The Road to War Part 1

United States Civil War

Created by Mr. Hemmert

Robertsdale Elementary

Objectives

• Find out why southerners believed that slavery was necessary.

• Explain why southern states oppose tariffs.• Explain why northern states disagreed with the

idea of states’ rights.• Identify important leaders of the Union and the

Confederacy. • Locate Montgomery, AL and Richmond, Virginia,

on a map.

Differences between northern and southern states:

__________ economyindustrial

free

__________ economyagricultural

“_____ states”“_____ states”slave

The differences between the North and the South are called???

Slavery

• The northern states abolished slavery in 1783. • The Northerners felt that slavery was at odds

with the spirit of democracy and the ideal of personal freedom expressed in the U.S. Constitution.

• Those who opposed slavery were called abolitionists. They organized groups in the Northeast and Midwest and were active in opposing slavery.

Slavery/Economics

• The Southerners felt that only slavery could provide enough labor to make farming profitable.

• They did not believe a wage system would work.

Economic Disagreements

• Tariffs, a tax on European goods shipped into the United States, was another sectional issue.

• Southerners opposed tariffs because they feared it would raise the cost of imported goods.

• They also feared that the north would begin to tax their exported products, especially cotton.

Other Sectional Issues

• State Rights: The southern states believed the U.S. Constitution gave each state the sovereignty to decide most issues for itself. This means that southern states could decide whether they wanted slavery or not. The northern states believed that all U.S. citizens had to obey federal laws.

States Think about Seceding

These issues became more and more divisive. Southern states began to think about seceding, or leaving the Union, and forming their own nation.

New Leadership• Abraham Lincoln is elected President of the Untied States. During the election, he had spoken out strongly against the spread of slavery and hoped that one day it would end.

• Lincoln hoped to prevent a war. “We are not enemies, but friends,” Lincoln told Southerners after taking the oath of office. “We must not be enemies.” But time was running out.

Image: http://holidays.bfn.org/lincoln/

After the Election

• After his election, South Carolina voted to leave the Union. Alabama seceded on January 11, 1861.

• The Civil War is about to begin…

TO BE CONTINUED

• Question: Now that the Southern states have seceded the Union what must they do now?

Think, Pair, and Share• Think: Think about the question and prepare a

solution. • Pair: Pair up with a neighbor and discuss your

answer.• Share: Share your thoughts with the class