Question
To what extent did the expansion of slavery contribute to the outbreak of the US Civil War?
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to consider the disputes regarding the expansion of slavery and how these disputes affected the outbreak of the war. Candidates should also be aware of other causes of the war, and determine whether the expansion of slavery was a significant cause.
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• Candidates may refer back to the Missouri Compromise of 1820 as an attempt to determine the extension of slavery in territories by the 36’30’ line.
• Acquisition of territory from Mexico in the Mexican American War, the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850, which established popular sovereignty, could be considered.
• Maintaining a balance of power in Congress with new Senators and Representatives from either slave or free states was a concern.
• The Kansas-Nebraska Act and the ensuing Bleeding Kansas increased sectionalism.
• The commonly held view by both the North and the South by 1850 that if slavery didn’t expand into new territories, it would die.
• Northerners attempted to prevent expansion of slavery, while Southerners worked to spread slavery. Some might see this as an irreconcilable difference leading to the unavoidable conflict.
• Southerners saw the emergence of the Republican Party and the election of Lincoln as the end to any chance for expansion.
• Other causes could be states’ rights, economic differences, cultural differences, and sectionalism.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
“1863 was the military and moral turning point of the US Civil War.” Discuss.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates are required to offer a considered and balanced review of the events of 1863 and determine if they constitute a turning point in the war. They should focus on both military and moral aspects of that year in the war. Counter-arguments for other turning points may be relevant.
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• Moral turning point should focus on the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect in January 1863 and indicated slavery would be abolished. Emancipation also set the stage for the use of African-American troops, who accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the Union Army by the end of the war.
• Military turning points could include Gettysburg, which repelled the Southern advance into the North, and Vicksburg, which cut the South in half; both occurred in July 1863.
• Some candidates might see Antietam in September 1862 as the turning point because it was a Northern victory stopping a Southern advance and gave Lincoln an opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. This virtually eliminated any possibility of foreign involvement, which the South desperately needed.
• Others could argue that Sherman’s capture of Atlanta and the ensuing March to the Sea in 1864 was the turning point because it physically destroyed the South, lowered morale of Confederate troops and helped Lincoln win re-election, which ended any chance of success for the peace movement in the North.
• Candidates may conclude that the military turning point and the moral turning point occurred at different times.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
“The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was the catalyst for the US Civil War.” Discuss.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates may choose to either support, deny or qualify the statement, but must assess the impact of the election directly, rather than engage in a general discussion of Civil War causes. The focus should clearly be on Abraham Lincoln, the Republican Party platform, Southern responses to the Lincoln candidacy and the election outcome as well as other relevant topics. Positions may vary but should be supported with knowledge and in-depth analysis.
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• During the 1860 campaign, the Democratic Party split into Northern and Southern factions, nominating Stephen Douglas and John C Breckinridge, respectively. The Republican Party chose Lincoln as a compromise candidate assuming his nomination would be less divisive than the nomination of William H Seward who was seen as an extreme abolitionist.
• The Republican Party platform, while condemning slavery as immoral, promised to uphold the constitutional sanctity of slavery in the South and supported the fugitive slave provision of the Compromise of 1850. Lincoln campaigned on the position that he would not end slavery, only its expansion in the territories. In his Inaugural Address, he restated that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it existed.
• The Republican Party platform included positions that appealed almost exclusively to the North and West. This included support for higher protective tariffs for industry, free land for homesteaders and internal improvements to connect the West to the East. These positions had little appeal to Southern voters. Lincoln made no attempt to campaign in the South.
• Southern extremists had warned that Lincoln’s election would cause them to lead their states toward secession. Secession began after the election while President Buchanan was still in office; he took no action in response.
• In spite of Lincoln’s victory in the election, the Republicans did not control the Supreme Court or Congress. Thus, the South had a variety of means to defend their interests, short of secession.
• The Civil War began with the attack on Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861. The South regarded the Northern attempt to send provisions to the fort, which was in Charleston, South Carolina, as an attack upon their states’ rights and autonomy. Lincoln believed he was constitutionally bound to defend Fort Sumter as property of the federal government.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.
Question
“Despite their contributions to the Union victory, African Americans achieved little from their participation in the US Civil War.” Discuss.
▶️Answer/Explanation
Ans:
Candidates must offer a considered and balanced review of the extent to which African Americans benefitted from their contribution to the Union victory in the Civil War. As relevant background, some description of African-American efforts in the Civil War is expected.
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• Over 200,000 African Americans served in the Union Army and Navy and, by the war’s end, constituted approximately 10% of the Union forces. Despite issues such as segregated units and initial low pay black soldiers served in the Union Army and earned the respect of white soldiers. Over 37,000 lost their lives in the Civil War.
• On 1 January 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation declaring the freedom of slaves in the Southern states. Despite having little immediate impact and allowing continuation of slavery in Union “border” states, this action committed the US to the eventual abolition of slavery throughout the Union. The passage of the 13th Amendment (1865) fully implemented the end of slavery.
• Congress established the Freedmen’s Bureau (1865) to assist those made destitute by the war. While having some success in advancing basic education to freedmen, attempts to resettle African Americans on confiscated land were largely unsuccessful and the funding of the Bureau ended in 1870.
• The passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments, (1868) and (1869) respectively, extended citizenship and voting rights to African-American males. Both were heavily restricted by “black codes” and later by “Jim Crow” laws.
• Share-cropping and “contract labour” replaced slavery as the white landowners attempted to perpetuate economic dependency of African Americans under conditions little different from involuntary servitude. By 1880, only 5 % of African Americans in the south had achieved independent landowning status.
• Former slaves reunited with their families and sought to advance their social autonomy. Partial success was reflected in the establishment of hundreds of African-American churches. Additionally, African-American colleges were established to educate ministers and teachers. The migration of African Americans in the south to frontier areas, such as Kansas, also advanced autonomy.
• Freedmen were elected to both the US Congress and southern state legislatures during Reconstruction and participated in the writing of new state constitutions. However, many of the liberal reforms adopted were either expunged after Reconstruction or were not enforced once the “Redeemers” took control of the legislatures.
The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, it is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.
Examiners and moderators are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.