Ch. 20 Notes PDF

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Notes from Chapter 20...

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The Menace of Secession   

Secession raided too many questions: how much of the national debt would the south take, would the south get any federal territories? In Lincoln’s inaugural address, he said war would not happen unless the south provoked the Union. European nations hoped for further fragmentation, a weaker U.S. meant that no one would enforce the Monroe Doctrine.

South Carolina Assails Fort Sumter  

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War broke out due to the southern states seizing federal arsenals. o As the states seceded, they took the federal arsenals in those states. Fort Sumter was only one of two forts that still flew the Union flag. o Rations would only last a couple of weeks, so Lincoln sent in supplies. o Even though Lincoln notified South Carolina that provisions would be sent in, they still saw it as military reinforcements. South Carolina assaulted Fort Sumter with cannon fire on April 2nd 1861. No men died, but war had started. o Lincoln called for military draft. This aroused Southern battle spirit just like Fort Sumter did with the North. o 4 more states joined confederacy: Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

Brothers’ Blood and Border Blood 

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Only 4 slave states remained loyal to the union: Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. o Lincoln did everything in his power to keep the border states loyal.  Declared martial law in Maryland and deployed union troops in Missouri and Kentucky. Again, and again, Lincoln emphasized that he wasn’t fighting for slavery, he was fighting for the Union. Native Americans fought with the Confederacy because the South agreed to pay off their federal debts. Civil War was known as a Brothers’ war: Crittenden fathered two sons, both were generals, but one fought for the north and the other for the south. Lincoln’s wife from Kentucky had brothers who fought for the south.

The Balance of Forces  

South did not have to win the war to accomplish their agenda, they just had to fend off the north. North had the economic, material, and manpower advantage. They also controlled the sea. The south had great leadership in their military. o South lacked manufacturing power and transportation infrastructure.

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As the war dragged on, the North’s superior economy allowed them to win the war. o Southern troops lost morale as their living conditions deteriorated to an unbelievable state. o North used their navy to create a blockade that further damaged the southern troops’ available supplies. North had connections to Europe which gave it additional manufacturing power.

Dethroning King Cotton 

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Most successful revolutions only succeed because of foreign intervention. The South did not have any. o European aristocrats supported the south’s aristocratic hierarchical social system but the masses of Europe supported the North. Britain relied on southern cotton for textile industry, however, in the past few years, Britain had amassed a large storage of cotton. o As the north pushed southwards, they sent cotton that they captured to England. o Also, Britain suffered a bad grain harvest, and relied on the North for their grain shipments. King Cotton had failed the South.

The Decisiveness of Diplomacy  

South dreamt of foreign intervention and Europe schemed to take advantage of the U.S. First major crisis with Britain was the Trent Affair in 1861. o A Union ship stopped a British mail steamer, the Trent, and forcible removed 2 confederate diplomates bound for Europe. o Britons were outraged and war preparation began.  Tensions eased when Lincoln released the 2 confederate diplomats.

Foreign Flare-ups 

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Laird rams – 2 confederate warships being constructed in John Laird’s shipyard in Britain. o If these two ships were delivered, they would have likely destroyed the Union blockade and caused war between the North and England, but England saw this and bought the two ships from the Confederacy. France, under Napoleon III, sought to take advantage of the situation and dispatched their army to occupy Mexico City, a blatant breach of the Monroe Doctrine. o The U.S. feebly sent resources to Mexico to help fend off the French. Napoleon III quickly withdrew after a while.

President Davis Versus President Lincoln 

Confederate Constitution had many weaknesses. Davis had trouble making southern troops fight outside of their home states. o Nothing stopped the southern states from seceding from the confederacy.

o New confederate government lacked the financial and political stability the North had. Limitations on Wartime Liberties 

Lincoln violated Constitutional powers given to the President in an effort to keep the Union together. 1. Created a blockade. Only Congress is authorized to do this, but Lincoln gave himself the power to administer one. 2. He arbitrarily increased size of the military. Only Congress is supposed to do this. 3. He directed the secretary of Treasury to advance $2 million to 2 private citizens for military purposes. 4. He suspended the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus, so anti-unionists might be summarily arrested. a. Only congress can suspend safeguards of habeas corpus.

Volunteers and Draftees: North vs South 

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Northern states were first manned by volunteers. Different states were assigned a quota. o Later, Congress had to establish a military draft.  Vastly unfair to the poor.  You could pay a $300 exemption fee. Only the rich could afford this. The New York draft riots protested the drafts. o Masses of underprivileged, mostly anti-black Irish Americans, put New York at the mercy of the mob. Like the North, the South also originally relied on volunteers, but then had to resort to military drafts. o As with the North, the rich were better off. They could hire a substitute. These unfair drafts were why the Civil War was known as a “rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight”.

The Economic Stresses of War 

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The North’s superior financial power allowed it to absorb the financial stressors better than the south. o A low, income tax was levied on citizens for the first time, excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol were substantially increased. The National Banking System was a financial landmark of the war. o Banks who joined the National Banking system could buy government bonds and issue sound paper money backed them. o First significant step towards a unified banking network since 1836, when Andrew Jackson killed off the B.U.S. For the south, money was a huge problem.

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o As revenue began to dry up, the southern government was forced to print bluebacked money.  Inflation skyrocketed. Overall, the war inflicted a total of 9000% inflation on the south and 80% on the North.

The North’s Economic Boom    

New factories, sheltered by the protective tariffs, mushroomed forth. Manufacturers and business people raked in the “fortunes of war”. Discovery of petroleum in PA ushered in the “Fifty-Niners”. o Homestead Act of 1862 encouraged migration to these new frontiers. Civil War opened up opportunities for women. Women took the jobs of men during war. o America’s first female physician, Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, helped organize the U.S. Sanitary Commission to assist the Union Armies on the field.  The Commission rained and equipped nurses.

A Crushed Cotton Kingdom  

Before the war, south was responsible for 30% of national wealth. After the war, they were only responsible for 12% of it. At the end of the war, the North conquered the South, and imposed the Industrial Revolution throughout the United States. o Cotton capitalism lost to industrial capitalism....