Chapter 14
The Civil War

Chapter Summary

Before 1860, reference to the nation generally began "these United States are," but after 1865 it became more frequently "the United States is."  In that change, one might well see the most important outcome of the American Civil War.  The question of the nature of the Union, which had been debated since its inception, was settled; the nation was one and indivisible.  As such the United States joined a worldwide movement to create large, consolidated nation-states.  The cost had been great, in both human and financial terms, but the war had done more than defeat secessionist rebellion.  It had set the nation on a new course.  States’ rights, as an alternative to nationalism, had been dealt a fatal blow.  The tariff and internal improvements were law and would remain so.  Slavery was abolished, free labor was triumphant, and industrial growth and material progress seemed to lie ahead. The war, therefore, represented more than a victory for the armies of the Union.  The real victor had been the Union itself.  Never again would the supremacy of national laws be seriously questioned.  The Civil War gave birth to the modern United States. Indeed, it ended an era and began another.

Objectives

A thorough study of Chapter 14 should enable the student to understand
1.         The reasons all attempts to reach a compromise in the time-honored way failed in 1860 and 1861.
2.         The unique problems faced by newly inaugurated President Lincoln, and his use of executive powers to solve them up to July 4, 1861.
3.         The many interpretations of the causes of the Civil War advanced by historians.
4.         The ways in which the Confederate States of America compared with the United States in manpower, natural resources, finances, industrial potential, and public support.
5.         The significant legislation enacted by Congress once southern members were no longer a factor.
6.         The considerations involved in President Lincoln's decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, and its reception in the North, in the South, and in Europe.
7.         The basic structure of the government of the Confederate States of America, how it differed from that of the United States, and how it dealt with the vital question of states' rights.
8.         The efforts of Presidents Lincoln and Jefferson Davis to act as commander in chief under their respective constitutions.
9.         How other nations, particularly England and France, viewed the struggle, and how their courses of action affected the outcome of the war.

1. How the American Civil War was part of a worldwide movement to create large, consolidated nations.

Main Themes

1.         How the South came to attempt secession and how the government of the United States responded.
2.         How both sides mobilized for war, and what that mobilization revealed about the nature and character of each.
3.         How the North won the Civil War.

AP US History
Chapter 14 Questions
Assignment 1

Sources:
Textbook:  mid-pg. 371 to mid-pg. 379. 

Questions:

1. Explain the various interpretations that historians have advanced to explain why the Civil War took place.
2. How have these interpretations followed the general outlines laid down by Senator William H. Seward in 1858?
3. Create a CHART which analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of the North and the South in terms of their readiness for war.
4. How did the Republican Party act to expand the American economy during the war?  To which pre-war party was their program similar?  Why were they able to enact it, whereas the previous party had not been successful?
5. How did the Union propose to finance the war?  How successful was this?  What was the effect on the economy?
6. How did the Union propose to raise troops?  To what extent was it forced to use conscription?  How did the nation react to this method?
7. What was Lincoln's view of the extent of presidential war powers? 
8. Who were the opponents war in the North?  How did Lincoln use his powers against them?  What was the outcome?
9. For what reason was the "Union Party" created?  Who were its candidates?
10. What were the two factions trying to control the Republican Party?  What were their goals?  Which group did Lincoln support?
11. How was this split in the Republican Party revealed in the debate over what to do about slavery?  What action did each faction propose?  What was Lincoln's response to each faction?
12. What factors, other than political pressure, brought about the Emancipation Proclamation?  What did the proclamation really accomplish?
13. What role did African Americans play in support of the Union cause?
14. What impact did the Civil War have on the Northern industrial economy?  on women in the North?
15. What part did women play in the Union war effort?

  AP US History
Chapter 14 Questions
Assignment 2

Sources:
Textbook:  mid-pg. 379 to mid-pg. 388. 

Questions:

1. What were the origins of the Confederate government?  How did its constitution differ from that of the United States?
2. What problems did the new leaders of the Confederacy face?
3. How did the Confederacy attempt to finance the war?
4. How did the Confederacy propose to raise troops for the war?  How did these plans compare with those of the Union?  How successful were they?
5. Why was states' rights the "great dividing force" i the Confederacy's war effort?  What caused this division?  What was the effect?
6. How did the Civil War "transform" Southern society?  How was this transformation like that which took place in the North?  How was it different?
7. What impact did the war have on the lives and circumstances of women?  of slaves?
8. Explain the 19c worldwide movement to create large, consolidated nations.  How did the American Civil War fit into this movement?
9. What does the popularity of baseball indicate about America at the time of the Civil War?
10. Why was Lincoln more successful at organizing a command system than Davis?
11. What role did Lincoln propose for the United States Navy?  How did the Confederacy attempt to overcome this naval advantage?
12. What were the foreign-policy objectives of the Union and of the Confederacy?  How did each attempt to achieve these objectives?  Which was most successful and why?
13. How did the West play a continuing political, diplomatic, and military part in the conflict?

AP US History
Chapter 14 Questions
Assignment 3
Sources:
Textbook:  mid-pg. 388 - pg. 399.  

Questions:

1. How did advances in the effectiveness of arms and artillery change the way soldiers in the field fought?
2. What was the response of the border states to the outbreak of war?
3. Why was the outcome of the First Battle of Bull Run [First Manassas] such a shock?  What did it reveal about the possibility of an early end to the struggle and about the readiness of the two sides for a major conflict?
4. What were the strengths and weaknesses of General George McClellan's military leadership?  of General Robert E. Lee's military leadership?
5. What was the Union plan for the conquest of the West?  How did the Confederates propose to defend this area?
6. How did the battle of Shiloh change Grant's thinking about his military plans?
7. Why was the Battle of Antietam considered to be one of the turning points in the war?
8. Why was 1863 the "Year of Decision?"
9. What was Grant's grand strategy for 1864?  What were his objectives?
10. How was the Confederacy finally defeated?  In what way did the Union forces destroy the South's will to carry on the fight?