Name: Notes #: Social Studies 8 Date:

The American Civil War & Its Consequences

The Era of Reconstruction “A house divided against itself, cannot stand.” These words, spoken by Abraham Lincoln on June 16, 1858, seemed to foreshadow the American Civil War. The Northern (Union) victory preserved the United States as one nation and brought about an end to the institution of slavery once and for all with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. These achievements, however, came at the cost of nearly 625,000 lives – nearly as many American soldiers that have died in all other wars in which the US has fought combined.The Civil War was caused by the major differences existing

between Northern and Southern states during the mid-1800’s. One major issue was the status of free and slave states from the western territories as they entered the Union. Tensions would be made worse with the election of Lincoln in 1860, which led to the immediate secession of Southern States, with South Carolina leading the way. Southern states feared that with Lincoln as president, they would no longer have a voice in the federal government. The first shots of the war would also be in South Carolina, at Fort Sumter. After this event, Lincoln called upon militia soldiers to squash the “insurrection;” he would soon need call up the Union Army to fight. For three long years, from 1862 to 1865, Union and Confederate troops would battle; with some of the fiercest fighting taking place during battles such as Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. While the Confederate troops, led by Robert E. Lee, fought valiantly, they would eventually surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse in 1865. Both the North and the South were forever changed by the American Civil War. The twelve years after the Civil War are known as the Era of Reconstruction. During this period, the federal government looked for a way to reunite the former Confederate states with the rest of the country, while rebuilding the South

after the destruction of the Civil War. There were several different plans proposed by government officials for Reconstruction. Like the war itself, Reconstruction caused conflicts between the North and South. One of the biggest issues of Reconstruction was the emancipation (freeing) of slaves. In September 1862, Lincoln had issued the Emancipation Proclamation – it stated that slaves in Confederate states would be free as January 1, 1863. However, Confederate states had ignored the proclamation because they were no longer part of the US government. Instead, Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation served as a promise to slaves that they would be free when the North won the war. The process of

officially abolishing slavery began in April 1864, when the US Senate and House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. The amendment was ratified in 1865 and officially abolished slavery in the United States. Even before the end of the Civil War, President Lincoln had created a plan to win back the loyalty of the South. This plan was known as the Ten Percent Plan. This plan would give most former Confederate states amnesty (a pardon) for their actions during the war. To gain amnesty, the states would have to meet the following criteria:

(1) Promise their loyalty to the Union(2) Pledge to support the US Constitution and obey laws passed by Congress(3) Accept the end of slavery

When 10% of a state’s voters promised loyalty to the Union and the US Constitution, that state would be allowed to re-enter the Union. In Lincoln’s plan the President would be in charge of Reconstruction.

By 1865, most Americans approved of the way President Lincoln had managed the war. They also agreed with his plan for ending slavery and healing the country. The President, however, did not live to see his plan take effect. On April 14, 1865, just five days after Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, Lincoln was assassinated. While watching a play from his presidential box at Ford’s Theater in Washington, DC, the President was shot in the back of the head by a man named John Wilkes

Booth. Lincoln died early the next morning. Booth was a southern sympathizer. He hated the Union and its leader. By killing Lincoln, he hoped to gain revenge for the South’s defeat. The President’s death caused tremendous grief throughout the North and in the South among African Americans.After Lincoln’s death, Vice President Andrew Johnson became the seventeenth president of the United States. Johnson, who was born in North Carolina and later moved to Tennessee, was the only Southerner to remain in Congress during the Civil War. He had refused to join with his state in leaving the Union. Johnson was nominated as Lincoln’s Vice-President in 1864 as a way to promote national unity.

Directions: Once you have read through the above background information you will need to do the following – (1) highlight (or underline) where you have found the information to answer the following questions, (2) annotate the information you have highlighted with the question number that it helped you to answer, and (3) answer all questions in the space provided. You do not need to restate your answers, however, you must make sure to answer all questions completely as some questions have more than one part.

1. Based on your knowledge of Social Studies, when Lincoln refers to a “house divided,” what is he really talking about? Explain your answer fully.

2. How many people were killed during the Civil War? What is so astounding about this number?

3. Why did Southern states begin to secede in 1860?

4. How did the Civil War end?

5. Define “Reconstruction.”

6. Why was the Emancipation Proclamation important to Confederate slaves?

7. What did the 13th Amendment do?

8. What was the Ten Percent Plan?

9. What does “assassinate” mean?

10.Who assassinated Lincoln? 11.Why did he assassinate Lincoln?

12.When and where was Lincoln assassinated?

13.Who became President after Lincoln was assassinated?

14.What was unique about Andrew Johnson?