HST 202 Lecture Notes
The Civil War II
The Civil War: Battlefields
4/15/13
This class discusses the Civil War from the view of how it fits into the ideas of sectionalism, national expansion,
and daily lives. Slavery, in particular, affected everyone in a unique way.
PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION:
Election of 1860:
o 4 candidates, but only 2 were supported by each region
Northern candidates:
Republican
Northern Democrat
Southern candidates:
Constitutional Unionist
Southern Democrat
o Sectionalism between the north and south made a candidate’s stance on slavery determine who
would vote for you
North – Anti-slavery
South – Pro-slavery
o Lincoln (Northern candidate) won because the south was so divided
Disagreement among the Union
o Secession: Leaving the Union
o South Carolina seceded on Dec. 20, 1860 (Lincoln had not even been inaugurated) followed by
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas in January of 1861
o Remaining states disagreed among themselves
o Abolitionist states still had a great deal of racism both in laws and society – the Free Soil Party
was more concerned for lower class whites than slaves, immigrants, or natives
Lincoln’s Inaugural Address:
o January 1861
o Initially supported unity and Free Soil ideas by calling secession “the essence of anarchy”
o Did not want war over slavery because he knew it would cause him to lose support
THE WAR:
Fort Sumter:
o April 12, 1861
o Confederates sent troops to stop a possible invasion from the north at the port of Charleston, NC
o Beauregard (Confederate) took over federal fort and fired on American troops
o Effectively started the Civil War with the first official act of violent rebellion
o Lincoln called for states to send militiamen in response
Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Missouri refused
Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Arkansas secede
West Virginia was formed because they did not want to secede with Virginia
Early Views and Strategies of the War:
o Both sides started optimistic
o South
Wanted total war and total destruction of the north
Strategized to blockade and stop an invasion
o North
More
Less
