The Civil War

You will learn about the Civil War, how it was fought, and how it was won/lost.  This was in many ways the first modern, mechanized war.  Most assumed there would be several thousand casualties and it would be over by Christmas. It dragged on for nearly five years, and 300,000-500,000 people were killed (about 2-3% of the population).  Everyone has an opinion on the causes (states rights, Southern honor, radical abolitionists, weak presidents, etc), but the common denominator for these causes was slavery.  It was a war over the future of slavery.  And the slaveholders lost.  Note: those of you interested in gaining an excellent perspective on Southern life in the Antebellum Era, see the movie Twelve Year’s a Slave.  Avoid Django Unchained at all costs.

The material and assessments in this module will be used to assess Outcomes:

1. Discuss the historical development of pre-civil war America, including the key political, social, cultural, artistic and economic forces that shaped the nation.
2. Discuss varying interpretations of institutions, people, practices, and events throughout this period, including ethics and motivations.
3. Identify and analyze problems throughout this period, such as factors leading to the Revolution and the Civil War.
4. Relate the events, ideas, and people of pre-civil war America with present societal conditions.
5. Employ appropriate research methodologies to study major topics in US History and to produce clear, well-organized and accurate term papers and journal critiques to communicate knowledge of US History, according to AHA standards.

At the end of each chapter, there are critical thinking exercises.  Choose ONE question from each chapter and submit your answer here.

Chapter 15:

1. Historian James McPherson maintains the Kansas-Nebraska

Act “may have been the most important single event pushing

the nation toward civil war.” Do you agree or disagree with this

statement? Why?

• Ever since the Civil War, historians have debated the causes of the

conflict. Slavery clearly seems to have played a role in the coming

of the war; however, other factors also contributed to the tensions.

How much of a role did economic differences between the two

regions play in the conflict? What influence did religion, culture,

and ethnicity have?

Chapter 16:

1. What was there about Abraham Lincoln’s personality that made

him an effective leader? Did Jefferson Davis have these same

qualities? Why or why not?

• In the years following the Civil War, the United States underwent

massive industrialization and economic growth. What policies

enacted during the war, do you think, helped to contribute to that

growth?

• Why do you think the Irish of New York City were so opposed to

the Enrollment Act of 1863?

• What could the governments, local, state and Confederate, have

done to prevent the Bread Riots?

• Why was there opposition to drafting African Americans to fight in

the War by both Northerners and Southerners?