History Exercise: The American Civil War

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Instructions: Read about the Oregon Trail then answer the questions.
The Civil War

The War Between the States, or the Civil war, was fought in 1861 to 1865. The war was sparked by
the issue of slavery; primarily surrounding the expansion of slavery into the developing western
territories. It would eventually lead to the succession of the southern states from northern states.
In 1860 Abraham Lincoln, republican, ran for the office of the 16th President of the United States and
won. He was greatly opposed to slavery and its expansion into the west. On March 4th, just before
Lincolns inauguration, 7 southern states succeeded from the United States. The southern states
economy depended heavily upon cotton and free labor so when Lincoln became president they knew
it was the end of free labor. As a result, the southern states formed the Confederacy and the northern
states the Union.
In 1861 Confederate troops fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. After this event, 4 more states
would join the Confederacy bringing their total count to 11. As a result, President Lincoln ordered a
naval blockade along the borders of the southern states preventing any trade from happening. This
severely hurt the Confederate states economies. The 1862 Battle of Antietam in Maryland
symbolized a pivotal point in the Confederate Campaign yet ended in a lost; and with that loss the
possibility of any help from Great Britain. Finally in 1862, President Lincoln signed the
Emancipation Proclamation. This made ending slavery a priority war goal.
The Battle of Gettysburg would mark a series of losses for the Confederate army led by Robert E.
Lee. This battle tallied the largest number of casualties of the entire war. The battle lasted 3 days,
resulted in anywhere between 46,000 and 51,000 deaths, and sent the Confederate army on retreat to
Virginia. Ulysses S. Grant, later the 18th president, would lead the Union army on a series of victories
that eventually brought them to the Appomattox Court House on April 9th, 1865 where Robert E. Lee
would surrender. By that summer, all the confederate generals would surrender.
The American Civil War was one of the earliest industrial wars. It included railroads, the telegraph,
steamships, and mass-produced weapons. In American history however, it remains the deadliest war
totally death at more than 750,000 soldiers and yet unknown totals of civilians.

1. Explain events or issues leading up to the American Civil War?

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2. What did the southern states primarily produce that made up their economy?
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3. Why do you think Great Britain was considering getting involved in the American Civil War?
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4. Explain what the Emancipation Proclamation was and what it did for Americans?
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5. Bonus Questions:
a. What Color did the Union army wear and what color did the Confederate army wear?
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