Transcript SECESSION AND THE CIVIL WAR

The Outbreak of the Civil War
 Abraham
Lincoln’s election in
1860, was the first step towards
the outbreak of the Civil War
–South Carolinians feared the
victory of a Republican president
would bring an end to slavery &
seceded from the United States
–By early 1861, 7 Southern states
seceded & formed the
Confederate States of America
The Upper South did not view
Lincoln’s election as a death sentence
& did not secede immediately
The entire Deep South
seceded by Feb 1861
The Confederate States of America
 The
constitution of the Confederacy:
–Protected slavery
& states’ rights
–Outlawed tariffs
–Created a weak
national government
–Elected Jefferson
Davis as president
Lincoln viewed Southern secession as
illegal & promised to “preserve the Union”
“My paramount object in this struggle
is to save the Union, and is not
either to save or to destroy slavery.
If I could save the Union without
freeing any slave I would do it, and
if I could save it by freeing all the
slaves I would do it; and if I could
save it by freeing some and leaving
others alone I would also do that.”
—Abraham Lincoln, 1862
In April 1861,Fort
federal
soldiers
Sumter
The
firing
on
Fort
Sumter
proved
to
refused Confederate demands to
be
the beginning
of thein
Civil
vacate
at Fort Sumter
SC War
When Lincoln sent aid to soldiers,
Confederates fired on the fort
Fort Sumter
Not all slave states
After Fort Sumter,
seceded; Those that
the upper South
stayed in the Union were
states seceded &
called “border states”
joined the CSA
The Confederate States of America
What were the advantages & disadvantages of
the Union & Confederacy during the Civil
War?
 At
the outbreak of the Civil War, the
North had lots of advantages:
–Larger population for troops
–Greater industrial capacity
–Huge edge in RR transportation
 Problems for the North:
–Had to invade the South to win
–Difficult to maintain enthusiasm &
support for war over time
Southern Advantages
 Although
outnumbered & less
industrial, South had advantages:
–President Davis knew that they
did not have to “win” the war;
the South
only
had to drag out
“King
Cotton”
the fightdiplomacy
& make the North quit
–Had the best military leaders
–England
& France appeared
Robert
E
“Stonewall”
J.E.B.
Lee more willing
Jackson
to support Stuart
the South
Turning Advantages into Strategy
 Based
upon the advantages of both
the Union & Confederacy:
–What should each side’s war
strategy be?
–How can each
side maximize
their strengths
& minimize their
weaknesses in
order to win?
Northern “Anaconda Plan”
Southern “Offensive Defense”