1. Mr. Accetta Social Studies 8
Civil War Crash Course
Mr. Accetta
Social Studies 8

2. Causes of the War Compromise of 1820 (Missouri Compromise)
Regulated slavery in the Western territories by prohibiting it above the 36th parallel.

3. Causes of the War Compromise of 1850
-Admitted California to the Union as a free state
- Abolished slave trade in Washington D.C.
- Allowed Utah and Mew Mexico territories to decide whether to allow slavery in their borders.
- Strict Fugitive Slave Law enacted; required captured slaves to be returned to their owners.

4. Causes of the War Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)
Novel published by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the harsh reality of slavery to the American public.
Helped spark abolitionist (anti-slavery) movement.

5. Causes of the War Kansas Nebraska Act (1854)
Allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to choose for themselves whether to allow slavery within their borders.
Repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which forbid slavery north of the 36th parallel.

6. Causes of the War Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)
Supreme Court case which declared that any African American who is a slave or descendant of slaves is not considered a U.S. citizen.
Dred Scott was a slave who was taken by his masters to Missouri ( a free territory) and attempted to sue for his freedom.

7. Causes of the War John Brown’s Raid (1859)
Radical abolitionist John Brown attempts to raid a U.S. army arsenal in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
Planned to arm slaves and lead a revolt

8. Causes of the War
Election of 1860: Abraham Lincoln defeats Democrat Stephen A. Douglas to become the 16th President of the United States.
Many Southerners threatened secession if Lincoln was elected.
After Lincoln is elected, 7 southern states secede from the Union.
April 12, 1861: Civil War officially begins.

9. THE NORTH The Union President: Abraham Lincoln
Generally supported abolition (anti-slavery)
Favored strong central government
Manufacturing based economy
Wanted to preserve the Union

10. THE SOUTH The Confederacy President: Jefferson Davis
Generally supported slavery
Believed states should be able to govern themselves (states’ rights)
Agricultural economy (plantations/farming)
Wanted to secede from Union and form their own nation.

11. The War Itself Lasted from April 12, 1861-May 9, 1865
Union Army led by General Ulysses S. Grant
Confederate Army led by General Robert E. Lee
War began when Confederate soldiers attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina.
Most fighting occurred in the South
Battle of Gettysburg (1863): Bloodiest battle; turning point of the war.
General Lee and Confederate Army surrender April 9, 1865 following the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse.

12. Emancipation Proclamation
Issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863.
Freed all 3 million slaves living in America.
Marked a turning point in the war by shifting focus to slavery
Symbolic gesture; Lincoln’s authority was not recognized in the South so the Proclamation was not carried out until after the war.
Emancipation=freedom, Proclamation= Speech

13. Effects of the War
Bloodiest war in American history, with 620,000 lives lost and 1,100,000 casualties.
Slavery abolished nationwide
Union preserved
Beginning of Reconstruction Era

14. Key Take-Aways:
Many factors led to the start of the war, not just slavery.
The North had an advantage due to manufacturing (remember: you can’t grow guns)
Some Northerners supported slavery, and some Southerners supported abolition.
Although the war ended slavery, segregation and discrimination continued.
Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves and was a turning point in the war.