New President and A New Nation NOTES 2

TO TELL THE TRUTH

There were many causes of the Civil War. …. But the main causes were slavery, the rights of individual states and Sectionalism Sectionalism: Happens when people favor the interests of a region over the interest of a country as a whole. 14

All this tension came to a head in the election of 1860. Lincoln, who represented the new Republican Party and was opposed to the continued spread of slavery, was easily elected even though no southern states voted for him. 15

Due to its large population, the North had no trouble winning the national election. 16

Southern states felt like they no longer had a voice in the union and so they seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. 17

Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter

Southern forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina and this began the Civil War. 18

After the South withdrew from the union, President Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to fight against the south. 19

Both the North and South thought the war would be over quickly. “Get your popcorn ready… We’re gonna have ourselves a WAR!” 20

Let the War begin…