Research Paper Preliminary Outline

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Thesis: The American Civil War brought many changes to America. There are more than one reason that caused the war.

I. Pre-war

   A. Election of 1860

   B. States

      1. States: CA; OR; TX; MN; IA; MO; AR; LA; WI; IL; MI; IN; OH; PA; NY; VI; ME; NH; MA; RI; CT; NJ; DE; MD; KY; WV; VA; TN; NC; MS; AL; GA; SC; FL

      2. Divisions: Union and Confederate

II. Beginning of the war.

   A. Causes
      1. Slavery: North wants to free slaves; South doesn't
      2. States' rights: South wants North to stop the tarriffs
      3. Sectionalism: Difference between the North and the South.

   B. Separation of states: South Carolina leaves first. Other states followed

   C. The factions

      1. The North: Capital in Washington, D.C. Advantage is that the North had more man-power, supplies, and railroads.

      2. The South: President Jefferson Davis; capital Montgomery until Virginia joins the Confederacy and changed to Richmond. Advantage is that the South had prepared for war, and it had better military leaders.

   D. President: Abraham Lincoln

   E.. First battles: South claimed Union forts in Confederate's land

      1. Fort Sumter: First shot fired. General of the Union and Confederate once were friends. Lincoln urged Union general to hold. Union lost.

      2. The First Bull Run: Union thought the South won't serious and would break up fast. Union defeated. General Jackson fought bravely and thus earned the nickname "Stonewall Jackson". The battle proved that this war is not going to be short.
      3. Virginia breaks up: Those support the Union became the state of West Virginia 

III. Middile of the war

   A. The Anaconda Plan: Proposed by General-in-Chief Winfield Scott. Ridicule by others favored the plan to directly attack Richmond. 1st step to block the South's sea. 2nd step to capture the Mississippi.
      1. Iron clad ships: Iron clad ships were created by the Confederate in the attemp to break the naval blockade. The Confederate iron clad was the Merrimack; raised from the Union ship with the same name and was renamed to Virginia; had cannons on the sides, front, and back. Union iron clad was the Monitor. Had two cannons on a rotatable stand. Union won because the Merrimack retreated.
      2. Battle of Vicksburg: One of the battles of the Union to control the Mississippi. Union won. It was the battle that make General Ulysses Grant famous.

   B. Famous Generals

      1. South

         a. Lee: Robert E. Lee. He opposed slavery and freed all of them, but joined the Confederate when his state, Virginia, joined the Confederacy.

         b. Jackson: Thomas Jackson. Had great Christian testimony. Taught his men not to drink alcohol. Die because he ride back to his camp late one night, and the guards thought he was an enemy. After his left arm was amputated, General Lee said, "He had lost his left arm, but I has lost my right."

      2. North

         a. Grant: Ulysses S. Grant. Famous at the Battle of Vicksburg. Given command of all Union army by President Lincoln.
         b. Sherman: William Tecumseh Sherman: Notable for his march to the sea. Devastated Georgia.

   C. Battle of Gettysburg: General Lee realized he had to end the war fast if he wants to win. He assaulted Gettysburg of Pennsylvania. Bloodiest battle of the Civil War. Total casualties estimated 51,000. Pickett's Charge. Over 12,000 Confederate troops charged up hill to where the Union are. Only a few hundreds make it up the hill. Lincoln gived the Gettysburg Address after the battle.
   D. Emancipation Proclaimation: Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclaimation would be in effect since January 1, 1863. It free all slaves in the South.

IV. End of the war

   A. Notable facts. Grant took a campaign called the Wilderness Campaign where he and his troops traveled through an area in norther Virginia called the wilderness. There, he fight many battles against General Lee. General Sherman with 60,000 seiged Atlanta, Georgia. Survivors fled to Savannah. Sherman followed and burned the city then head to the Carolinas. This is called the March to the Sea.

   B. Surender: General Lee finally surrendered to General Grant.

      1. Date: April 9, 1865

      2. Location: Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

      3. Notable facts: General Lee wore a grand suit while General Grant wore a private uniform with shoulder strips were attached. Grant allowed the Confederate soldiers to keep their horses ad firearms

   C. Aftermath: After the war, the North hates the South.

      1. Reconstruction: The effort started by President Lincoln to unify US in a peaceful way.
         a. 10 Percents plan. Once 10 percents of the people registered to vote vowed loyalty toward the Union, they are allowed to set up their government.
         b. Freemen Bureau. Set up to relief both black and white people after the war.

      2. Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
         a. Date: April 14, 1865
         b. Place: Ford's Theater
         c. Killer: John Wilkes Booth
         d. President after. Andrew Johnson

      3. Reconstruction after Lincoln. Congress took upon themselves the responsibility of Reconstruction
         a. Blocked Southerners from Congress
            i. South support Democratic
            ii. Congress majority is Republic
         b. Reconstruction Act of 1867. Divided former Confederacy into military districts and set marshal laws on them.


Internet Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Gettysburg#Pickett.27s_Charge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War#Causes_of_secession
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaconda_Plan
http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/bullrun.html?tab=facts