“ The Greeks did not understand each other any longer, though they spoke the same language” Thucydides

Lincoln Conciliatory toward the south in his inaugural address. He had no intention to interfere with slavery where it existed, but he would preserve the Union.

There would be no war unless the south started it, the north did not want to be viewed as the aggressor

Southern states seized federal forts and arsenals.

1861- South Carolina seized Fort Sumter, by April 1861 they needed food and supplies and Lincoln notified the government of South Carolina that he was sending supplies.

Confederates were suspicious of his motives and they wanted the total surrender of the fort. They began to fire on the fort and Lincoln declared this an act of war

April 15 Lincoln asked for 75,000 Union troops to fight against the confederacy

The Confederacy began to raise troops and Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina left the Union

Both sides predicted a short war…..

Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware and later West Virginia

Huge strategic prize in population and manufacturing capacity

KY and WVA strategic because of Ohio River

Maryland- Lincoln sent in troops and declared martial law

To keep border states on side of Union Lincoln would not declare publicly he was fighting to free slaves

Indian Territory- Five Civilized tribes fought on side of Confederacy because many owned slaves

War became “brothers war” in many families

Foreign Policy Europe’s ruling classes sympathetic

to Southern cause (agreed with southern social order)

So why did King Cotton diplomacy fail them?

Enormous cotton exports of late 1850’s, caused oversupply of fiber

Hoped for “cotton famine” never happened,

Union supplied Britain through captured cotton, British turned to India and Egypt for cotton production

Northern states supplied England with corn and wheat

Problems with Confederate Government

Confederate government wrote Constitution similar to US Constitution, except it protected slavery

Fatal weakness in Confederate government was tension between Southern idea of state’s rights vs. the need for a strong central government

Union Government During Wartime North had an established and

internationally recognized government

Lincoln did suspend some freedoms protected by the Constitution

Congress not in session when war started, Lincoln proclaimed blockade and increased size of army

Suspended habeas corpus (jailing somebody without telling them of crime) so anti-Union sentiment could be controlled

“Supervised” voting in the border states, suspended the pres

Volunteers and Draftees

When war first started volunteers filled ranks, by 1863 pace had dropped off and Union Army began to draft soldiers

Many were immigrants, poor Wealthy could pay substitute to

go in their place 1863 draft riots in NYC South had fewer men to draw

from and needed manpower more quickly, rich could also buy their way out of service

Deserters problem in both armies

War Economy North customs fees and tariff fees major sources of

revenue Without southern opposition Morrill Tariff Act passed (1861),

tariffs raised Money backed by nations credit, not gold (money called

greenbacks) Bonds sold to finance war National Banking System established to back bonds and provide

sound credit (existed until 1913) South had customs duties choked off because of

blockade Had to increase taxes, resisted by states righter's Government printed money was worthless, inflation was a huge

problem Confederate government had little international credit or

revenue stream South had 30% of national wealth in 1860, 12% ten years later South experienced food and material shortages during the war Many southerners turned to stealing from northern army and

blockade running to supply basic necessities

War Economy Wartime prosperity for north Protective tariffs, need for

war time goods stoked manufacturing

Many speculators profited from war

Lack of labor caused innovation, made factories more efficient

Westward settlement kept growing, Homestead Act 1862

New opportunities for women due to labor shortage in factories

Fighting the War The Civil War was the first

modern war. New technologies and devices mobilized men and materials- railroad transport, artillery, repeating rifles, ironclad ships, telegraph, trenches, wire entanglements were all battlefield devices used for the first time

Photography brought the war to others not involved in fighting living far away

Brought violence and life of war home

War Turns for the North

Anaconda Plan gradually began to work and the Union began to make progress in the western part of the Confederacy by late 1862. They began to cut supply lines, destroy crops and rail lines.

The first major blow to the south occurred at Antietam in Maryland in 1862

By the beginning of 1863 the north was beginning to use its advantages of men and materials to defeat the Confederacy

War Turns for the North Lee took tried to take the war to the

north in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in July of 1863. He was defeated and retreated south.

Ulysses Grant was named commander of Union forces in 1864 and he began to purse Lee until he was defeated

Union General William T. Sherman led 60,000 troops on a march through Georgia and South Carolina in the fall of 1864.

400 mile “march to the sea” used a strategy called total war - targeted troops, support and supplies needed to feed, clothe and support the army.

Troops burned crops, destroyed railroad tracks, homes and plantations. They burned the city of Atlanta in the fall of 1864

By the spring of 1865 the south was exhausted and Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox courthouse April 9, 1865

Emancipation Proclamation When the war began Lincoln did not think he had the

authority to abolish slavery- his chief goal was to preserve the Union

In the fall of 1862 after the Battle of Antietam he decided the time was right to issue the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves

January 1, 1863 all slaves in the south were declared free.

It did not apply to free states or areas of the south already under federal control (to keep border states happy)

Union army began to actively recruit former slaves to join their cause

This changed the nature of the Civil War from something to preserve the Union and redefined it as to being about slavery, gave war a moral tone

Removed any chance of negotiated settlement to war

Politics of War 1864 presidential election fell in the

midst of war Many Northerners did not support

Lincoln Resented expansion of presidential

power and the war itself Democrats against the war

(Copperheads) obstructed the war efforts in Congress

Election of 1864 between Lincoln (R) and George McClellan (D)

Lincoln choose Andrew Johnson of TN as his running mate to attract war Democrats and border state vote

Lincolns election was secured by a series of Union victories in the months before the election

1865 Five days after Lee’s surrender Lincoln was assassinated at the pinnacle of his fame by a fanatically pro-southern actor John Wilkes Booth

Aftermath 600,000 died; 1 million wounded

or maimed Generation of men lost to war Idea of states’ rights moot Passage of 13th Amendment

officially ended slavery, 14th Amendment guaranteed civil rights

US became a singular nation, not a collection of states

Power of federal government expanded, banking, judicial system more powerful, government expected to protect rights above state powers

Industrial growth kick started because of war effort

National legal, industrial and governmental institutions came out of war

Results of War

1865-1877

Spring 1865 war was over. War that began as a way to preserve the Union, became a war fought for the abolition of slavery. The next twelve years were known as Reconstruction

By the end of 1865 Lincoln had been assassinated, Thirteenth Amendment had been passed guaranteeing the end of slavery

The north had developed economically, the south was devastated, and over the next three decades civil rights and citizenship became redefined

The questions that faced the country were; how would the south be rebuilt? How would liberated blacks fare as free men and women? How would the South be reintegrated into the Union, and who would be in charge of it?

Across the south: most of the fighting occurred in the

there, railroads were destroyed, land values were worthless, labor pool was wiped out, cotton and tobacco production dropped, many southerners left homeless

Southern planters no longer had a voice in politics and many remained defiant towards the “Yankees”

What was the meaning of freedom for the former slaves

Many planters resisted emancipation either through violence or refusing to recognize it until the local government did so

Most were forced to recognize emancipation by the Yankee army of occupation

Freed blacks began to take matters into their own hands, some sought to legalize their marriages, work in towns and cities away from their former masters

Many settled in black communities that offered mutual protection and assistance

Many went north and west 1878-1880 mass exodus to Kansas

(Exodusters)

Church became focus of black community Formed own churches and they grew rapidly Also mutual aid societies were established, helped

blacks protect their newly won freedoms Opportunity to have an education for the first time Purchased land to build schools and hire teachers

Most freed slaves had few skills, no property or money

Did not know how to live like free people To cope with problem Congress creates

Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) Primitive welfare agency- provided food,

clothing, medical care and education to freed slaves and white refugees

Greatest success was education Tried to provide former slaves with 40 ac.

of land, little passed to them and many blacks were tricked into signing labor contracts with their former masters

President Johnson tried repeatedly to kill it and it expired in 1872

Johnson was a self made man from humble beginnings

Used by Lincoln in 1864 to garner votes from war Democrats

Supporter of the Constitution and states’ rights

Not up for job of Reconstruction , supported by nobody

Lincoln believed that south never really left the Union and he wanted to reunite it as quickly as possible

Formal restoration would be simple 1863 came up with 10% Plan-10% of

voters would pledge allegiance to the Union, pledge to abide by emancipation and formally elect a new state government they would be restored to the Union

Many in Congress wanted to punish the South

1864 Wade-Davis Bill required 50% to sign oath of allegiance, stronger safeguards for emancipation

Refused to seat a delegation from Louisiana in that followed Lincoln’s 10% plan

Felt that South had forfeited all rights and were conquered provinces

Minority radical group wanted to uproot social structure and protect freed blacks with federal legislation

Group became known as Radical Republicans

Johnson agreed with Lincoln’s plan and came up with his own plan

Took away right to vote for leading Confederates, and those with property

They could petition him for pardons (which he granted)

States had to call special conventions and ratify 13th Amendment that freed slaves

Last half of 1865 many southern states did reorganize but run by the old regimes

All Republicans became furious

One of the first things the new Southern governments did was pass black codes

Varied in severity from state to state All tried to regulate affairs of freed

blacks and assure a stable and subservient labor force

Work contracts resembled slavery itself Blacks were left out of the political

process Although a few new rights were

recognized (freedomish, marriage) they mocked the idea of emancipation

Freedmen lacked capital, had little to offer except labor

Many blacks and poor landless whites became slaves to soil and creditors and slipped into the status of sharecroppers

This lasted well into the 20th century After the Civil War many in the north

wondered if these people were still being enslaved, had the North really won the war?

December 1865 Congressional delegations from the south came to reclaim their seats, northerners shut them out

Voters across south turned to experienced leaders, many leaders were tainted with association of Confederacy

While war went on Republican leaders had a free hand and passed legislation favorable to the North

Politicians became attached to northern business interests, western farmers and free labor.

Congress passed tariff legislation, financing of a transcontinental railroad, Homestead Act (offered land to settlers that occupied the land for 5 years), Morrill Land Grant Act (provided land for colleges)

Republicans worried that he South would increase power in Congress

Blacks were now counted as a whole person, not 3/5ths of a person

South gained 12 electoral votes, 12 more Congressional members

Republicans feared that they would perpetuate black codes, get rid of Republican economic program

1866 Republicans wanting to keep Johnson in check pass Civil Rights Bill to strike back at the Black Codes

Johnson tried to veto, overturned by Congress

Civil Rights bill became 14th Amendment1. Citizenship to all men regardless of race2. Reduced representation if conditions not met3. Disqualified former Confederates from

federal and state office4. Guaranteed federal debt5. Did not grant the right to vote Issue between Congress and President was

Reconstruction to be carried on with or without 14th Amendment

1866 Congressional elections showed country favored Republican plan

Republicans won a veto proof control of Reconstruction policy in Congress

Radicals opposed rapid restoration of Southern states (led by Thaddeus Stevens and Charles Sumner)

Wanted to transform society and economy of south with federal government

Moderates did not want states to take away rights of A-A’s but did not want federal government involved in people’s everyday lives

Both groups wanted blacks to have the right to vote

1867 Reconstruction Act divides south into 5 military districts controlled by Union general and policed by Union army

Had to ratify 14th Amendment and guarantee suffrage for black men

Purpose was to create electorate that would vote states back into Union and free federal government from direct responsibility of protection of black rights

1870 15th Amendment passed that guaranteed suffrage in the Constitution

Military Reconstruction of the South took away power of president as commander in chief and set up regimes that were possibly unconstitutional

By 1870 all states had met conditions of readmission into the Union

When federal troops left states they swiftly went back to old governments and became solidly Democratic (Redeemers)

Passage of 13th, 14th, 15th Amendments disappointed advocates for women’s rights, many had been abolitionists and viewed the causes as similar

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton actively campaigned against passage of the 14th Amendment

Southern black men began to organize politically

Campaigned and ran for office as Republicans

Union League included educated men, churches and schools represented black grievances in employment and recruited militias to protect black communities

Black and white politicians helped write new state constitutions

Black congressmen were elected to federal and state offices although they were never a majority in any government

State White CitizensFreedme

n

SC 291,000 411,000

MS 353,000 436,000

LA 357,000 350,000

GA 591,000 465,000

AL 596,000 437,000

VA 719,000 533,000

NC 631,000 331,000

Southern conservatives reaction Labeled those that helped

Reconstruction as “carpetbaggers” and “scalawags”

Carpetbaggers from north came south to take advantage of them

Scalawags were southerners that were former Unionists and Whigs

Radical regime rule did make some reforms in education, tax systems, property rights for women and public works, actually rebuilt the South

Graft and corruption was rampant during Reconstruction (all across the country), many freedmen were used a pawns by white politicians

XIII. The Ku Klux Klan Whites resorted to violent means to

protest Union rule Resented success of black

politicians and corruption of government

Formed secret societies, most notorious was KKK formed in 1866

Harassed free blacks and “carpetbaggers”

Congress tries to outlaw this with Force Acts of 1870,1871; was successful in stamping out activities

Work of intimidation was already done though

White resistance continued to undermine attempts to empower free blacks

Literacy tests, poll taxes, intimidation continued to openly flourish across the south for decades

XIV. The Failed Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

Radicals in Congress try to impeach Johnson for his continued obstruction of Reconstruction

Basis was Tenure of Office Act which they claimed Johnson ignored (removed somebody from office without Senate’s consent)

Also had a spy in Executive branch (Edwin Stanton)

1868 House votes to impeach Johnson and case goes to Senate

In Senate they fail to get 2/3 majority Kept alive constitutional mechanism of

checks and balances Impeachment would have destabilized

government and weakened one of the three branches of government

XV. The Purchase of Alaska One of the few successes during

Johnson administration was purchase of Alaska from Russia, although it would not be realized for years

Alaska had become a financial and logistical liability and they did not want it to fall into the hands of the British

Sold it to the US for 7.2 million, for its potential profitability and as a favor to an American ally

The Heritage of Reconstruction Many Southerners were more offended at Reconstruction than the outcome of the war

itself Resented “Yankee” intervention in their social, racial and political affairs Reconstruction happened without a clear plan from the beginning and was a constant

struggle between the executive and legislative branches and of the entrenched white society

Early 1870’s many northerners lost interest in remaking the south, focus was on other political, social, economic issues (western expansion, Indian Wars, Panic of 1873)

Generation of leaders that wanted abolition and change began to pass away. Many racial prejudices in the north began to reemerge. Political scandals brought down Radical Republicans

1871 troops were withdrawn from the south and Republican state governments were replaced with conservative Democrats .

1872 Congress abolished the Freedman’s Bureau Southern Democrats began to discredit African American politicians, former

Confederates were elected to office and many African Americans were denied opportunity to participate fully as citizens.

Americans were united as a nation , federal power became dominant over state power De jure segregation, legal separation of the races became law in all southern states The election of 1876 marked the official end of Reconstruction as part of the Hayes-

Tilden election compromise (Compromise of 1877), all federal troops were pulled out of the south

When troops left Democratic rule returned and many blacks faced harsher discrimination