American War Dbq

1. Introduction: Northerners and southerners supported the war for a variety of reasons, such as ending slavery, preserving the Union, defending states’ rights, or protecting the Confederacy. Whatever the purpose of the war, it brought tremendous change to the United States as the conflict spawned new social and racial arrangements in the nation.
2. America Goes to War, 1861–1862:
i. First Battle of Bull Run:- Upon Lincoln’s call for volunteers to restore the Union, four additional states from the Upper South seceded. Southerners faced the war with an optimism that grew stronger following the Confederate victory at Bull Run. ii. Grand Strategy:- Union strategy, the “Anaconda Plan”, called for a blockade of southern ports and the capture of

Confederate Nationalism:- Confederates created a culture and an ideology of nationalism. iii. Southern Cities and Industry:- Wartime needs led to a new bureaucracy and an emerging industrialism in the South. iv. Changing Roles of Women:- With men off to fight, women began to assume many of the responsibilities males had previously held.
v. Human Suffering, Hoarding, and Inflation:- The war caused economic dislocations in the South that resulted in great suffering for many people. The Federal blockade created shortages of important commodities in the South, while Confederate financial policies generated intense price inflation. vi. Inequities of the Confederate Draft:- Wealthier southerners seemed immune to many of the problems that others faced, and anger over the elite’s exemptions from conscription led to tensions in the South.
4. Wartime Northern Economy and Society:
i. Northern Business, Industry, and Agriculture:- The war generally spurred economic activity in the North, but the initial loss of southern markets caused some disruptions for the Union. Federal spending helped many businessmen and farmers because the government needed vast amounts of materiel to win the war. Fiscal policy, especially the sale of war bonds, also shaped the northern

The Black Soldier’s Fight for Manhood:- Thousands of blacks served with honor and distinction in the Union army, but discrimination persisted.
7. 1863: The Tide of Battle Turns:
i. Battle of Chancellorsville:- On the battlefield, the southern army began the 1863 campaign with a victory at Chancellorsville, Virginia. However, the Confederate army suffered the loss of Stonewall Jackson. ii. Siege of Vicksburg:- This Confederate defeat divided the southern states in two and gave control of the Mississippi to the Union. iii. Battle of Gettysburg:- In July 1863, the Union army scored a major victory at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, inflicting heavy losses on Lee’s army.
8. Disunity, South, North, and West:
i. Union Occupation Zones:- Three military-occupation zones were used by Union forces when they invaded: garrisoned towns; the Confederate frontier; and the land between the two armies (“no man’s-land”). ii. Disintegration of Confederate Unity:- Planters, unable to adjust to changed circumstances, increasingly opposed the Confederate government. iii. Food Riots in Southern Cities:- Food riots occurred in several cities in 1863. Ordinary rural southerners resisted by refusing to cooperate with conscription, tax collection, and impressments of food. Meanwhile, Davis failed to communicate with the