Deck 16: The War of the Union

Question 1

With the absence of southern congressmen during the war, Republicans blocked the National Banking Act of 1863.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

The First Battle of Bull Run was a Union defeat.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The mountainous region of Tennessee was among the most pro-Confederate areas in the South.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Copperheads were members of the extreme fringe of the peace wing of the Democratic party.

Question 5

In his inaugural speech, Lincoln:

A) said the Union is eternal
B) basically told the seceded states "good riddance"
C) promised to abolish slavery
D) called for military volunteers
E) was angry and defiant toward the South

Question 6

Lincoln's first cabinet:

A) was filled with Southerners to try to avoid a civil war
B) had a majority of Democrats to end partisan bickering
C) was renowned for its incompetence and corruption
D) was filled with strong leaders of better-than-average ability, several of whom had been Lincoln's rivals for the presidency
E) resigned at the outbreak of the Civil War

Question 7

Lincoln responded to the fall of Fort Sumter in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

A) calling for loyal states to provide volunteers
B) ordering a naval blockade of southern ports
C) ordering federal ships close the Mississippi River to navigation
D) making one last offer to the South to avoid war in exchange for protecting slavery in perpetuity
E) ordering naval squadrons to cordon off southern ports along the Atlantic coast and Gulf of Mexico

Question 8

Several of Lincoln's cabinet members had been his rivals for the presidency.

Question 9

What effect did the Union naval blockade of southern ports have on the Confederacy?

A) Not much, since commerce continued mostly unmolested.
B) It quickly choked off southern commercial activity.
C) It inspired dramatic southern economic growth since the South was forced to become self-sufficient.
D) Food prices declined as the economy slowed.
E) It prompted Britain to offer diplomatic recognition to the Confederacy.

Question 10

Lincoln replaced McClellan as Union commander because McClellan was overly aggressive.

Question 11

Union forces suffered defeat at Shiloh due to Grant's heavy drinking.

Question 12

The Confederates were inspired to bombard Fort Sumter as a result of:

A) Lincoln's inaugural speech
B) Lincoln's decision to resupply it
C) Lincoln's invasion of Virginia
D) Jefferson Davis's aggressive mentality
E) the threat it posed to the people of Charleston

Question 13

The paper money known as greenbacks issued by the U.S. Treasury during the war was not backed by gold or silver.

Question 14

For many American women, the Civil War provided new opportunities that marked a significant change in their status.

Question 15

Opposition to the draft provoked a weeklong riot in New York City.

Question 16

Four states joined the Confederacy after President Lincoln called on the loyal states to supply an army to put down the southern rebellion.

Question 17

In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln said: "I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."

Question 18

Due to its superior resources, the North's victory in the Civil War was guaranteed.

Question 19

The Battle of Antietam marked the bloodiest single day of the Civil War.

Question 20

General Grant's strategy was to relentlessly attack the Confederates, grind down their numbers, and reduce their will to fight.

Question 21

Fighting along the Kansas-Missouri border:

A) pitted Indian tribes against each other
B) featured brutal guerrilla warfare
C) produced the war's highest casualties
D) brought Grant to Lincoln's attention
E) gave Confederates control of the West

Question 22

What does the "anaconda strategy" refer to?

A) It was the name of the South's strategy to choke northern industry.
B) It was a strategy of passive resistance among slaves to strangle the southern plantation economy from within.
C) It was the name of Britain's strategy to get the two sides to slither to the negotiating table and achieve a lasting peace.
D) It was the initial three-pronged Union strategy that included, among other things, a blockade of the southern coast to strangle the South.
E) It proposed to use biological weapons developed from the poisonous venom of snakes against the South.

Question 23

Robert E. Lee joined the Confederates because he:

A) hated Lincoln
B) was promised a lot of money
C) had not been promoted in the U.S. Army
D) was loyal to Virginia
E) was asked by his friend Jefferson Davis

Question 24

What statement best describes Missouri's position in the Civil War?

A) Solidly pro-Unionist, both officially and in public opinion
B) Solidly pro-Confederacy, both officially and in public opinion
C) Officially part of the Union, but with pro-Confederate forces and rebel militia that supported and fought for the Confederacy
D) Officially part of the Confederacy, but with pro-Union forces and loyalist militia that supported and fought for the Union
E) Neutral

Question 25

All of the following are true about the Battle of Antietam EXCEPT:

A) the Confederates were outnumbered more than two to one
B) it was the bloodiest single day of the war
C) McClellan vigorously pursued the retreating Lee
D) Lee hoped a victory would gain the Confederacy foreign recognition
E) it helped inspire Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation

Question 26

One of the reasons that the First Battle of Bull Run was such a sobering experience for both North and South was that both sides:

A) fled the battlefield before the battle was decided
B) mutinied against their leader
C) tried to surrender after the first exchange of fire
D) realized they were not willing to fight a long war
E) underestimated the other's strength and tenacity

Question 27

All of the following slave states remained in the Union EXCEPT:

A) Maryland
B) Kentucky
C) Tennessee
D) Delaware
E) Missouri

Question 28

The argument that the Civil War began primarily as a southern fight to defend liberty and the right of self-government is unsatisfactory because:

A) the Union already claimed to be fighting to defend liberty and self-government
B) southerners never claimed to be concerned with liberty and self-government
C) the South established a monarchy after secession
D) the Confederacy envisioned a dictatorship as the ideal government
E) it ignores the fact that southern leaders in 1860-1861 used slavery to justify secession and war

Question 29

Much of the Confederacy's diplomatic efforts were aimed at:

A) Britain
B) Egypt and India
C) South America
D) Spain
E) China

Question 30

After the fall of Fort Sumter, what common hope did partisans on both sides hold?

A) The inevitable long war would be a contest of bravery.
B) The fighting would bring new immigrants to the United States as workers.
C) The war would last a long time, thus helping the United States get out of its economic depression.
D) The war would be quick, ending with one sudden bold stroke, like the capture of the enemy's capital.
E) The war would provoke French or British intervention.

Question 31

The South had a chance to win the Civil War despite substantial northern advantages because:

A) it immediately attacked Washington, D.C.
B) it mobilized women to fight in the conflict
C) it was equal to the North in manpower if you count the slaves
D) the north needed southern markets to maintain its economic advantage
E) it had the advantage of fighting a defensive war

Question 32

Which of the following statements accurately describes the response of increasing numbers of enslaved African Americans as the Civil War dragged on?

A) They volunteered to help the Confederacy.
B) They remained neutral.
C) They worked in a variety of ways to undermine and weaken the Confederacy.
D) They fled to Canada.
E) They enslaved their former masters.

Question 33

At the beginning of the Civil War, the North:

A) generated less farm production than the South
B) had about the same extent of railroad development as the South
C) produced almost 60 percent of the nation's manufactures
D) had an edge of about four to one in potential manpower
E) had fewer ships and firearms than the South

Question 34

All of the following were advantages the North held over the South EXCEPT:

A) more experienced military leaders
B) a larger population
C) industrial development
D) transportation resources
E) naval strength

Question 35

The Trent episode of late 1861:

A) helped break the Union blockade
B) brought the Confederacy French recognition
C) was part of the Confederacy's effort to gain foreign assistance
D) involved the capture of a Confederate vessel
E) illustrated Confederate use of raiding ships

Question 36

Why did anti-draft rioters in New York City target African Americans for their violence?

A) African Americans generally refused to enlist.
B) African Americans had been exempted from the draft.
C) African Americans often sympathized with the Confederacy.
D) African Americans were given the best military positions.
E) African Americans were blamed for causing the war and taking jobs from white workers.

Question 37

Why is the battle at Fort Donelson significant?

A) It was the site of the most important battle in the eastern theater before 1864.
B) It was an important Union fortification on the Great Lakes.
C) It fell to Robert E. Lee in 1863.
D) It was the site of the first major Union victory.
E) When captured, it gave the Union full control of the Mississippi.

Question 38

The first real battle of the war:

A) was the First Battle of Bull Run
B) was the Battle of Harpers Ferry
C) was a victory for the Union forces at Antietam
D) resulted in the death of General Albert S. Johnston in Atlanta
E) made both sides think victory would be quick and easy

Question 39

What legal option did draftees on either side have if they chose not to serve?

A) They could hire a substitute.
B) They could leave the country.
C) They could volunteer for community service instead.
D) They could claim insanity.
E) They could claim to be a pacifist.

Question 40

All of the following were strategies used to build the armies of the Civil War EXCEPT:

A) calling for volunteers
B) implementing a draft
C) kidnapping recent immigrants
D) calling on former military personnel to reenlist
E) using currently enlisted military personnel

Question 41

Why was the U.S. Treasury's decision to issue greenbacks a profoundly important development for the U.S. economy?

A) It was the first time U.S. currency was backed by precious metals.
B) It caused runaway inflation for the first time in American history.
C) It was the first time U.S. currency could not be exchanged for gold or silver and instead relied on public trust in the government.
D) It entirely eliminated the need for any government taxation during the war.
E) It subordinated the U.S. dollar to the British pound for the duration of the nineteenth century.

Question 42

At Gettysburg, the Confederate Army:

A) was repulsed with terrible losses
B) broke through the Union center
C) captured the town of Gettysburg with its valuable supplies
D) led the Confederate retreat
E) was sent south to relieve Vicksburg

Question 43

By late in the war, food in the Confederacy:

A) was imported from England
B) remained plentiful
C) could not be purchased with paper money
D) was outrageously expensive
E) was limited to vegetables

Question 44

All of the following statements about the formation of black army units are true EXCEPT:

A) black army units never saw any significant action
B) the 54th Massachusetts was one of the first
C) the vast majority of "colored troops" were former slaves or free blacks from the south
D) blacks were paid less than their white counterparts
E) the decision to form black army units confirmed the shift from a war to preserve the Union to revolution seeking to transform the South

Question 45

How did the Emancipation Proclamation change the nature of the Civil War?

A) It freed all the slaves, including those in the border states that remained loyal to the Union.
B) It put the momentum squarely on the side of the Confederacy.
C) It prompted the Confederacy to surrender.
D) It caused the remaining border states to leave the Union and join the Confederacy.
E) It transformed the Civil War from a war to restore the Union to a struggle over slavery.

Question 46

Congress did all of the following during the war EXCEPT:

A) ban foreign immigration
B) approve a transcontinental railroad
C) raise tariff rates
D) pass a Homestead Act
E) establish state colleges teaching "agriculture and mechanic arts"

Question 47

As Union commander, Grant was best characterized by his:

A) tactical caution
B) alcoholism
C) ability to train and inspire troops
D) belief the war would be won in the West
E) plan to relentlessly attack

Question 48

After a succession of devastating defeats in 1863, why did Confederate leaders still believe they could achieve a favorable negotiated peace settlement?

A) They still believed in the superiority of the Confederate military.
B) They hoped that by fighting a war of attrition, war-weary northerners would eventually agree to negotiate peace.
C) The strength of the Confederacy's industrial economy had grown tremendously during the war.
D) By 1864, most slaves had declared their loyalty to the Confederate cause.
E) The Union was bankrupt and unable to fight aggressively.

Question 49

At the battle of Chancellorsville:

A) the Union turned back a Confederate invasion
B) Lee displayed his typical caution
C) the Confederates lost Stonewall Jackson
D) black troops turned the tide for the Union
E) General Hooker delivered the big victory Lincoln had been seeking

Question 50

All of the following battles resulted in Confederate victories EXCEPT:

A) Vicksburg
B) First Bull Run
C) Second Bull Run
D) Chancellorsville
E) Fredericksburg

Question 51

All of the following are true of religion during the war EXCEPT:

A) revivals swept both armies
B) both sides claimed God's favor
C) African Americans saw the relevance of Exodus
D) women became more active in churches
E) Lincoln claimed to be certain of God's purpose

Question 52

Why did the greatest challenges to Confederate President Jefferson Davis come from other southern politicians?

A) They all coveted the office of the presidency.
B) They were not enthusiastic supporters of the war.
C) Their insistence on "state's rights" made it difficult for the Confederate government to exert its authority.
D) They were all Republicans and Whigs.
E) They objected to Davis's efforts to end slavery.

Question 53

The 54th Massachusetts Regiment's attack on the defenses of Charleston, South Carolina, was significant because:

A) it prompted South Carolina to leave the Confederacy
B) it opened a corridor to conquer the rest of the Confederacy
C) it did much to win acceptance in the North for both black soldiers and emancipation
D) it was the major reason the North won the war
E) it led to the capture of Jefferson Davis

Question 54

Of all the women who served during the war, some twenty-thousand did so as:

A) soldiers and guerillas
B) spies and double agents
C) cooks and washers
D) nurses and other health-related volunteers
E) chaplains and rabbis

Question 55

At Petersburg:

A) the Confederates finally had superior numbers
B) Grant put the Confederates under siege
C) the armies fought in a burning forest
D) Lee received plentiful reinforcements
E) a victory boosted Confederate morale

Question 56

Hood's attack at Franklin:

A) led to his army's slaughter
B) forced Sherman to abandon Atlanta
C) made him one of the South's greatest heroes
D) recaptured key rail lines
E) restored Tennessee to Confederate control

Question 57

To deal with disloyalty, Lincoln sometimes:

A) had traitors shot
B) postponed elections
C) shut down the press
D) suspended habeas corpus
E) declared a temporary dictatorship

Question 58

The Emancipation Proclamation:

A) called for a slave uprising
B) was justified as a military necessity
C) hurt U.S. relations with Britain and France
D) immediately freed every slave
E) reflected Lincoln's changing views on the morality of slavery

Question 59

Slavery was ultimately eradicated by:

A) the Emancipation Proclamation
B) Lee's surrender
C) the Thirteenth Amendment
D) an act of Congress
E) divine intervention

Question 60

Which of the following statements best describes the Civil War at the end of 1862?

A) Union troops had a definite edge in the East.
B) Union troops had a definite edge in the West.
C) After the decisive victories at Fredericksburg and Antietam, Union officers anticipated a quick end to the war.
D) The war in the East was a virtual deadlock.
E) The recruitment of black troops had given the North a huge advantage.

Question 61

Discuss the role black soldiers played in the Civil War. How widespread was their use, and how were they received by their fellow soldiers?

Question 62

Describe the impact the Civil War had on the environment.

Question 63

List and describe briefly the reasons why the North won the Civil War. What were the North's strengths and advantages?

Question 64

At Appomattox Court House:

A) Jefferson Davis was captured
B) Joseph Johnston led his last attack against Sherman
C) the last battle of the war took place
D) most Confederate resistance ended
E) the Confederates shifted to guerrilla warfare

Question 66

Describe the Battle of Bull Run. Why was there a sense of naïve optimism, and what impact did the outcome have on both sides?

Question 67

What was the military strategy of each side at the start of the Civil War? How and why did it change as the war continued?

Question 68

Lincoln's second inaugural address:

A) called for revenge on the South
B) disappointed most his audience
C) was a plea for reconciliation
D) showed his indifference to religion
E) declared the war was now over

Question 69

Discuss the issue of conscription. How did the North and the South implement it?

Question 70

Trace the Battle of Antietam, and describe its overall significance on the outcome of the Civil War.

Question 71

Describe domestic politics during the war, both northern and southern. What problems did Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis face? How did they deal with these problems?

Question 72

The military death toll in the Civil War was over:

A) 1,000,000
B) 140,000
C) 375,000
D) 620,000
E) 2,000,000

Question 73

Which of the following is NOT true of the Civil War?

A) Over 600,000 died.
B) One out of every twelve men served in the war.
C) "Rifled" guns contributed to the killing.
D) American losses were greater than in World War II.
E) Most of the deaths occurred in battle.

Question 74

Why did the South lose the war? What were its weaknesses and disadvantages?

Question 75

Account for the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, showing how it was both shrewd military and diplomatic strategy and an effort for humanitarian reform.

Question 76

More than any other general, William T. Sherman recognized:

A) the connection between the South's economy, its morale, and its ability to wage war
B) the greatness of the Confederate army
C) that the South would never unconditionally surrender
D) the need to march through Georgia with respect for the Confederacy
E) the need to kill masses of enemy civilians

Question 77

MATCHING
Match each description with the item below.