The American Civil War – Beginnings

Presidential election of 1860  In 1860, Stephan Douglas and Abraham Lincoln ran against each other again, this time for president.  Lincoln had become well known from their debates about slavery.  This time, Lincoln won, becoming the 16th president.

Southern States secede  Lincoln received no support in the South, because they believed Lincoln wanted to end slavery. Since there were so many more people in the North, he won the election anyway.  As soon as Lincoln won the election, the South started to secede. This means the South split from the Union. They no longer wanted to be part of the United States.  Supporters of secession based their arguments on the idea of states’ rights. They had voluntarily joined the union, so they could leave when they wanted.

Confederate States of America  On December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede. They were followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.  The eleven states that had seceded formed the Confederate States of America.  They named Jefferson Davis as president.  They wrote a new Constitution which made slavery legal.

Civil War AA civil war is a war between people of the same country. TT here have been many civil wars, but one of the worst happened in America. TT he American Civil War was fought to keep the South from leaving the Union. SS lavery was the major issue that separated the North from the South.

The Civil War began at Fort Sumter.

 Fort Sumter was in the South, and the Union has a hard time defending the fort.  There were 23 states in the Union (North) at the beginning of the war.  There were 11 states in the Confederacy (South) at the beginning of the war.

North’s Advantages  The North had some major advantages. They had many more people and also had many more factories, which could be used to make weapons.  The Union also had many more miles of railroad tracks.

South’s Advantages  The South’s main advantage was that they were fighting at home.  This would mean that they would be closer to their supplies.  They also would fight harder because they were protecting their homes.

Abraham Lincoln  The president of the Union was Abraham Lincoln, who had been elected in 1860.

Jefferson Davis  The president of the new Confederate States of America or the Confederacy was Jefferson Davis.

Battle of Bull Run  One of the first battles of the war was the Battle of Bull Run.  The North realized after this battle that the war would not be easy and would not be over soon.

New Weapons  Many new weapons were used during the Civil War.  One of these weapons was an ironclad ship. An ironclad ship was a ship with iron plates on it to protect it from cannon fire.

Other new weapons  Deadlier cannons and bullets  More accurate rifles

Battle of Antietam  The first time the Confederacy invaded Northern territory was the Battle of Antietam.  It was also the bloodiest battle day in United States history. 23,000 men lost their lives that day.  The Union army stopped the Confederate army. This “victory” by the Union gave President Lincoln the chance to announce the abolition of slavery in the South.

 The Emancipation Proclamation declared that all slaves should be set free in the Confederacy.  It also allowed blacks to serve in the Union army and navy.  The South ignored the Emancipation Proclamation, but it did change to focus of the war to the issue of slavery. Emancipation Proclamation

Women in the Civil War  Women on both sides worked during the war. Many became nurses. The most famous nurse from the Union was Clara Barton.  She also helped organize the American Red Cross.

 The Battle of Gettysburg was one of the bloodiest battles of the war.  90,000 Union soldiers fought 75,000 Confederate soldiers.  More than 50,000 men were killed or wounded in the battle. Battle of Gettysburg

 The Union won the Battle of Gettysburg.  Many Northerners started supporting the army after this by lending them money to help pay for the war.  This was called a war bond.

Gettysburg Address  After the Battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln went to the battlefield to dedicate a cemetery in honor of all those who had died.  Lincoln spoke for two minutes, but his speech became very famous.  It is called the Gettysburg Address.