Taking Sides in the Civil War

Pages 507-510

General Robert E. Lee

Hopes for Peace End

• When Confederate soldiers fired on Fort Sumter, hopes for peace between the North and South ended.

• Americans had to make hard decisions about going to war.

• Many people thought the war would be short and easy.

• For most, the side to support was clear.

Taking Sides - North

• Most Northerners supported the Union.

• They believed it was wrong for the South to leave the Union.

• They were willing to fight to save the Union.

Taking Sides - South

• Most white Southerners supported the Confederacy.

• They were willing to go to war for their independence.

• Whether they owned slaves or not, many felt the North was trying to change the South.

Border States

• People in the border states of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware were torn between the Union and the Confederacy.

• Although they allowed slavery, they remained part of the Union.

• When it came to the war, some fought for the North and some for the South.

Which Side?

• In the mountains of eastern Tennessee and northern Alabama, there was very little slavery.

• Many people there sided with the North.• In western Virginia, feelings for the Union

were so strong, that the people voted to break away from Virginia and form a new state.

• West Virginia joined the Union in 1863.

Families Divided

• When war finally came, four of Henry Clay’s grandsons decided to join the Confederacy. Three others fought for the Union.

• Lincoln’s own family was divided. Mary Todd, Lincoln’s wife, had four brothers who fought for the South.

General Robert E. Lee• Lee was a West Point

graduate who had served the U.S. for 32 years.

• He fought in the war with Mexico.

• President Lincoln asked Lee to command the Union forces.

• He declined because he said he could not lead an army against his home state of Virginia.

North vs. South

North vs. South

North vs. South

North vs. South