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March 4, 1861Lincoln is President
On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States. He was the first president from the Republican Party. Abraham Lincoln ended slavery in the south. -
April 12, 1861 Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was the opening of the American civil war. The confederate opened fire on the fort in April 13. Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter and he evacuated the following day. -
April 14, 1861 Lincoln calls out The Militia
President Lincoln asked the union states to provide 75,000 militiamen for 90 days to put down the uprising of the south. Virginia was wealthy and populous, and the Confederacy in May of 1861 Moved its capital to Richmond. Robert E. Lee became commanding general of the army of northern Virginia. -
June 1861 -- Four Slave States Stay in the Union
After Virginia seceded, both sides knew that the bordered states would play a key role in the war’s outcome. Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri were slave states that bordered states in which slavery was illegal. Their location and resources could tip the scale toward one side -
June 1861 West Virginia is born
Both Missouri and Delaware also stayed in the Union. In Virginia, federal troops helped a group of western counties break away. These counties formed the state West Virginia and returned to the Union. -
1861 Choosing sides
Keeping Maryland in the Union was important for the North. If Maryland seceded, then Washington, D.C. would be cut off from the Union. Lincoln considered arresting Maryland lawmakers who backed the south, but he decided against it. -
Advantages of the North
The Union had huge advantages in manpower and resources. The North had about 22 million people. Almost all naval power belonged to the North. -
Advantages of the South
The confederacy had roughly 9 million. It began the war with able generals, such as Robert E. Lee. It also had the advantage of fighting in defensive position. In addition, soldiers defending their homes have more will to fight than invaders do. -
Anaconda Plan
It was a plan designed to smother the South’s economy like a giant anaconda snake squeezing its prey. It called for a plan for a naval blockade of the South’s coastline. This plan also called for the Union to gain control of the Mississippi river. -
King Cotton
The South depended on the King cotton as a way to win foreign support. Cotton was king because Southern cotton as important in the world market. The South grew most of the cotton for Europe’s textile mills.
