December 9 2008

After Ft. Sumner...
Lincoln called on the union states for a 75000 man militia. The free states filled in their quotas, while the eight slave states still in the union reject due to disinterest for war. As a result, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina all secceeded from the union and joined the Confederacy.

The Border States were the southern states who didn't join the confederacy already. Among those states were Delaware (firmly believed in the union), Maryland (divided), Kentucky (divided), and Missouri (divided).

When Virginia was ruling on secceeding from the union, delegates west of the Shonadoah valley were against it. When Virginia's abstience from the union became final, the western portion (Shonadoah valley) secceeded from Virginia creating what is known as West Virginia in 1863.

A Factual Sheet for both sides of the Civil War:

• North had twice as many people than south
• North's industral economy was stronger than the south
• South had better military leaders with vast amounts of experience
• Southerners were more proficient in hunting, riding and outdoor skills
• In order to win, the north would have to invade, conquer, and occupy most of the south as well as to cripple its ability and will to fight
• In order to win, the south had to survive long enough for the northerners to give up
• South was fighting on their own home turf
• North had a navy

When Lincoln was pledged into office, he promised to contain but not to abolish slavery. For support lincoln relied on a fragile coalition of Republicans. northern Democrats, and border state unionists. However, the democrats and the border state unionists announced that they would fight for the Union but for slavery. Other northerns insisted a war against slavery not for the moral purposes, but to hurt the southern economy by cutting off their working force. Many slaves from the south indeed came over to the union. These escaped slaves became known as contraband. In an attempt to control the situation congress in August of 1861 passed a Confiscation Act which issued that all property including slaves for confederate military purposes could be seized. Also in March 1862, congress forbade the return of slaves who entered union lines.

The border states were becoming a problem by refusing lincoln's offer for compensation to slaves that voluntarily abolished slavery. Lincoln became frusturated but didn't want the border states to fall into the confederacy.

Factors that convinced Lincoln to issue an Emacipation Proclomation:

• Pressure of border states
• Republican party calls for bolder action
• Congres passing a second confiscation act calling for seizure of property of confederates
• Rising sentiment in the army to fight for real
• Lincoln's personal distaste for slavery

Afer realizing the border states' resistance, Lincoln announced the Proclamation and declared it a military necessity essential for the preservation of the union. But he waits until he has a decisive military victory.

Turning Point Battles:

• Antietam- lets Lincoln issue the emancipation proclamation
• Gettysburg- south never regains the offensive
• Vicksburg-confederacy is cut and the north controls the entire the Mississippi River

Role of Women

• Civil War brought women into factory jobs as the men were off the war
• Women went into teaching and civil service
• Medicine- greatest impact
• Women were behind the formation of soldiers' aid associations, hospital societies, the women's central association for relief, and active nursing

African American soldiers

• Union commanders in in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Missouri began to organize black regiments in 1862
• Emancipation Proclamation legitimized this policy
• At first blacks were underpaid, couldn't go into combat, and under white officers, however congress became aware of this and enacted combat for blacks in June 1863 and equal pay in 1864