Civil War 8th grade ICAP

The American Civil War was fought between the southern states and the northern states. The southern states didn't want the North telling them what to do or making laws they didn't want. As a result, many southern states decided to break away and form their own country called the Confederacy. The North, however, wanted to stay as one united country; and so a war began. The Civil War, and the major events leading up to the war, lasted from 1860 to 1865. Which two group states fought in the Civil War?

• Northern and southern

• California and Texas.

Abraham Lincoln Elected President (November 6, 1860) - Abraham Lincoln was from the northern part of the country and wanted to put an end to slavery. The southern states didn't want him president or making laws that would affect them. Who was President during the Civil War?

• Abraham Lincoln

• George Washington.

South Carolina Secedes (Dec. 20, 1860) - South Carolina became the first state to secede, or leave, the United States. They decided to make their own country rather than be part of the USA. Within a few months several other states including Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, Alabama, and Louisiana would also leave the Union. Which state was the first to Secede or break away from the United States?

• South Carolina

• Texas

The Confederation is formed (Feb. 9, 1861) - The southern states form their own country called the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis is their president. What did the southern states call themselves during the Civil War?

• Confederate States

• The South

The Civil War Begins (April 12, 1861) - The South attacks Fort Sumter South Carolina and starts the war. What year did the Civil War begin?

• 1861

• 1860

In the mid-1800s, the economies of many northern states had moved away from farming to industry. A lot of people in the North worked and lived in large cities like New York, Philadelphia, and Boston. The southern states, however, had maintained a large farming economy and this economy was based on slave labor. While the North no longer needed slaves, the South relied heavily upon slaves for their way of life. Which two type of people began to argue in the beginning of the Civil War?

• Industry and Farming

• Education and Shopping

As the United States continued to expand westward, each new state added to the country shifted the power between the North and the South. Southern states began to fear they would lose so much power that they would lose all their rights. Each new state became a battleground between the two sides for power. What did both want to do during the Civil War?

• Expand (grow)

• Lose power.

At the heart of much of the South's issues was slavery. The South relied on slavery for labor to work the fields. Many people in the North believed that slavery was wrong and evil. These people were called abolitionists. They wanted slavery made illegal throughout the United States. Abolitionists such as John Brown, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe began to convince more and more people of the evil of slavery. This made the South fearful that their way of life would come to an end. The people from the North believe slaver was wrong. True or False

• True

• False

Most soldiers on the battlefield fought with guns. At the start of the war, many soldiers used old style guns called muskets. Muskets had smooth bores (the inside of the barrel) and this made them inaccurate for distances longer than 40 yards or so. These muskets also took a long time to reload and were unreliable (they sometimes didn't fire). What type of gun did most soldiers use to fight in the Civil War?

• Muskets

• Shotguns

Sometimes the soldiers would end up in close hand-to-hand combat where they no longer had time to load their rifles. Much of the time they would use a knife-like spike that was attached to the end of their rifle called a bayonet. If they dropped their rifle, then they may have a large knife they would use to fight with. Officers often had swords or pistols that they would use in close combat. What is that knife-like spike attached to the end of the riffle called?

• Bayonet

• Knife