discuss the civil war Discuss the Civil War.
How did Lincoln’s election lead to secession? What was secession about?
I do not expect you to have every battle and every general involved, but you should be able to tell me the major people involved and the way the North and South were prosecuting the war. (how it became a war of attrition for example)
McClellan, Grant
Confederate leaders – Davis, Lee
You should mention some key battles that were turning points, like Ft. Sumpter, Shiloh, Antietam, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, the fall of Atlanta, Appomattox (you don’t need to go into great detail about the actual fighting)
You need to discuss the issue of slavery in the war, so you need to cover the contraband, how slavery was the cause of the war, Radical Republicans, the emancipation proclamation, black soldiers.
What was the opposition to the war in the North? (draft riots, Copperheads etc.)
Why did the North win?
Why did the South lose?