Ari Gilder, 3-201L

SS HW #7

1. The South’s advantages included the fact that they had to only fight a defensive war, they were fighting for clear-cut goals, and many of their armies’ officers were among the finest with the best training. Also the South believed that Europe’s textile industry was so dependent on the South’s cotton that for sure they would side with the South.
2. The North greatly overpowered the South in manufacturing, population, resources, finances and transportation. The numbers were so overwhelmingly in favor of the North that it made the South’s effort seem almost futile.
3. a) Lincoln originally felt that slaves should not be emancipated for the good of the Union. He feared that if slavery was abolished, the bordering states would leave the Union for the Confederacy.

b) Many abolitionists and anti-slavery advocates had spoken out and eventually convinced Lincoln to change his mind.

4. a) African-American slaves who ran away from the South and managed to escape to the North were put up to different non-military tasks, and by the end of the war, over 200,000 ex-slaves served as cooks, spies, nurses, scouts and more for the North.

b) Originally African-Americans were excluded from the war because the issues of slavery could not be dealt with during a time of trying to subdue an uprising in the Union. Also, Lincoln and other officials feared that if blacks were allowed to participate in the military, they might give a hassle to the border states such as Kansas and Missouri which Lincoln did not want to fall into the hands of the South. And finally, the white troops themselves made it clear that they did not want to serve in the army with blacks.

c) Because of the stressing tolls of the war, the North was eventually forced to accept aid from African-Americans to serve in the army, because it became harder to recruit white soldiers.

5. The National Banking Act of 1863 allowed any five people who possessed at least $50,000 to set up a national bank. At least one third of the initial bank’s capital was required to be invested in US bonds, and then the bank was allowed to issue bank notes for a total value of about 90% of the investment.

6. The Homestead Act of 1862 provided 160 acres of land to anyone who was willing to settle it for five years and pay a small fee to register for this. As a result, about 15,000 settlers got 2.5 million acres from the US government.

7. Originally the odds had seemed that Lincoln would lose the election of 1864. However, due to General Sherman’s capture of Atlanta, a large part of the anti-war voters were persuaded that perhaps the war would soon be over. Additionally, the Democratic candidate, McClellan, didn’t even support his own party’s ideas.