VA Studies Civil War: Causes and Key Figures

What was the primary cause of the Civil War?

• High taxes on factories

• Disputes about western gold

• Arguments over city borders

• The institution of slavery

Which best describes the Underground Railroad?

• A secret system helping enslaved people escape

• A new steam railroad moving cotton

• A Confederate supply line to Richmond

• A Union plan for building bridges

Harriet Tubman is best known for which contribution?

• Designing forts along the Mississippi

• Serving as a Confederate battlefield nurse

• Writing speeches for Abraham Lincoln

• Leading enslaved people to freedom repeatedly

Which state had more Civil War battles than any other?

• Georgia

• Ohio

• Pennsylvania

• Virginia

Why was the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas) significant?

• It destroyed every railroad near Richmond

• It captured the entire Confederate army

• It ended the Civil War immediately

• It showed the war might last much longer

In 1863, what happened with fifty western counties of Virginia?

• They became part of Maryland permanently

• They were returned to Native nations

• They created a new Confederate territory

• They formed the new state of West Virginia

Why did many Civil War battles occur in Virginia?

• It was an island with few neighbors

• It was far from any railroads or roads

• It had the nation’s largest deserts

• It lays between Washington, D.C., and Richmond

Why was protecting Richmond important to the Confederacy?

• It was the Confederate capital and supply center

• It held the largest Union navy base

• It had no factories or railroads at all

• It was a Union state capital near Canada

What does the term secession mean in this context?

• Agreeing to pay new federal taxes

• Withdrawing from the United States

• Expanding voting to all citizens

• Moving capitals to different cities

Which reason led some Virginians to support secession in April 1861?

• Avoiding any military service forever

• Defending slavery and states’ rights

• Building more northern factories

• Opening western gold fields quickly