Outbreak of war (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes
Outbreak of war
The American Civil War didn't begin overnight. The tensions that had been building for decades finally reached a breaking point in 1860-1861, leading to the first shots being fired and plunging the nation into its bloodiest conflict.
The election crisis of 1860
The presidential election of 1860 became the spark that ignited the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln's victory was seen as a direct threat by Southern states, even though he hadn't yet taken any action against slavery. The South viewed Lincoln's anti-slavery Republican Party as fundamentally opposed to their way of life and economic system.
Lincoln's election was particularly controversial because the Republican Party was relatively new, having formed by 1854. This party brought together Northerners who had left other political groups like the Whig Party, united by their opposition to slavery and the concept of "Manifest Destiny" that might spread slavery westward.
Many former Democrats and members of anti-immigration parties like the Know Nothing Party also joined the Republicans, creating a powerful new political coalition focused on limiting slavery's expansion.
The secession crisis begins
When Lincoln won the presidency, Southern states saw no alternative but to leave the Union. South Carolina took the dramatic step of seceding in 1860, becoming the first state to break away. This created a domino effect - by the time Lincoln was inaugurated as president in March 1861, seven Southern states had followed South Carolina's lead and formed their own nation.
These seceding states didn't waste time in organising themselves. In February 1861, they established the Confederate States of America and chose Jefferson Davis as their president. Davis was elected to serve a six-year term under a new Confederate constitution, showing that the South was serious about creating a permanent separate nation.
The first shots at Fort Sumter
The actual fighting began in April 1861 at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. This federal fort was strategically important, and when Confederate forces demanded that Union troops leave, the soldiers refused. The Confederates responded by opening fire on the fort, marking the official start of the Civil War.
Interestingly, Confederate forces used boats rowed by enslaved people to reach the fort, highlighting the central role of slavery in the conflict from the very first battle.
Key leaders in the conflict
Abraham Lincoln
Born on 12 February 1809 in Kentucky, Lincoln came from humble beginnings and worked as a lawyer in Illinois before entering politics. During his 1860 presidential campaign, he presented himself as a man of the people who opposed wealthy slave owners. Lincoln promised to provide land to settlers in the West while stopping slavery from expanding into new territories.
His reputation as "Honest Abe" helped him win the presidency, but he faced the enormous challenge of civil war shortly after taking office. Tragically, Lincoln was assassinated in April 1865, just as the war was ending.
Jefferson Davis
Davis became the first and only president of the Confederate States of America. Born and raised in the South, he was a firm believer that slavery was both morally right and economically essential. Unlike Lincoln, Davis had military experience as a soldier and political experience, which initially made him seem well-suited for leadership.
However, he became increasingly unpopular as the war progressed and Confederate losses mounted. Union forces captured Davis in May 1865, a few weeks after the Confederacy surrendered.
Timeline of key events
- 1854: Republican Party forms, uniting anti-slavery Northerners
- 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president; South Carolina secedes from the Union
- February 1861: Confederate States of America established; Jefferson Davis elected Confederate president
- March 1861: Lincoln inaugurated as US president; seven states have now seceded
- April 1861: Battle of Fort Sumter - first shots of the Civil War fired
Key Points to Remember:
- Lincoln's election in 1860 triggered the secession crisis - Southern states saw his anti-slavery Republican Party as an existential threat
- Seven states had seceded by March 1861, forming the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as president
- Fort Sumter in April 1861 marked the actual beginning of fighting, when Confederate forces fired on the federal fort
- The Republican Party was relatively new, formed in 1854 from various anti-slavery political groups
- Both Lincoln and Davis believed their cause was just - Lincoln wanted to preserve the Union and limit slavery, while Davis fought to protect Southern independence and the slavery system