Transcript The Road to Civil War

The Civil War
PART 1
THE SOUTH BREAKS
AWAY
John Brown’s Raid and Trial
More bloodshed helped push the North and South
further apart.
In 1859, John Brown and some of his followers
raided a federal ARSENAL (gun warehouse). They
were hoping to start a slave revolt.
Troops stepped in and captured Brown, killing some
of his followers as well.
Many people in the North and the South
thought Brown was crazy. However, at his
trial and when he was sentenced to death, he
appeared quite sane and calm.
Some northerners thought he was a hero, and
on the day he was hanged, church bells rang
out throughout the North. Southerners were
furious when they found out about this.
At his trial, and
before his execution,
John Brown
predicted there
would be “much
bloodshed and
wailing (crying) in a
million homes”
before the slavery
issue was settled.
The Election of 1860
 Thousands of people swarmed into
Chicago for the Republican convention.
 Would the Republican nomination go to
William Seward of New York, or to
Abraham Lincoln of Illinois?
 Lincoln won the nomination.
 Many people are worried this will
lead to war.
 The Democratic convention in Charleston,
South Carolina was chaotic.
 The party couldn’t agree on slavery, and
broke into northern and southern
branches.
 The northerners choose Stephen Douglas,
while the southerners chose John
Breckinridge of Kentucky.
 A moderate party that was still seeking compromise
was formed.
 The Constitutional Union Party nominated John Bell of
Tennessee.
 Lincoln’s name was not even put on the ballot
in 10 southern states.
 However, he won enough support in the northern
states that outvoted the South, and he won the election.
Abraham Lincoln
Republican
Stephen Douglas
Northern Democrat
John Bell
Constitutional Union
John Breckinridge
Southern Democrat
This election helped lead to the break up of the U. S.
The Union is Broken
A South Carolina women described what happened
after hearing Lincoln won:
“The excitement was very great. Everybody was
talking at the same time. One,…more moved than
the others, stood up—saying…’The die is cast—No
more vain regrets—Sad forebodings are useless. The
stake is life or death—’…No doubt of it.”
To many Southerners, Lincoln’s election
was the last straw. They believed that the
President and the Congress would be
totally against them.
Many leaders had already decided that if
Lincoln did win the election it was their
duty to leave the Union.
Secession
 Some congressional leaders made efforts
to keep the country together, but failed.
 On December 20, 1860, South Carolina
was the first state to secede.
 By February 1, 1861, Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and
Texas had all voted to leave the union.
The 7 states of
the deep South
had all seceded
by February
1861, before
Lincoln had
even been
sworn in as
president!
 The seven states held a meeting in
Montgomery, Alabama.
 They formed a new nation called the
CONFEDERATE STATES OF
AMERICA.
 They felt they had a right to leave.
 Their constitution was similar to that of
the United States.
 They didn’t think the North would
fight to keep them in the Union.
The War Starts
 When Lincoln took  However, he
the oath of office in
March of 1861, he
faced a dangerous
situation. He said,
“no state can
lawfully get out of
the Union.”
pledged that there
would be no war
unless the South
started it.
Abraham
Lincoln’s first
inauguration
speech, given
on March 4,
1861.
Imagine the
pressure he was
under!
Federal Forts in the South
The Confederacy started seizing federal buildings
like post offices and military forts because they
considered the United States to now be a “foreign”
power.
Lincoln must act very carefully. He doesn’t want to
appear weak, but he doesn’t want to start a war. By
April, the South has occupied all but 4 forts.
Opening Shots at Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter guarded the entrance to Charleston,
South Carolina, one of the South’s most important
cities. There was no way it could remain under
Union control.
On April 12, the fort was asked to give up, but its
commander refused. The fort was then attacked, and
surrendered on April 13 after running out of
ammunition.
As Confederate troops shelled Fort Sumter, people in
Charleston gathered on their rooftops to watch. To
many, it was like a huge fireworks display.
Luckily, no one was injured in the attack.
No one knew that the “fireworks” marked the
beginning of a terrible war that would split the
country apart for four years.
President Lincoln immediately called for 75,000
volunteers to put down the “southern rebellion”.
After Lincoln’s call Arkansas, Tennessee, North
Carolina, and Virginia secede, and the war is on!!!
The War Begins in April 1861
Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee,
and Arkansas join
their southern
brethren, bringing the
total number of states
in the Confederacy to
11. Would Missouri,
Kentucky, Maryland,
and Delaware join
them?