Essential Info on The Civil War
After the War of 1812 and on into the mid1800’s, sectionalism grew and a divide began
to occur between the northern states and the
southern slave states. The northern states,
called the Union, included the states north of
Virginia and west across the territories to
California. The southern states, called the
Confederate States, included Virginia and
states south to Florida and west to Texas. The
border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland,
and Delaware had legalized slavery, but
remained with the Union.
Conflict between the North and the South included disagreements about
tariffs, expansion of slavery into the western territories, and debate over the
states’ rights. The Dred Scott case of 1857 added to the rising tension
between Union states that were anti-slavery and Confederate states that were proslavery. Because the agricultural economy of the South depended largely on slave labor,
slavery was very important and a main reason most southern states decided to secede from the
Union after Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
People in the Southern states were afraid that President Lincoln would abolish slavery. As a result they decided to secede
and make a new nation called the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as its president. Lincoln felt it was
important that all the states stay united as one nation and that if the southern states did not comply, force would be used
against the Confederacy. To show a commitment to his plan, Lincoln sent supplies to Ft. Sumter, a Union fort in South
Carolina. The Confederacy felt this was an invasion of southern territory and attacked the federal forces at Ft. Sumter in
April 1861. The Civil War had begun.
Many battles took place across the Union and Confederate states throughout the years of 1861-1865. Significant ones
included the first major confrontation between the two armies at the Battle of Bull Run in Manassas, Virginia which showed
the troops inexperience on both sides. The Battle of Antietam in Maryland in 1862 was the deadliest in our country’s history
with over 20,000 casualties. It was after this battle that President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which
freed slaves in rebelling states. The turning point of the war was the Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania. This battle took
place over three days in 1863 and was a devastating loss for the Confederacy. In 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee
surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. The Union states had won the war
and Lincoln’s goal of keeping America united was accomplished.
One important result of the war was the abolishment of slavery through the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. This
meant southern states no longer had slaves as part of the workforce. Farms, towns, and cities suffered great losses from the
war and the South’s economy greatly declined. In contrast, the Northern states and the Midwest territories built strong,
industrial economies that helped strengthen the nation and increased movement of settlers to the West.
Review Questions
Vocabulary
1. Tariff: a tax on an import or export
1. What were some of the differences between the North & the South?
2. States’ rights: control of states vs.
control of federal government
2. How did the Dred Scott case contribute to tension between the North
and South?
3. Dred Scott – Supreme Court case
that ruled that slaves were property
with no rights
4. Secede: to leave or withdraw from
5. Abolish: to put an end to
6. Emancipation Proclamation: the
law that gave slaves freedom
3. Why did Southern states secede from the Union?
4. Where did the Civil War begin?
a. Antietam
b. Ft. Sumter
c. Manassas
d. Gettysburg
5. Why was the Battle of Gettysburg the turning point in the war?
6. The Emancipation Proclamation freed –
a. All slaves
b. Slaves in the North
c. Slaves in rebelling states
d. Slaves fighting for the Union army
7. What was significant about what happened at Appomattox Court House?
8. How were the North, Midwest, and the South affected by the war?
7. 13th Amendment: permanently
ended slavery in America