Civil War Essay Questions

1. How did economic and political factors help cause the south to lose the Civil War?
The South’s economic and political inferiority compared to the North, caused it to lose the American Civil War. The North had superior manpower and resources. The Northern Union had a population of 22,000,000 compared to the 9,000,000 of the South. Furthermore, of those nine million, 3,500,000 were slaves whom the South would not arm due to the fear of slave revolt. The greater population of the North allowed them to have a greater body from which to draw their armies (despite the fact that enlistment percentage was lower in the North than the South). In fact, in 164 the government faced such a critical manpower shortage that it began drafting men as young as 17 and as old as 50. In addition, the Union controlled most the resources of the United States. Northern monopolized industries allowed the Union to become fully self-sufficient and manufacture its own supplies. The Confederacy, on the other hand, had few industrial outputs and had to therefore rely on foreign imports. The transportation systems within the North also surpassed those of the South. There was two times more railroad track, more canals, and better roads in the North. The lack of efficient transportation within the South hampered the Confederate army’s ability to mobilize quickly and obtain supplies. The fewer shipyards of the South also hindered its ability to transport and receive goods.

Economic factors also worked against the South. The Confederacy worked off the doctrine of individual States’ Rights, which often times interfered with the greater good of the Confederacy. An example of this is Joseph Brown (Georgia) and Zebulon M. Vance’s (North Carolina) hoarding of supplies for their own troops. Other examples include Davis’ inability to impose martial law, suspend habeas corpus, and conscription. President Davis’s leadership was also somewhat lacking. Although he was an able administrator he rarely provided genuinely national leadership. Such economic and political factors lead to the inevitable defeat of the South.

2. What was the turning point for the Union army in the Civil War?
July of 1863 marked the turning point for the Union in the Civil war. Just days apart from one another, the Confederacy was defeated at Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi was important because it controlled the Mississippi River. Without having control of it, the Confederacy was divided and unable to supply Texas and Arkansas. This diminished the war effort in the eastern United States. Vicksburg was the key to the success of the North, and when it was surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863 the Confederacy began is plummet.

July 3, 1863 marked Robert E. Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg. It was the first major defeat suffered by General Lee. The battle was also the only time the Confederacy was able to gather such a number of troops and make an attack on the North. Gettysburg severely weakened Southern forces and destroyed their morale. The combination of the defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg set the stage for a declining war effort from the south and the future end at Appomattox Court House.

3. Explain why and how the North won the war. Include people, places, dates, resources, and technology.
The North’s superior manpower, resources, and leadership caused it to win the Civil War. The Northern Union had a population of 22,000,000 compared to the 9,000,000 of the South. Furthermore, of those nine million, 3,500,000 were slaves whom the South would not arm due to the fear of slave revolt. The greater population of the North allowed them to have a greater body from which to draw their armies (despite the fact that enlistment percentage was lower in the North than the South). In fact, in 164 the government faced such a critical manpower shortage that it began drafting men as young as 17 and as old as 50. In addition, the Union controlled most the resources of the United States. Northern monopolized industries allowed the Union to become fully self-sufficient and manufacture its own supplies. The Confederacy, on the other hand, had few industrial outputs and had to therefore rely on foreign imports. The transportation systems within the North also surpassed those of the South. There was two times more railroad track, more canals, and better roads in the North. The lack of efficient transportation within the South hampered the Confederate army’s ability to mobilize quickly and obtain supplies. The fewer shipyards of the South also hindered its ability to transport and receive goods.

President Lincoln led the Union resolutely, with his focus on the preservation of the Union. Although he went through several incompetent generals, he finally found success in Ulysses S. Grant. Both Lincoln and granted shared the idea of a war that involved the destruction of resources. Grant’s leadership and the leadership of other important generals resulted in winning many critical battles, specifically, the Confederacy’s defeat at Vicksburg and Gettysburg. The Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi was important because it controlled the Mississippi River. Without having control of it, the Confederacy was divided and unable to supply Texas and Arkansas. This diminished the war effort in the eastern United States. Vicksburg was the key to the success of the North, and when it was surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant on July 4, 1863 the Confederacy began is plummet. July 3, 1863 marked Robert E. Lee’s defeat at Gettysburg. It was the first major defeat suffered by General Lee. The battle was also the only time the Confederacy was able to gather such a number of troops and make an attack on the North. Gettysburg severely weakened Southern forces and destroyed their morale.

The South’s inferior resources and unstable central government caused it to suffer greatly in war. The North’s use of technology, resources, and political power made it a powerful force that led to Union victory in the Civil War.

4. Explain how Lincoln both succeeded and failed as President.
As a President, Abraham Lincoln was both successful and unsuccessful. He helped preserve the Union of the United States by defeating the Confederacy in the Civil War. During the war his strong leadership skills were evident as he was able to mobilize the Northern war effort. Although he had to deal with many incompetent generals, he quickly criticized and removed them, replacing them with better-suited candidates. His appointment of Ulysses S. Grant greatly changed the war and the strength of the Northern military force. Lincoln understood the importance of debilitating the enemy’s resources and thus changed the characteristics of warfare. No longer were the enemy soldiers the target, but also their resources and transportation systems. Lincoln’s leadership was also apparent in foreign affairs, which caused both Britain and France (who may have supported the Confederacy) to remain neutral in the war. Within his own political party he was also able to quell the factions and maintain power. Speeches, such as the Gettysburg address, encouraged the Union and promoted the war effort. His ability to rally public opinion greatly affected the morale and success of the North. Finally, Lincoln also abolished slavery through his Emancipation Proclamation (1863) and the Thirteenth Amendment (1865).

However, Lincoln was unsuccessful in many aspects of his presidency. Firstly, he abused the war powers of presidency, disregarding portions of the Constitution. He sent troops into battle without asking Congress for a declaration of war, increased the size of the regular army without receiving legislative authority to do so, and unilaterally proclaimed a naval blockade of the South. He also went to extraordinary lengths to repress all opposing factions within the Union. He ordered military arrests of civilian dissenters and suspended the right of habeas corpus. In 1862 he proclaimed that all dissidents would be subject to martial law. He overstepped all the bounds of the judicial and legislative branch, defying all efforts to curb his authority to suppress the opposition. In a way Lincoln had defied many of the fundamental principles of the United States.

Chapter 12 Chart

Chapter 12 Study Questions - Antebellum Culture and Reform

1. What does the term antebellum mean? (315-316)

• Antebellum: before war

2. How was the concept of nationalism expressed in American art? (316)

• Portrayed images of the American frontier/landscapes
• Unlike in Europe, “wild” nature still existed in America > America was a nation of greater promise than Old World

3. What is romanticism and how was it expressed in the United States? (316)

• Romanism: belief that within every individual resides an innately good spirit and that society should attempt to liberate the human spirit
• Expressed in: literature, philosophy, art, politics, economics

4. What does Brinkley mean by the phrase, “The Quest for Liberation”? (316)

• Create distinctly American literature
• Find ways of self expression through writing = romanticism
• Writing that characterized the spirit of individualism (Whitman)

5. What is transcendentalism and who were the transcendentalists? (318-319)

• Transcendentalism: idea that in determining the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, and other important matters, one must transcend, or go beyond, everyday human experience in the physical world
• Liberation of “understanding”(intellect as used by society) and cultivation of “reason” (individual’s innate capacity to grasp beauty and truth through giving full expression to the instincts and emotions)
• Transcendentalists: New Eng. Writers and philosophers
• Ralph Waldo Emmerson
• Henry David Thoreau

6. Explain the concept of utopia and how this idea was important in early America. (319-320)

• Utopia: a more perfect society; full opportunity for self-realization
• Brook Farm (1841-1847): most famous 19th cen. Experiment of communal living
• Leisure = good, opportunity for self realization
• Manual labor bridged gate btw world of intellect and learning
• Gave way to a form of socialism > residents = disenchanted
• Vision inspired and enchanted Americans

7. List the characteristics of both the Shakers and Mormons. (321-322)

• Shakers
• Founded by “Mother” Ann Lee (1770s)
• Commitment to complete celibacy
• Women > Men
• Lived in conditions with limited opposite gender contact
• Endorsed idea of sexual equality
• Male or Female God
• Women exercised most power
• Create society separate and protected from chaos and disorder of Amer. life
• Mormons
• Founded by Joseph Smith
• 1830 Book of Mormon
• Ancient & successful civilization in Amer > natives = remnants
• 1831 small group of believers search for sanctuary for now community of “saints” (New Jerusalem”
• Polygamy
• Belief in human perfectibility
• Did NOT embrace doctrine of individual liberty
• Centrally directed social structure
• Structure of family
• Baptism ceremony in the name of a deceased ancestor
• Interest in genealogy
• Men and women who felt displaced in rapidly changing society
• 1844 Smith arrested, killed by mob in jail
• Establishment of Salt Lake City (Brigham Young)

8. Why was Joseph Smith and his followers forced to leave the areas they tried to settle? (321)

• Persecution from surrounding communities suspicious of their radical religious doctrines (polygamy)

9. Who was Brigham Young and what did he do? (321-322)

• Smith’s successor
• Establishment of Salt Lake

10. Explain Protestant revivalism. (323)

• Began w/ 2nd Great Awaking and evolved into a powerful force for social reform
• Belief that very individual was capable of salvation
• People came to believe that every individual was capable of salvation (and a revival of faith could come from individuals, not necessarily god)

11. What is Finney's Doctrine of Personal Regeneration? (323)

• Rochester, NY: Charles Grandison Finney staged a series of emotionally wrenching religious meetings that aroused a large segment of the community; call for crusade against personal immorality

12. Define temperance and explain why it was an issue in early America. (323-324)

• Temperance: abstinence from alcohol
• Responsible for crime, disorder and poverty
• Supply & appetite of alcohol growing rapidly
• American Society for the Promotion of Temperance
• Cultural Divisions over Alcohol (Protestants vs. Catholics)

13. What is cholera and why was it a problem? (324-325)

• Cholera: severe bacterial infection of the intestines, usually a result of consuming contaminated food or water
• Fewer than half of afflicted survived, thousands died during outbreaks

14. Define phrenology and its impact on American ideas for improving society. (325-326)

• Phrenology: shape on individual's skull was an important indicator of character and intelligence
• Thought it provided way of measuring an individual’s fitness for various positions in life and seemed to promise an end to the arbitrary process by which people matched their talents to occupations and responsibilities

15. Make a list of improvements in medicine. (326)

• Smallpox vaccination – Edward Jenner
• Anesthetics – William Morton
• Discovery of Contagion – Oliver Wendell Homes

16. Make a list of educational reforms. (326-327)

• Lengthened academic year to six months
• Doubled teachers’ salaries
• Enriched the curriculum
• Introduced new methods of professional training for teachers
• Building of new schools
• Creation of teachers’ colleges
• New groups of children had access to education

17. What was the Asylum Movement? (327)

• Advocated prison and hospital reform
• New penitentiaries and mental institutions designed to provide a proper environment for inmates
• Imprisonment of debtors and paupers gradually disappeared as well as hangings
• Attempt to reform and rehabilitate the inmates

18. Explain the new “reform” approach to the problems of Native Americans. (328)

• Reservations: idea of creating an enclosed region in which Indians would live in isolation from white society
• Moved natives out of good lands that whites wanted
• Could learn ways of civilization in protected setting

19. What is feminism and why was it important to early America? (329)

• Feminism: avocation of equal female rights and sexual equality
• Challenged previous social structure
• Socialist ideas incorporated into society

20. What happened at Seneca Falls? (329)

• Mott, Stanton, Anthony & Co, organized a conventions in Seneca Falls NY (1848) to discuss the question of women’s rights
• “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” – women = men
• Demand for women’s suffrage

21. Create a chart that shows the ways that shows the successes and failures of the abolitionist movement. (330-336)
23. What was the Amistad case? (336)

• 1839 Africans destined for slavery in Cuba seized the ship from crew and tired to return to Africa
• John Quincy Adams argued on behalf of Abolitionists at Supreme Court
• Court declared Africans free in 1841

22. How did the abolitionist movement galvanize the northern states and also contribute to the growing schism between the north and south states? (330-336)

• many reforms succeeded at the state level in the Northern/Western states but had little impact on many areas of the South
• Northerners worked to perfect their own society through change; southerners committed to tradition
• South depended on slaves for agricultural economy; North = not dependent upon slaves
• South --> alarmed to see northern reformers join forces to support antislavery movement; viewed social reform as a northern conspiracy against the southern way of life

Chapter 11 Study Questions - Cotton, Slavery, and the Old South

1. List the crops that were grown in the southern United States. (294)

• Sugar
• Rice
• Tobacco
• Cotton
• Wheat

2. Why was cotton in so much demand and how did this demand affect agriculture in the south? (294-295)

• Demand
• Growth of textile industry in Britain (1820s-1830s) and New England (1840s-1850s)
• Decline of Tobacco Economy
• Short-Staple Cotton: hardier coarser cotton successful in many climates
• Effects
• “Cotton is King” – cotton = 2/3 of export trade; $200 million a year
• “Cotton Kingdom” = deep South
• Rush to this area, prospect of huge profits
• Expansion of Slavery

3. Explain the relationship between the expansion of cotton production and the expansion of slavery. (295)

• Expansion of Slavery: slaves accompanied masters, migrated themselves, or sold to planters already there-
• Sale of slaves to South W became an important economic activity in the upper South crops
• Helped the troubled planters compensate for the declining value of crops

4. List the reasons why the south did not develop as much industry as the north. (295-298)

• Industry remained an insignificant force in comparison with the agricultural economy
• Weak Manufacturing sector: served needs of plantation economy
• Inadequate Regional Transportation System
• No canals
• Crude unsuitable roads
• Railroads did not connect regions
• Economic Subordination to North

5. What was De Bow's Review and why was it significant? (297-298)

• De Bow’s Review (1846) : James B. D. De Bow (New Orleans) published magazine
• Advocated southern commercial and agricultural expansion
• Stressed southern economic independence for the North
• Warned about constant dangers of “colonial” relationships btw sections
• Evidence of the dependency of the South on the North
• Printed in New York (New Orleans = inadequate facilities)
• Filled with northern manufacturing advertisements
• Northern publications > southern publications

6. Make a chart that lists the characteristics and ideals of the southern planter class compared to the plain folk of the south. (298-303)


7. Why is slavery called that “peculiar institution”? (303)

• Slavery was a special distinction of South
• Few places were slavery still existed
• Isolated South from rest of Amer. society
• As isolation ^ -> commitment to defend institution ^
• Isolated blacks from whites -> racial line

8. Explain the laws and restrictions regarding slavery. (303-304)

• Slavery was an institution establish and regulated in detail by law
• Slave codes
• Forbade slaves to own property
• Forbade slaves to leave masters’ premises w/o permission
• Forbade slaves to be out after dark
• Forbade slaves to congregate w/ other slaves (excluding church)
• Forbade slaves to carry firearms
• Forbade slaves to strike white person (even in self defense)
• Whites prohibited to teach slaves to read & write
• Denied slaves right to testify in court against white people
• No provisions to legalize slave marriage/divorce
• Not crime if white killed slave
• Slaves faced death penalty for killing/resisting white or inciting revolt
• Anyone w/ African ancestry defined as Black
• Enforcement of codes spotty and uneven

9. What was life like for plantation slaves in the United States? (304-307)

• Generally received enough necessities to live & work
• Adequate diet (cornmeal, salt pork, molasses)
• Cheap clothing & shoes
• Lived in crude cabins (slave quarters)
• Plantation mistress or Dr. provided some medical care
• Slave women could be “healers” & midwives
• Worked hard
• Light tasks as children
• Longest workdays during harvest
• Slave women – cooking, cleaning, child rearing
• High Slave Mortality Rates
• Enforced poverty
• Less healthy than whites
• Economic incentives to maintain healthy slave pop.
• House slaves
• Lived close to master & family
• Easier jobs
• Often resented isolation from other slaves
• Lack of privacy (transgressions more visible>more punishments)
• Females vulnerable to sexual abuse

10. Explain what life was like for urban slaves. (307)

• Master could not supervised slave closely
• Gained numerous opportunities to mingle w/ free blacks & whites
• Line btw slavery and freedom became increasingly indistinct
• Worked in mining, lumbering, construction, wagon driving, textile mills, carpentry, blacksmith, unskilled jobs
• Black women > Black men (slaves owners sold off males in fear of conspiracy)
• Slavery in cities declining; Forced Segregation of urban blacks (free & slave)
• Means of social control intended to make up for loosening discipline of slavery in urban areas

11. What were “free African Americans” and how did slavery affect their lives? (307-308)

• Free African Americans:
• Slaves who earned $ to buy freedom -> developed a skill
• Set free by master w/ moral qualms about slavery
• Set free by master’s will after death
• Tightened Restrictions on Free Blacks after Nat Turner’s revolt
• Feared that unsupervised by whites, free blacks might generate more violence and rebellion than slaves
• Community of free blacks in southern cities becoming larger & more threatening
• Rise of abolitionist agitation in North
• New laws made it nearly impossible for owners to free slaves (manumit)
• All southern states restricted free African Americans from entering
• Few free black slaves attained wealth and prominence
• Most free blacks lived in poverty (quasi-free)

12. How did the domestic and foreign slave trade operate? (308)

• Domestic
• Professional slave traders
• Transported over long distances by train, river, ocean steamers
• Transported over short distances by foot along highways
• Arrived at central market; purchasers gather to bid
• Essential to growth and prosperity of whole system
• Dehumanized all who were involved
• Separated families
• Foreign
• As bad or worse as domestic slave trade
• Federal law prohibited importation of slaves (1808)
• Smuggled slaves
• Delegates from upper south (profited from domestic trade) opposed foreign comp.

13. Make a list of the reasons and methods of slave resistance. (308-310)

• Reasons
• Yearned for freedom
• Unhappy w/ slavery conditions
• Methods (combination of adaptation & resistance)
• 1) “Sambo” – deferential slave who acted out the role that recognized the white world expected of him (façade)
• 2) Slave rebel – African Amer. Who could not bring self to either acceptance or accommodation, remained forever rebellious
• Running away
• Refusal to work hard
• Isolated acts of sabotage
• Slave religion, language, music

12. List the causes and outcomes of the slave rebellions. (309-310)

• Prosser Rebellion (1800): Gabriel Prosser gather 100 rebellious slaves outside of Richmond
• 2 Africans gave away plot
• Virginia militia stopped uprising before it could begin
• Prosser & 35 others executed
• 1822 Denmark Vesey and 9000 followers prepared for revolt
• word leaked out
• suppression and retribution
• Turner Rebellion (1831): Nat Turner led band of armed Af. Amer. In Southampton County, VA
• Went from house to house; killed 60
• Overpowered by state and federal troops
• 100+ executed
• Fear of slave conspiracies and renewed violence pervaded as long as slavery lasted

13. Explain the ways that slaves developed their own culture and how this culture enabled them to sustain a sense of racial pride and unity. Include ideas about language, music, and religion. (310-311)

• Language
• Retained own language(incorporating African speech patterns into Eng)
• Simple common language – Pidgin

• Music
• Important in slave society
• Relied on rhythm, accompanied w/ dance, sang in fields
• Emotionally rich and politically challenging music made in religious services
• Expressed religious faith, expressed hope for freedom
• Religion
• Own version of Christianity w/ Af. Practices
• Prayer meetings = fervent chanting, exclamations, conversion experiences
• Joyful and affirming
• Emphasized dream of freedom and deliverance

14. List the characteristics and challenges of family life for slaves. (312)

• Characteristics
• Black women began bearing children earlier
• Slave communities did not condemn premarital pregnancy
• Couples would live together before marriage
• Marriage ceremony after conceiving child
• Strong family ties
• Kinship networks: compensated for separated families, “adopted”
• Harsh paternal relationship between slaves and masters
• Challenges
• Legal restrictions
• No legal marriage
• Separated from families
• Paternal Nature of Slavery = instrument of white control

Chapter 10 Study Questions: America’s Economic Revolution

1. List reasons why the Us. population increased from 1820-1840. (260-261)

2. Explain the rise in immigration from 1840-1860. (260-261)

3. Define Nativism and explain its significance. (263)

4. Describe the membership and platform (political ideas) of the Native-American and Know Nothings political parties. (264-265)

5. How are canals constructed and how do they function? (266-267)

6. Understand the when, where, how, why of the Erie Canal? (267)

7. Describe the features of early railroads. (268-269)

8. What factors enabled railroads to become the preferred mode of transportation. (269-270)

9. Explain the invention of the telegraph. Understand why this was significant. (270)

10. Define the concepts of “market economy” and “corporation.” (271-270)

11. When and where did the first major factories emerge in the United States? What is the significance of their locations? (272-273)

12. What is merchant capitalism and why did it decline in the middle of the 1800s? (274)

13. Explain how early factories found workers. (275-276)

• (1820s-1830s) factory labor from native population
• (1840s) Immigrant population = new source of labor/workers
• 2 Systems of Recruitment
• 1) Brought whole families to mill (Mid-Atlantic)
• 2) Lowell/Waltham system: enlisted young women (Massachusetts)
• Relied on young unmarried women

14. What was the Lowell System and what happened to it? (276-277)

• Lowell System: enlisted primarily young unmarried women to work in factories
• Lived in clean boardinghouses and dormitories
• Fed and carefully supervised
• Strict curfews & regular church attendance; dismissed women w/ immoral conduct
• Wages low but generous by standards of the time
• Decline: difficult to maintain high living standards & working conditions
• Wages declined, hours lengthened, conditions worse, overcrowding ^
• Mill girls moving to other jobs: teaching, domestic, marriage
• Manufactures turning to immigrant labor
• Factory Girls Association (1834): strikes
• Female Labor Reform Association (Sarah Bagley)

14. Describe the emergence of trade unions. (277-278)

• (19th century) craftsmen form organizations against competition of industrial capitalists
• Philly, Baltimore, Boston, NY: skilled workers of each craft formed societies for mutual aid
• (1820s-1830s) Craft societies combine to from trade union
• National Trades’ Union (1834)- founded by delegates from 6 cities
• Early unions fared poorly; Panic of 1837 > weakened movement
• Early failure did not end workers efforts to gain control over productive lives
• Commonwealth v. Hunt: unions were lawful organizations and that strike = lawful weapon

15. Explain how the industrialization of the United States led to the formation of a “rich get richer and the poor get poorer” society. (279-280)

• Industrial Revolution -> ^ $, making society more unequal, changing social relationships
• Increasing Inequality in Wealth
• Ave. Amer. Income increase; unequally distributed
• Slaves, Indians, landless farmers, unskilled workers did not share $$ increase
• More pronounced wealthy vs. poor class
• Urban Poor
• Significant population of destitute people emerging in urban centers
• W/O resources, homeless, depended on charity/crime
• Immigrants (Irish), widows, orphans, alcoholics, mentally ill, Free Blacks

16. Describe the emergence of an American middle class. (281)

• Result of the growth of the industrial economy and increasing commercial life
• Economic development > own/work in business/shops, engage in trade, enter professions, administer organizations
• Commerce and Industry = source of $$; people = prosperous w/o owning land
• Growing class distinctions btw workers/artisans and middle class

17. What was the “Cult of Domesticity”? (283-284)

• Women as guardians of the “domestic virtues”
• Occupied their own separate sphere
• Home shaped by women
• Duty to provide religious and moral instruction
• Benefits
• Live in greater material comfort
• Higher value on “female virtues”
• High vale on role as wife and mother

• Costs
• Detached from public world
• Fewer outlets for interests and energies

18. Who was P.T. Barnum? (288)

• P.T. Barnum: unscrupulous showman who opened the American Museum in New York (1842)
• Great freak show (midgets, Siamese twins, magicians, ventriloquists)
• Drew people to museum through engaging lectures (appealed to young women)
• Pioneer in exploiting public taste for wild & exotic
• (1870s) Launched Circus

19. An important theme in how the United States grew and developed as a nation is the differences between industrial and agricultural life in the north and the primarily agricultural south. Read the end of chapter 10 (288-290) to understand the agriculture and industry of the north as well as the characteristics of urban and rural life in the north. (Chapter 11 is more about life in the south)

• Industrialization boosted agriculture
• Domestic market for farm goods ^
• North W. sold most of products to North E. (vice versa)
• Strengthened ties btw N.E. and N.W.
• Isolation of the South within the Union
• Gap between the North and South