Unit 2 Text Outline
For each of the sec ons you need to summarize the sub sec on in your own words and create a
sample ques on based on the sec on’s informa on (Level 3 or 4 DOK)
2.1 Why did the Civil War last four years?
The border states: Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri
The border states, Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky, and Missouri, had divided loyal es
and were crucial in the Civil War. Both the North and South wanted their support, but the
federal government ul mately controlled Maryland’s choice by suspending habeas corpus,
allowing the North to imprison pro-secession leaders. Maryland was geographically important,
surrounding the capital, and experienced violence like the Bal more Riot of 1861, where
Northern troops clashed with pro-secessionists. Delaware, while a slave state, had a mostly free
Black popula on and chose to stay in the Union. Kentucky a empted neutrality, but Lincoln
stressed its strategic importance, believing that losing Kentucky would also mean losing
Missouri and Maryland. The presence of Union forces and Lincoln’s quick ac ons were key
reasons these border states did not join the Confederacy.
Sample Ques on: What conclusions can you draw if the a empt to set up a Confederate
government of Kentucky was successful?
Changing military strategies
Lincoln wanted to block the Confederacy’s trade, especially with Britain, a key market for
Southern co on. He chose a blockade, which aligned with interna onal law and avoided
formally recognizing the Confederacy as a sovereign state. Britain, though neutral, accepted the
blockade, hal ng 90% of Southern trade and dealing a signi cant blow to the Confederate
economy. The Confederacy ini ally defended its borders but soon shi ed to an “o ensive-
defensive” strategy, taking the o ensive when possible. Meanwhile, the North pursued the
“Anaconda Plan,” to block Southern ports and gain control of the Mississippi River to divide the
South. Although Northern forces faced setbacks in the east under McClellan’s cau ous
command, they had great success in the west, led by Grant, who captured important rivers and
ci es.
Sample Ques on: Can you elaborate on the reason why it was cri cal to adopt a blockading plan
without seeming to recognize the CSA as a sovereign state?
ti
tt
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ff
ti
ti
tt
fi
tt
ti
ti
ti
ti
ft
ti
ti
ff
ti
Changing approaches of poli cal and military leadership.
In the beginning, for the North, Abraham Lincoln was commander-in-chief and head of
government, then ini ally appointed Win eld Sco as his general-in-chief. He started to create a
formidable Union army and designed a long-term plan to win the war. However, Sco ended up
re ring due to his age and handed over the tle to George McClellan. In the South, Davis was
both president and commander-in-chief with excellent military leadership, The South had
several hundred o cers from the US Army join the CSA increasing their military power. Even
though both sides had been from West Point Academy where they learned, their tac cs began
to vary as faced with di erent situa ons.
Sample Ques on: Can you elaborate on the reason why the North lacked military exper se?
Would this a ect how they fought during the war despite the excellent weaponry resources?
Resources available
The USA had a great advantage in resources over the CSA from the start, with superiority
in popula on, wealth, food, and manufacturing. The North’s popula on was growing rapidly,
while the South’s popula on was increasing at a slower rate, impac ng the sec onal balance of
government. The North’s industrial economy appeared more prosperous than the South’s,
although the South argued that the living standards of slaves were similar to those of the
North’s working class. The North also had superiority in manufacturing, naval power, and
railroads. The South struggled with its railroads due to states’ rights, while the North’s rail
system helped move troops quickly. In terms of war nance, the North was more successful,
raising funds through taxes, bonds, and currency, while the South faced challenged due to its
weaker tax base and in a on.
Sample Ques on: What would happen if each side had the same resources available to them?
Does this create a new outcome or are the people within the area that create the push to win
the war?
ti
ti
ff
ti
ti
ffi
ti
fl
ff
ti
ti
ti
ti
fi
ti
tt
fi
ti
ti
ti
tt
ti
ti
Impact of foreign in uences (Britain and France)
European countries and their governments, especially Britain, were closely involved in
the American Civil War. Both the North and South hoped for support from Britain, as it was the
leading industrial power, the main market for raw co on, and the world’s leading naval power.
At the start of the war, Britain saw the con ict as being about tari s, with the North wan ng to
protect manufacturing industries and the South wan ng to keep tari s low. The South
a empted “co on diplomacy” by burning co on to in uence Britain, but Britain simply looked
elsewhere for co on. Britain recognized the CSA as a belligerent but did not support the South.
Britain's neutrality also limited shipbuilding for the South, though some ships, like the CSS
Alabama, were built in Europe. The Trent A air in late 1861 caused a diploma c crisis, but
Britain sent troops to Canada and Lincoln released the diplomats. As the war progressed, Britain
considered poli cal interven on, but ul mately, Britain stuck to its policy of neutrality, and
Russia’s naval presence in 1863 acted as a warning to Britain and France.
Sample Ques on: How is the Emancipa on Proclama on related to the support from Britain? If
the policy hadn’t been enacted, would the Bri sh have remained neutral?
The war ends
While diplomacy con nued, the gh ng went on. On April 9, 1865, Robert E. Lee’s army
of Northern Virginia surrendered to General Grant at Appoma ox Court House. The war was
e ec vely over, though guerilla ac on con nued for months. Five days later, President Lincoln
was assassinated by a CSA supporter, and Vice President Andrew Johnson took o ce. His
leadership was controversial, leading to his impeachment in 1868. Je erson Davis was captured,
imprisoned, and later pardoned in 1868. He became a focus for the Lost Cause, which claimed
the war was about states’ rights, not slavery. Despite the war’s length and casuali es, legal
slavery ended.
Sample Ques on: Can you elaborate on the reason why the CSA armies con nued to ght even
though their commander surrendered? Would the gh ng have con nued longer than it did?
tt
ff
ti
ti
ti
tt
ti
tt
fl
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
fi
fl
ti
ff
ti
tt
ti
fi
ti
tt
ti
fl
ti
tt
ff
ti
ff
ff
ti
ti
ffi
ti
fi
ti
2.2 How great was the immediate impact of the Civil War (1861-65)
Limita ons on civil liber es during the war
During the Civil War, both the Union and the Confederacy took steps to limit civil
liber es. In the North, Lincoln suspended habeas corpus in strategic states like Maryland to
prevent rebellion, allowing for the deten on of suspected Confederates without trial. Lincoln’s
use of military commissions and conscrip on also sparked controversy, par cularly with Peace
Democrats like Clement Vallandigham, who was arrested, tried by a military commission, and
exiled to the Confederacy. The Confederacy, facing fewer challenges to its authority, introduced
conscrip on in 1862, with exemp ons and subs tu ons, and imposed mar al law in parts of
the South. The South also implemented travel passes and the Sequestra on Act, which allowed
the seizure of Unionist property. The Impressment Act and Tax-in-Kind Act caused resentment,
with both acts leading to protests like the Richmond Bread Riot in 1863, where women, led by
Mary Jackson, marched in revolt against food shortages and economic hardship.
Sample Ques on: Can you elaborate on the freedoms that these groups had, could they cri cize
their sec on’s policies?
Reasons for and response to the Emancipa on Proclama on 1863
The Emancipa on Proclama on in 1863 was issued as Northern armies moved into slave
territories, and fugi ve slaves ed to Northern camps. Lincoln used it as a war measure to
weaken the South’s economy, aiming to encourage more slaves to ee and hurt the CSA’s war
e ort. On January 1, 1863, all slaves in rebellious states would be set free, but no slave state
ended its rebellion to avoid this. The proclama on rede ned Northern war aims to include
aboli on. In the South, the war now defended slavery, and many slaves escaped to Northern
camps. Northern Black soldiers, such as those in the 54th Massachuse s Regiment, played a
role in the Union’s success, and, by 1865, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery across all
states, ending na onal division over the issue.
Sample Ques on: Can you formulate a theory for why the Civil War wasn’t started because of
slavery? Doesn’t the Emancipa on Proclama on show that it was never about preserving the
Union?
ff
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
fl
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
fi
ti
fl
tt
ti
ti
ti
ti
Life in the Confederate States
The Confederate States had social, economic, and poli cal divisions throughout the Civil
War. With 3.5 million enslaved people and 130,000 free Blacks, the South faced internal
con icts, especially as slaves resisted and ed. Socially, tensions grew between wealthy
planta on owners, who held power, and poorer farmers, who felt exploited, especially with the
1862 Conscrip on Act’s exemp ons for wealthy slaveholders. Poli cally, loyalty was divided,
with many Southern Unionists aiding the North, like the Richmond Underground. Economically,
the South relied on agriculture, especially co on, but the Northern blockade and in a on
caused severe shortages and riots. Despite occasional celebra ons, by 1865, even wealthy
Southerners su ered from the war’s destruc on, high prices, and food shortages.
Sample Ques on: When the Civil War ended, was the South’s rst thought to reconstruct their
na on? What sequences of events would lead to this conclusion?
The nature of democracy in the North and the South
The Civil War was fought between two democracies, each with a cons tu on limi ng
government power. The Confederate Cons tu on closely mirrored the Union’s, but the South
only held an uncontested presiden al elec on, while Lincoln faced erce compe on in the
North. By 1863, ci zens in both regions protested policies: women rioted for bread in
Richmond, and New Yorkers protested conscrip on. The South, lacking poli cal par es, had a
new, evolving poli cal structure. The North’s poli cs, however, were established, with
Republicans pushing policies like the Morrill Tari and the Transcon nental Railroad Act.
Although Democrats gained seats in 1862, Lincoln won re-elec on in 1864, supported by War
Democrats and smaller par es as the “Na onal Union Party” candidate. A er Atlanta fell,
Lincoln won 55% of the popular vote, and Republicans dominated Congress. Lincoln’s victory
was soon overshadowed by his assassina on shortly a er Lee’s surrender.
Sample Ques on: Can you elaborate on the reason why the Democrats lost the 1864
presiden al elec on despite being a reconstructed na on and only holding one candidate?
ti
fl
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ff
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
fl
ti
ti
ti
tt
ti
ti
ff
ti
ti
ft
ti
ti
fi
ti
ti
fi
ti
ft
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
ti
fl
ti
ti
2.3 What were the aims and outcomes of Reconstruc on?
Sample Ques on
Presiden al Reconstruc on: Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson
ti
ti
ti
ti
Sample Ques on
Radical Reconstruc on from Congress
ti
ti
Sample Ques on
Reasons for and passage of Cons tu onal Amendments 13,14, and 15
ti
ti
ti
Sample Ques on
2.4 How successful was Reconstruc on?
The changing posi on of ex-slaves.
Sample Ques on
Responses of the white South
ti
ti
ti
ti
Sample Ques on
Ulysses S. Grant’s Reconstruc on policies
ti
ti
Sample Ques on
The Compromise of 1877 and the end of Reconstruc on
Sample Ques on
ti
ti
ti
