The Outbreak of

the Civil War

Pwpt #1
In other words,
choose your words
wisely! 
 The Outbreak of the Civil War
 Abraham Lincoln’s election in
1860, was the first step towards
the outbreak of the Civil War
–South Carolinians feared the
victory of a Republican president
would bring an end to slavery &
seceded from the United States
–By early 1861, 7 Southern states
seceded & formed the
Confederate States of America
 Intro to Lincoln
Watch this clip from the
Disney Presidents Series:

A rare color
image of
President Lincoln.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=MFABcUUJMrI
 The Upper South did not view
Lincoln’s election as a death sentence
& did not secede immediately
The entire Deep South
seceded by Feb 1861
 The Confederate States of America
 The constitution of the Confederacy:
a) Protected slavery
& states’ rights
b) Outlawed tariffs
c) Created a weak
national government
d) Elected Jefferson
Davis as president
“My paramount object in this struggle
is to save the Union, and is not
either to save or to destroy slavery.
If I could save the Union without
freeing any slave I would do it, and
if I could save it by freeing all the
slaves I would do it; and if I could
save it by freeing some and leaving
others alone I would also do that.”
—Abraham Lincoln, 1862
 Lincoln viewed Southern secession as
illegal & promised to “preserve the Union”
 In April 1861,Fort Sumter
federal soldiers
The firing on Fort Sumter proved
refused Confederate demands to to
be the beginning
vacate of thein
at Fort Sumter Civil
SC War
When Lincoln sent aid to soldiers,
Confederates fired on the fort
 Fort Sumter
Not all slave states After Fort Sumter,
seceded; Those that the upper South
stayed in the Union were states seceded &
called “border states” joined the CSA
The Confederate States of America
 Document Activity:
Instructions: Complete the“North v. South
Document Activity” on your notes. The
information/documents you will need are
found in doc.#1a on pages 2-10.
Complete the chart by identifying the
advantages
& disadvantages of the
Union & Confederacy
during the Civil War?
 Northern Advantages
 At the outbreak of the Civil War,
the North had lots of advantages:
–Larger population for troops
–Greater industrial capacity
–Huge edge in RR transportation
 Problems for the North:
–Had to invade the South to win
–Difficult to maintain enthusiasm
& support for war over time
 Southern Advantages
 Although outnumbered & less
industrial, South had advantages:
–President Davis knew that they
did not have to “win” the war;
the South
“Kingonly had to drag out
Cotton”
the fightdiplomacy
& make the North quit
–Had the best military leaders
–England
Robert E “Stonewall”
& France appeared
J.E.B.
Lee more willing
Jackson
to support Stuart
the South
 Turning Advantages into Strategy
 Based upon the advantages of both
the Union & Confederacy:
–What should each side’s war
strategy be?
–How can each
side maximize
their strengths
& minimize their
weaknesses in
order to win?
Northern “Anaconda Plan”
Southern “Offensive Defense”