Overview
This lecture covers Key Concept 5.3 of APUSH Period 5, focusing on the Civil War, why the Union won, the Emancipation Proclamation, Reconstruction policies, and the lasting impact of Reconstruction Amendments.
Union & Confederate Advantages in the Civil War
- The Confederacy had early success, fighting a defensive war with experienced leaders and strong motivation.
- The Union had greater industrial resources, larger population, and used strategies like the Anaconda Plan.
- Key Union victories at Antietam, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg shifted momentum.
Major Turning Points & Military Strategy
- The Battle of Antietam prevented foreign intervention and led to the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Gettysburg stopped Confederate invasion of the North; Vicksburg gave the Union control of the Mississippi.
- Sherman's March to the Sea exemplified Total War by destroying Southern infrastructure.
Mobilization & Home Front Challenges
- Both sides implemented conscription, causing resentment among the poor—“rich man’s war, poor man’s fight.”
- The North passed tariffs, National Bank Act, Homestead Act, and Emancipation Proclamation to support the war.
- Lincoln suspended habeas corpus to maintain Union support in border states; both sides faced internal opposition.
Emancipation Proclamation & Its Impact
- Issued after Antietam, it redefined the war as a fight against slavery as well as secession.
- It discouraged European support for the Confederacy and allowed African-Americans to enlist in the Union Army.
- It did not apply to border states or Confederate-held areas.
Reconstruction: Congressional vs. Presidential
- Radical Republicans in Congress overrode Johnson’s vetoes and passed the Civil Rights Bill and Freedmen’s Bureau extension.
- The Reconstruction Act of 1867 divided the South into five military districts requiring new constitutions and black suffrage.
- Johnson was impeached but not convicted; Radical Reconstruction expanded rights for freed slaves temporarily.
Reconstruction Amendments & Southern Resistance
- The 13th Amendment abolished slavery; 14th guaranteed citizenship and equal protection; 15th granted black male suffrage.
- Black Codes and sharecropping restricted freedom and economic opportunity for African-Americans.
- Southern resistance included violence (KKK), Redeemer governments, and disenfranchisement tactics.
Decline & Legacy of Reconstruction
- Northern resolve faded after the Panic of 1873; Civil Rights Act of 1875 was not enforced.
- Compromise of 1877 ended Reconstruction; Republican governments collapsed in the South.
- Supreme Court rulings (Plessy v. Ferguson, Civil Rights Cases) permitted segregation and limited federal protection.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Anaconda Plan — Union strategy to blockade and divide the South.
- Emancipation Proclamation — Lincoln’s order freeing slaves in Confederate areas.
- Black Codes — Southern laws restricting African-American rights after the Civil War.
- Sharecropping — Labor system where freedmen farmed land for a share of the crop.
- Radical Republicans — Congressmen advocating strong federal intervention and rights for freedmen.
- Redeemers — Southern Democrats aiming to end Reconstruction governments.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review Reconstruction Amendments (13th, 14th, 15th) and their limitations.
- Understand differences between Congressional and Presidential Reconstruction.
- Study key battles and turning points of the Civil War.