The Civil War Begins

Civil War Begins

by Leticia Romero

​Sectional Politics in the Election of 1860

​Despite repeated attempts at compromise, disagreement between the North and the South over the issue of slavery continued to deepen. With the election of Republican President Abraham Lincoln in 1860, the crisis came to a head. The Union of states that had been formed less than a hundred years before was about to dissolve.

​Sectional Politics in the Election of 1860

•Democrats Split Between Two Nominees

•The Constitutional Union Party

•The Republican Nominee

•Lincoln Wins Without the South​

Open Ended

Analyze Charts On which main issue did the candidates in the 1860 election disagree?

Open Ended

Analyze Maps How was Lincoln able to win election as President without carrying any southern states?

Multiple Choice

What made Lincoln a 'northern' president?

• He ran on a northern Republican ticket.

• He was born and raised in the North.

• He won the presidency without a single electoral vote from the South.

• He won the electoral vote but not the popular vote in the South.

​The Collapse of the Union

​Southerners were outraged that a President could be elected without a single southern vote. In the southerners’ perception, the South no longer had a voice in the national government. They decided to act.

​The Collapse of the Union

​•Southern States Secede

•The Confederate States of America

•The Two Sides Fail to Compromise

•Lincoln Appeals to the South

•Conflict Erupts over Federal Forts and Arsenals

•The Confederacy Attacks Fort Sumter

Open Ended

Analyze Maps How did secession spread across the South?

Open Ended

Analyze Information What do you think was the most significant turning point in the events leading to the war? Justify your response.

Multiple Choice

Which event was seen, by the North, as the first act of war?

• the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter

• the election of Abraham Lincoln

• The president's call for troops to defend the Union

• the secession of southern states

​Resources and Strategies

​In 1861, the long, bitter dispute over slavery and states’ rights erupted into war. The first shots at Fort Sumter set the stage for a long, costly struggle. At stake was the survival of the United States.

​Resources and Strategies

​•The Union's Advantages

•The Confederacy's Advantages

•The Confederacy Counts on Time and Foreign Aid

•The Union Plans Its Attack

•Lincoln Appeases the Border States

Open Ended

Analyze Information Based on this infographic, which side had the advantage in terms of resources at the beginning of the war? What strategies might the disadvantaged side use to resist the other side's superiority?

Open Ended

Analyze Maps Why was control of New Orleans and the Mississippi River so important to both sides?

Multiple Choice

How did the Confederacy hope to win the war?

• by digging in and outlasting the North

• by following the Anaconda Plan

• by boycotting northern products

• by surrounding and blockading the North

​The First Year of the Civil War

​The Civil War started slowly. The first large battle did not take place until three months after the firing on Fort Sumter. Ultimately, the conflict would span nearly four years and stretch across much of the continent.

​The First Year of the Civil War

​•Stonewall Jackson Rebuffs the Union

•The Battle of Shiloh Shocks Both Sides

•The Union Claims New Orleans

•The Confederates Lose the Southwest

•Ironclad Ships Take to the Seas

Open Ended

Analyze Maps Which regions of the country experienced the most significant fighting during 1861 and 1862?

Open Ended

Analyze Charts Based on the content of this chart, which side seemed to be winning in the war's early years?

Multiple Choice

What was so surprising about the Battle of Bull Run?

• Confederate forces rebuffed Union forces.

• More than 25,000 soldiers perished.

• Neither side had a clear advantage.

• Union forces won a swift and decisive victory.

​A Stalemate in the East

​While Union and Confederate forces squared off in the Mississippi Valley and farther west, major fighting in the East focused on the state of Virginia. As elsewhere, the outcomes did not prove decisive for either side.

​A Stalemate in the East

​•General McClellan Favors Caution

•General Lee's Leadership Holds Richmond

Multiple Choice

What was the outcome of the Peninsular Campaign and the Second Battle of Bull Run?

• Neither side won a decisive victory.

• The Confederacy drove back Union forces.

• The Union drove Confederate forces deeper into the South.

• The Union took control of the Confederate capital.