Don't Know Much About History

1) Why does the author suggest that John Brown had a sense of humor? When President Buchanan put a price of $25o on his head, Brown responded with a bounty of two dollars and fifty cents on Buchanan's.
2) What was John Brown's plan? His plan was to march south, arm the salves who would flock to his crusade, and establish a black republic in the Appalachians to wage war against the slaveholding south.
3) Why did John Brown become a symbol? He became a symbol for the abolitionist movement because he was caught and put on trial for the cause. Many came to the conclusion that he was a martyr in a just cause.
4) When and why did South Carolina secede from the union? On December 20, 1860, when it became clear that Lincoln would be the next president, South Carolina became the first state to declare its secession from the Union.
5) List some of the advantages of the North at the beginning of the war. List some of the advantages of the South at the beginning of the war. The North had a manpower advantage, as they had more than double the population of the south. They also had more than double the amount of states than the Confederacy. They were also better off in their economy and vastly outproduced the South in agriculture and livestock. The South, however, produced much more cotton than the north. The south were also better riders, knew weaponry better, and had their own rifles more often than the northerners. They also had a better spirit about them.
6) List some of the (5) famous battles of the Civil War with a brief description of each.

• The bombarding of Fort Sumter on April 12th by South Carolina militia forces was the official beginning of the war. The fort's commander surrendered because his army lacked sufficient supplies.
• The First Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) was important because it was a Confederate victory and highlighted the poor Union leadership. It was a crushing defeat, and led the Northern Congress to pay for the war by passing the first income-tax law. Enlistment periods were also increased from three months to two years.
• In the Seven Days' Battle from June 26th to July 2nd in 1862, Lee drove McClellan from Richmond. This ends the Peninsular Campaign, which could have captured Richmong and ended the war.
• The Battle of Antietam killed more than 10,000 men from each side. It is a critical turning point in the war. With Lee's defensive stalled, the likelihood of European recognition of the south is reduced, which is likely the only hope they had for winning the war.
  
• The Battle of Gettysburg in the beginning of July of 1863. Confederate troops in search of shoes met up with a detachment of Union cavalry and reinforcements are brought in on both sides. There are three days of fighting which are the final turning point in the war. The Union army took a strong defensive postion and turned back numerous Confederate assaults. Lee is unable to press his drive against the North, and Lincoln wants the remnants of the Confederate army destroyed. Meade, however, fails to press Lee and Lee is able to escape back to Virginia.
  

7) How do you view Lincoln's suspension of "the writ of habeas corpus"? I disagree with it completely. He did it while Congress was out of session, and so he could detain thousands of people without due process or even firm charges. This is no different than the modern day Guantanamo. It is completely unconstitutional and not even for a good reason.
8) What if Lee's plan had not been found at the battle of Antiem? If McClellan hadn't been given lee's battle plans at the battle of Antietam, the Confederacy probably would have won that battle. Since it was such a key turning point in the war, the Confederacy might have even won the Civil War had they won at Antietam.
9) What was the reconstruction? After the war the South was in horrible shape physically, economically and even spiritually. The idea of reconstruction was to rebuild the South while also bringing them back into the Union. The numerous plans to achieve this all involved the people of the South either swearing an oath to the Union or giving up some of their beliefs, or adopting some beliefs of the North. Finally Congress passed a series of 'Reconstruction Acts'. They divided the South into military regions under the control of generals, and statehood could only be reached by adopting a state constitution allowing blacks to vote and accepting the Fourteenth Amendment.
10) Why did the Ku Klux Klan form? Antagonized whites of the South were looking for new means of acquiring power. They began secret paramilitary societies dedicated to maintaining white supremacy. The most notorious, powerful, and long-lived was the Ku Klux Klan (still alive and well today). They used various tactics to gain enormous power in the South. They used political terrorism to frighten and suppress not only blacks, but liberal white republicans as well.
11) Discuss Andrew Johnson's impeachment. Johnson was the first president to be impeached. Artcle II, Section 4 of the Constitution says that the president shall be impeached if convicted of teason, bribery, or other high crimes. Johnson tried to dismiss War Secretary Edwin M. Stanton, which went against the Tenure of Officer Act. He was then promptly impeached.