America: The Last Best Hope, Volume I, Chapter 9—Freedom’s Fiery Trial 1861-63
Chapter Overview Handout for Students
Key Historical Points
1.
Following Lincoln's 1860 election, southern states began passing Ordinances of Secession. Seven states seceded before his
inauguration. Four more seceded after the outbreak of war at Fort Sumter.
2. Statements made by leaders of the new Confederate States of America make clear that the protection of slavery was
their primary motive for seceding.
3. Lincoln took strong measures to keep the slaveholding Border States in the Union, including the imprisonment of state
officials, the closing of newspapers, and the suspension of habeas corpus.
4. Southern leaders hoped Europe's need for cotton would lead nations such as England and France to diplomatically recognize
their new government and offer aid. This faith in "King Cotton" ended being a critical miscalculation.
5. The "Trent Affair" nearly entangled the North in a war with England, but Lincoln's apology and diplomacy kept the two
nations at peace.
6. Through the first two years of the war, Lincoln struggled to find a general who would aggressively seek to defeat the South
and put down the rebellion.
7. The Battle of Antietam remains the bloodiest day in U.S. history, but Lee's advance into Maryland was halted and any hope
that England might offer diplomatic recognition to the South was ended.
8. Military casualties suffered during the war were far beyond anything the nation had ever experienced.
9. Lincoln moved slowly and cautiously toward The Emancipation Proclamation, his initial stated goal for the war being only to
save the Union (not to end slavery). But as death tolls rose, ending slavery became a necessity to justify such suffering.
10. The Emancipation Proclamation freed only slaves under Southern control. Lincoln did not have the constitutional authority
to free slaves in states and areas loyal to the Union. But the measure did give the war a new purpose and made the Union
army an army of liberation.
Timeline of Key Events
1861 Abraham Lincoln inaugurated; Fort Sumter fired upon; Battle of Bull Run; The Trent Affair
1862 Merrimack vs. Monitor naval battle; Battle of Shiloh; Battle of New Orleans; Battle of Second Bull Run; Battle of
Antietam; Battle of Fredericksburg
1863 Emancipation Proclamation takes effect; Battle of Chancellorsville; Battle of Vicksburg
Historical Questions
1.
2.
3.
President Lincoln made clear that he would not interfere with slavery in the South and that he would enforce the Fugitive
Slave Act. With those assurances, why did the South still secede?
Detail actions taken by President Lincoln to keep slaveholding Border States loyal. Were they constitutional and justifiable
considering his duty as President?
Discuss key failings of the North's military effort during the first two years of the war and the differences in strategic
thinking that caused conflict between Lincoln and his generals.
Key People
Abraham Lincoln
Jefferson Davis
Sam Houston
Winfield Scott
Robert E. Lee
P.G.T. Beauregard
William H. Seward
Irwin McDowell
Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson
Charles Wilkes
James Mason
John Slidell
Prince Albert
George McClellan
John Pope
Ulysses S. Grant
David Glasgow Farragut
Ambrose Burnside
J.E.B. Stuart
"Fighting" Joe Hooker
Alexander Stephens
Roger B. Taney
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mathew Brady
Frederick Douglass
Edwin Stanton
Key Events
Historical Terms and Places
Habeas corpus
Army of the Potomac
Army of Northern Virginia
Battle of Fredericksburg
Battle of Chancellorsville
Battles of Shiloh and Vicksburg
Battle of Brandy Station
Battle of Bull Run
The Trent Affair
Merrimack v. Monitor
Battle of Antietam
Creation of the Confederacy
Confederate Constitution
Fort Sumter
Lincoln saves the border states
unconditional surrender
contraband
emancipation
insurrectionists
Confederate States of America
"King Cotton
Laws and Legislation
Ordinances of Secession southern states argued the Union was a "compact" that states had voluntarily entered and that they
could voluntarily leave; the South concluded that secession was the only way to protect their institution of slavery
Anaconda Plan key Union strategy called for a naval blockade of the South
Alexander Stephens's "Cornerstone Speech" gave this speech arguing forcefully that slavery was the cause of the split of the
Union and that the Confederate States of America was founded solidly on the supremacy of the white race over the black race
Ex Parte Merryman Chief Justice Taney ruled that Lincoln had acted unconstitutionally in suspending habeas corpus; Lincoln
essentially ignored Taney in the midst of the crisis, believing his duty to protect the Union rose above all other concerns.
General Order 191 finding these plans aided Union forces as they prepared to meet Lee's forces in the Battle of Antietam
Emancipation Proclamation Lincoln called a "military necessity" freed all slaves in areas still under Confederate control
Five Themes of Geography
Location Fort Sumter, Baltimore (Maryland), Washington D.C., Bull Run, Richmond (Virginia), New Orleans, Antietam,
Fredericksburg (Virginia), Vicksburg (Mississippi), Shiloh
Place West Virginia, Liberia
Movement Naval blockade of South
Region States that seceded (and when), border states, loyal states
Key Economic Points
1.
2.
3.
4.
Inventions during war lead to growth of mass production: land mines, repeating rifle, boots that fit certain feet (as opposed
to being all the same size), iron clad ships, steam powered warships, and an early submarine
Especially in the North, mass increase in railroads continues to improve transportation infrastructure and is a key Union
advantage
Increased use of the telegraph further enhance communication and news industry
Naval blockade of the South leads to shortages of goods and resources; smuggling and blockade running become major
forms of business