Fort Sumter

Confederate States of America was formed one month before Lincoln’s inauguration

“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”

Argued that secession was illegal

Says he will defend all federal properties in South

Confederate soldiers took over Federal post offices, courts, military forts

Fort Sumter in SC and Fort Pickens in FL were still in Union hands

Confederacy demanded the union surrender the forts

Commander: Major Anderson

Fort was still under construction, half the cannons had not been delivered yet

Vulnerable position 6 weeks worth of

supplies left

Needs to be resupplied

Fully armed Defensible position

Does not want to be seen as firing the first shots VA, MD, DL, AK, KY, TN, NC,

MO had not seceded The public would be united

if the south fired first Does not want to give fort

to confederacy: would be admitting they are sovereign Wants to defend all federal

properties Does not want to be seen

giving in to the south General Winfield Scott

recommends abandoning both forts for political reasons To keep the border states in

the Union.

Lincoln orders supplies be sent to Fort Sumter◦ “Food for hungry men”

Confederate troops open fire Anderson surrenders

Impact of Fort Sumter◦ TN, VA, NC, AK secede◦ MD, KY, DL, MO do not secede

Would have doubled manufacturing capacity of south At times Lincoln declared martial law in these states

◦ North is united against rebellions: scores of men volunteer War aim is to keep union together, not about slavery

Larger Population Large Manufacturing base Controls most of the banking and capital of

the country Railroads Loyal U.S. Navy

Profits from cotton exports Could fight a defensive war First-rate generals Soldiers who were highly motivated to

defend their homeland

Non-succesive six year terms for the President ◦ Jefferson Davis P◦ Alexander Stephens VP

Denied congress power to levy tariff, spend money on internal improvements

Davis tried to increase executive powers but governors resisted

Three Part Plan ◦ The Union navy would blockade southern ports

So the south could not import manufactured goods or sell cotton

◦ Union riverboats and armies would move down Mississippi River and split the Confederacy in two

◦ Union armies would capture the Confederate capital at Richmond, VI

Survive

Wanted to see U.S. split in two ◦ Create a balance of power in North America ◦ Protect their colonies ◦ Potentially take new colonies-Napoleon III takes

Mexico

Two Confederate diplomats were on the British steamer the Trent ◦ Mission to gain recognition from British

Union warship arrested the diplomats Britain threatened war if they were not

released Lincoln released them They failed to gain British recognition of the

Confederacy

British sold warships to confederacy ◦ Alabama captured 60

vessels before being sunk Confederacy arranged to

buy Laird rams (ships with iron rams) from the British ◦ U.S. minister to Britain

Charles Francis Adams convinced the British to cancel the sale

Britain did not intervene in the war ◦ Had large stockpiles of cotton, also got cotton

from Egypt and India ◦ Emancipation Proclamation made the war about

slavery, British public would not support war for slavery

North borrowed 2.6 billion Instituted first income tax Printed paper currency called Greenbacks

not backed by gold causing inflation Created National Bank Growth in manufacturing industry

Morill Tariff Act (1861)◦ Raised tariff rates

Homestead Act (1862)◦ 160 acres of land to person or family

Morill Land Grant Act (1862)◦ Sale of federal lands would be used for

agricultural and technical colleges The Pacific Railway Act (1862)

◦ Transcontinental railroad through northern route

Absence of men opened up jobs for women ◦ Operated farms or worked in factories

Opened up the field of nursing to women Sparked women’s rights movement

Principle of Habeas Corpus- a person cannot be held without being charged with a crime ◦ Written into the

constitution

On September 24th 1862 Lincoln suspended habeas corpus◦ Can arrest anyone, for

any reason, indefinitely ◦ Constitution states only

congress can suspend habeas corpus in times of rebellion

13,000 suspected confederate sympathizers were arrested and held without trial◦ Included newspaper men

and copperheads (Northern Democrats who wanted to make peace with the south)

◦ Most were released after a short period of time

Some were put before a military tribunal Military Tribunal- trial but without the

protections of the constitution

Lambdin Milligan was accused of planning to steal Union weapons

Found guilty by military tribunal and sentenced to death

Appealed to Supreme Court ◦ Ruled government cannot use military tribunals if

civilian courts are still operational