Leading Up to Civil War

1
Leading Up to Civil War

• Fort Sumter
• located in Charleston Harbor, only Union fort
  left in South Lincoln "provisions" but not
  "reinforces" the fort South attacks on April 12,
  1861 Union lost fort, but united in spirit
• Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina
  Secede
• after Fort Sumter, these four states joined South
  Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
  Louisiana, and Texas now eleven seceded

2
Leading Up to Civil War

• Border States
• Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky, and
  Missouri did not secede might have if North had
  fired first shot if they had seceded, the South
  might have won Lincoln said war was to save the
  union, not antislavery, to keep border states
  from seceding
• Northern Advantages at the Wars Beginning
• good economy with farms and majority of the
  nations industrial capacity three-fourths of
  nations wealth greater transportation system
  control of the sea with greater navy more
  population (22 million to 9 million) immigration
  (800,000 during the war arrived in the North)
  established government foreign diplomacy

3
Leading Up to Civil War

• Southern Advantages at the Wars Beginning
• defensive war on their own territory did not
  have to "win" the war to win independence, could
  fight to a draw advantage in morale had the
  most talented officers (General Robert E. Lee)
  ordinary Southerners were bred to fight

4
Leading Up to Civil War

• The Death of King Cotton
• South counted on Britain to enter war on their
  side because of cotton shortages (before the war
  the South produced 75 of Britains cotton) but
  British had stockpiled cotton before due to
  enormous surpluses from the South northern wheat
  and corn had bountiful harvests during the war
  and shipments to Britain caused the British to
  side with the North

5
Leading Up to Civil War

• Foreign Diplomacy
• Trent affair-late in 1861, Union ship captured
  British vessel Trent and removed two Confederate
  diplomats, Britain talked of war, but Lincoln
  released the prisoners Confederate commerce-
  raiders, like the Alabama, captured over 250
  Union ships, were built in Britain, after harsh
  warning from Union, Britain apologized and
  stopped ship production

6
Leading Up to Civil War

• President Lincoln
• superior leader to Jefferson Davis had advantage
  of established government that was financially
  stable and recognized at home and abroad was a
  genious at leading public opinion
• President Davis
• struggled with the duties of civil government and
  military operations of the South the Confederate
  government was hampered by the states righters
  since it was created by secession, it could not
  deny future secession

7
Leading Up to Civil War

• Wartime Liberties
• Lincoln increased the federal army and proclaimed
  a blockade (which are things only Congress is
  allowed to do under the Constitution) he
  suspended the writ of habeas corpus (so anti-
  Unionists could be arrested) he ordered
  "supervised" voting in the Border States to make
  sure they wouldnt secede he justified these
  actions by saying that he was trying to save the
  Union and would stop after the war

8
Leading Up to Civil War

• Volunteers and the Draft
• volunteers made up the Northern armies at first,
  but a draft was required beginning in 1863 rich
  boys could hire a substitute or pay 300 to avoid
  being drafted riots broke out in New York City
  in 1863 when Irish-American mobs protested the
  draft the South had to go to a draft a year
  earlier (April 1862) because of less population

9
Leading Up to Civil War

• Northern Economy
• much better than southerners to pay for war,
  excise taxes increased, income tax started, and
  customs receipts Morrill Tariff Act (1861)
  increased tariff duties Treasury issued
  greenbacks (450 million worth) sale of bonds
  was number 1 money-raiser National Banking
  System (1863) standardized currency wartime
  prosperity, new factories and machines,
  technology like mechanical reaper profiteers put
  profits before patriotism Homestead Act (1862)
  encouraged western pioneers

10
Leading Up to Civil War

• Southern Economy
• harder financial times than in North blockade
  lessened revenue from tariff duties sold bonds
  and increased taxes to pay for war runaway
  inflation in the South crippled after the war