the coming of emancipation, and early experiments with Reconstruction. The chapter begins with a compelling story of a German immigrant who volunteered in the Union army. His story illustrates how many northerners changed their view of the war from seeing it as a war fought to defend the Union to a war fought to end slavery. The chapter examines how the war was both a modern war and a total war and the relative advantages that the North had over the South. After a series of Union defeats, Abraham Lincoln began a fundamental shift in his thinking and issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Afterward, blacks fought valiantly for the Union. The chapter then looks at the Civil War as a second American Revolution, exploring the vision Lincoln had for universal political democracy and human liberty. The northern economy benefited greatly from the war, while the South suffered economic crisis. The chapter then turns to the Confederate Nation. The chapter also looks at southern unionists, women, and the question of black soldiers for the Confederacy. Victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg turned the tide for a Union victory, which was finally achieved when Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union general Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox in April 1865. Meanwhile, experiments on the Sea Islands and Grants negro paradise served as illustrations of what Reconstruction might look like. Lincoln also had a plan but was assassinated days after Lees surrender.
Source 1: Read the Letters of Secession (Links to an external site.) from the first five states to secede from the Union. What do they state as their reasons? What is the bottom line? Why did they choose this in response to Lincoln’s election?
Source 2: Please look at the following Slide presentation.
Slavery and the Constitution: A Road to War (Links to an external site.)
Please make sure to read the notes on the slide. You will need this information for the Final Exam.
Discussion Questions:
- How was the Norths victory over the South tied to the different ways the market revolution had developed in the two regions?
- Describe how President Lincolns war aims evolved between 1861 and 1863, changing from simply preserving the Union to also ending slavery?
- How did the actions of slaves themselves, northern military strategy, and the Emancipation Proclamation combine to end slavery?
