Sectional Crisis and Civil War
Explain slavery expansion, political compromises, secession, military strategy, emancipation, and wartime transformations.
A lesson of US History, in Expansion, Reform, Civil War, and Reconstruction, about 10 minutes.
The Civil War
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explain the causes of the Civil War, describe major military campaigns and turning points, analyze Abraham Lincoln's leadership including the Emancipation Proclamation, and evaluate the war's consequences.
The Election of 1860 and Secession
Election of 1860: the Democratic Party split into Northern (Douglas — popular sovereignty) and Southern (Breckinridge — slavery protected everywhere) factions. Abraham Lincoln won on the Republican platform (no slavery in new territories) without a single Southern electoral vote.
Secession: South Carolina seceded first (December 1860), followed by six more Deep South states before Lincoln's inauguration. They formed the Confederate States of America (February 1861); Jefferson Davis president.
Why secession? Southern leaders explicitly stated the cause: the preservation and expansion of slavery. The Confederacy's Vice President Alexander Stephens declared slavery the "cornerstone" of the Confederate government.
Fort Sumter (April 12–14, 1861): Confederate forces bombarded the Union fort in Charleston Harbor; the garrison surrendered. Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers. Four more Southern states seceded (Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina). The Civil War began.
Why Did the North Win? (Setting Up the Analysis)
At the start, Confederate advantages: better military officers (Lee, Jackson, Longstreet), fighting on home ground (shorter supply lines; defending, not attacking), cotton diplomacy (hoped Britain and France would intervene to protect textile supplies).
Union advantages: larger population (22 million vs. 9 million — including 3.5 million enslaved); superior industrial capacity; more railroads; larger navy; eventually, emancipation transformed the war's moral dimension and added 180,000+ Black soldiers.
Major Campaigns
Eastern Theater (Virginia):
First Bull Run (July 1861): Confederate victory shocked the North; ended hopes of quick victory; "Stonewall" Jackson earned his nickname.
Peninsula Campaign (Spring 1862): McClellan's slow advance toward Richmond; Lee took command; drove Union forces back.
Antietam (September 17, 1862): bloodiest single day in American history — 23,000 casualties. Union strategic victory (Lee's invasion of Maryland turned back); gave Lincoln political cover to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.