Study Guide

I.  You should be able to identify and state the historical significance of the following:

  1. Clement L. Vallandigham

  2. Andrew Johnson

  3. John Wilkes Booth

  4. Robert E. Lee

  5. Thomas J. Jackson

  6. Ulysses S. Grant

  7. George B. McClellan

  8. William T. Sherman

  9. George P. Meade

  10. Salmon P. Chase

II. You should be able to describe and state the historical significance of the following:

  1. Doctrine of ultimate destination/continuous voyage.

  2. Merrimack

  3. Virginia

  4. Monitor

  5. Emancipation Proclamation

  6. Thirteenth Amendment

  7. Copperheads

  8. Union Party

  9. First Battle of Bull Run

  10. Battle of Antietam

III.  Discussion Questions:

  1. Compare the advantages of the South and the North in the Civil War.
  2. Explain the difficulty Lincoln had in finding a good general to lead the Union Army, describing the weaknesses and strengths of the various ones he tried.
  3. Why did President Lincoln issue the Emancipation Proclamation?  What were its effects?
  4. What role did diplomacy play in the Civil War?  Why did the South expect it to bring an advantage to them? Why was their expectation not fulfilled?
  5. Compare the political problems and leadership of the Union with those of the Confederacy during the War years.
  6. Which of the following do you think was the most significant battle of the Civil War: Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg. Why?
  7. Explain the economic, military, and diplomatic results of the Union victory and Confederate defeat in the Civil War.  What do you think was the main reason that the South lost?  Explain your choice.
  8. Historians usually rank the "Great Emancipator," Abraham Lincoln, as the "greatest" of American presidents.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?
  9. Assess the role of blacks, free and slave, in both North and South, in the Civil War.  Did they in any way affect the outcome?  If so, how?
  10. The Civil War has also been called the "War between the States," and the "War for Southern Independence."  Which of the three titles do you find most apt?  Why?
  11. Explain why General Sherman conducted the devastating "march to the sea."  Explain in what ways this was like conducting modern "total war."
  12. The American Pageant calls the Emancipation Proclamation a "proclamation without emancipation>"  Why?  Explain the role of the proclamation in the formulation of Northern Strategy and war goals.
  13. American Pageant contend that "the removal of Lincoln [as president in 1864] was the last real hope for a Confederate victory.  Do you agree?  Why or why not?
  14. List the three most significant immediate consequences of the Civil War.  Justify your selection and indicate which one consequence you think was the most important and why?
  15. Did the Civil War slow the United States Industrial Revolution, or did it help usher in modern America?

IV.  Bailey's online practice quiz may help you.