The Civil War1861-1865

Facts:

• One of the most important events in American History.

• Bloodiest War in American History.• Saw major advances in technology.• Has a lasting impact on our lives and the way

America is run today.

Causes of the War

• What caused the Civil War? – No, slavery was not the major cause.– Power was the dominant issue.• Political • Economic• Social

– In all of these areas the North was more powerful than the South.• Why? How?

Union vs. ConfederacyUSA CSA

Population 21.5 million 9 millionRailroads 21,700 miles 9,000 milesFactories 110,100 20,600Work Force 1,170,000 111,000Bank Deposits $207 million $47 millionCurrency $56 million $27 millionCorn (bushels) 446 million 280 millionWheat (bushels) 132 million 31 millionOats (bushels) 150 million 20 millionCotton (bales) 4,000 5,000,000Tobacco (pounds) 229 million 199 millionHorses 4.2 million 1.7 millionDonkeys & Mules 300,000 800,000Milk Cows 5.7 million 2.7 millionBeef Cattle 6.6 million 7 millionSheep 16 million 5 millionPigs 16.3 million 15.5 million

Causes of the War

• The North vs. the South– The North developed more factories than the South in

the early 1800s.• Why?

– The North was wealthier and more technologically advanced.

– More immigrants went to the North too.– More people meant the North had more members in

Congress and more votes when it came to electing a President.

– This terrified the South.

Causes of the War

• Election of 1860– Abraham Lincoln was the first Presidential

Candidate to ever speak out against slavery.– He got almost no votes in the South, but he

was elected anyway. map

• What message did this send to the South?

– His victory scared many Southerners who feared that the North would dominate them.

– They chose to leave the United States and set up their own nation. • The Confederate States of America

Technology and the War

• The war was very bloody because the weapons were much better but the armies still fought using old-fashioned tactics.

• Gettysburg

Civil War Technology

• The biggest advance in the war was the use of rifles.– They fired bullets farther and more accurately

than the musket.

Technology and the War

• The war also saw advances in naval warfare.

Civil War Medicine and Health

• Another cause of the high death toll was the poor medical care and lack of knowledge about health.– Medicine was very primitive - many died from

infections and poor medical care.– Men also died from eating and drinking

contaminated food and water.– More died from disease than bullets and bombs.

Civil War Medicine

Civil War Armies

• Another reason for the high numbers of casualties was the huge sizes of the militaries.

– Union Forces – 2,213,000– Confederate Forces – 1,050,000

• The current US military has 1,500,000 active personnel.

The Course of the War

• The war can be looked at in two halves.– The early part of the war was dominated

by the South almost everywhere.• How? Why?

– The Battle of Gettysburg was the turning point.• Massive 3 day battle in Pennsylvania

– The second half of the war was dominated by the North.

The End of the War

• The Civil War ended in April 1865.– General Lee surrendered to General Grant.

• US losses – 365,000• CSA losses – 260,000

• Lincoln was shot a few days later.– Why? By Who?

• There was no agreement in Washington DC about what to do once the war ended.

Legacy of the Civil War• Racism and discrimination

– This got worse after the war in the South.• Why?

• One nation… The Northern victory kept the nation united.• Government powers – the federal government is supreme over the states.• Lasting hard feelings:

– Northerners still look down on the South and Southerners still feel superior to Northerners.

– “Keep the South clean…put a Yankee on a bus”– The Confederate Flag

• Lasting pride:– Re-enactors– Movies– Books– National Parks and Monuments