All Flashcards
What was the significance of Antietam (1862)?
Bloodiest single day in US history; led to the Emancipation Proclamation and prevented European intervention.
What was the significance of Gettysburg (1863)?
Confederacy's high-water mark; Union victory; led to the Gettysburg Address.
What was the significance of Vicksburg (1863)?
Union gained control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy.
What was the significance of Atlanta (1864)?
Union victory that helped Lincoln's re-election and secured the war's end.
What was Sherman's March (1864)?
A destructive campaign across Georgia and South Carolina using a scorched-earth policy.
What happened at Appomattox (1865)?
Lee surrendered to Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.
What was the effect of the Emancipation Proclamation?
It kept Europe out of the war and transformed the Union Army into an army of liberation.
What was the Gettysburg Address?
Framed the war as a fight for freedom.
What was the significance of the battle of Fort Sumter?
It was the start of the Civil War.
What was the effect of the battle of Bull Run?
It was the first major land battle of the Civil War, resulting in a Confederate victory and shocking the Union.
What is 'total war'?
Mobilizing all of a society's resources (economic, political, social) for military victory.
Define the Anaconda Plan.
The North's strategy to strangle the South by blockading ports and the Mississippi River.
What does 'contraband' mean in the context of the Civil War?
Refers to slaves who escaped to the Union side and were considered captured enemy property.
Define 'scorched-earth' policy.
A military strategy involving the deliberate destruction of resources to deprive the enemy.
What is an ironclad warship?
Armored, steam-powered ships that revolutionized naval warfare.
What is trench warfare?
Fighting from fortified ditches, offering protection but often leading to stalemates.
Define Emancipation Proclamation.
Executive order issued by Lincoln in 1863, declaring slaves free in Confederate-held territory.
Define Gettysburg Address.
A speech by Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg.
Define the term 'military conscription'.
Compulsory enlistment of people in a national service, most often the military service.
What is propaganda?
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Compare the North's and South's strategies in the Civil War.
North: Anaconda Plan, long war. South: Short war, European support.
Compare the advantages of the North and South.
North: Population, economy. South: Military leadership.
Compare Antietam and Gettysburg.
Antietam: Led to Emancipation Proclamation. Gettysburg: High-water mark of the Confederacy.
Compare the Union's early and later war leadership.
Early: Cautious, inexperienced. Later: Aggressive, effective (Grant).
Compare the economic systems of the North and South before the Civil War.
North: Industrialized, diverse. South: Agricultural, reliant on slave labor.
Compare the political ideologies of the North and South before the Civil War.
North: Favored strong federal government. South: Favored states' rights.
Compare the goals of the Union and Confederacy at the start of the war.
Union: Preserve the Union. Confederacy: Independence.
Compare the impact of the Civil War on the North and South.
North: Economic boom, industrialization. South: Economic devastation, social upheaval.
Compare the roles of enslaved people in the North and South.
North: Gradual emancipation. South: Central to the economy and social structure.
Compare the military technologies used in the Civil War with previous conflicts.
Civil War: Ironclads, repeating rifles, more advanced. Previous: Less advanced weaponry and tactics.