Format: You should prepare to answer the following identifications and essay question.  
IDs: I will select five (5) from the below list, and you will have the choice of  
answering three (3) of the five. The IDs will cover all lectures and readings  
since the midterm. Recommended time: 30 minutes  
Essay: You will answer to the below prompt with a comprehensive essay  
that builds a broad and detailed discussion of course themes. Recommended  
time: 60++ minutes.  
Special Instructions: Bring one large, 11 x 8.5 inch, blue book and a BLUE or BLACK pen. Do not write your name on the blue book as I will collect and redistribute them.

PART ONE – LIST OF POSSIBLE IDs
Be prepared to write a short answer (2 paragraphs) that explains what the event/person/place/ thing is and, most important, why it’s historically significant.

1. Minié Ball
2. The Eastern Theater
3. “Revolution” of 1861
4. Popular Sovereignty
5. Little Round Top
6. Confiscation Acts
7. Declaration of Sentiments
8. Immediatism
9. The Unlikely Candidate
10. “Trade in Indentured Servants” (1750)
11. Debating Societies
12. Harpers Ferry
13. Washington as a Farmer (1851)
14. Constitutional Compromise on Slavery
15. The Case of Hester Tate
16. Thirteenth Amendment
17. The Western Theater
18. Election of 1864
19. Cotton Revolution
20. The “Fishhook”
21. Gradualism
22. Sophia & Hugh Auld
23. Second Inaugural Address
24. Colonel Marcus Speigel & Private Chauncey Welton
25. “Revolution” of 1860
26. Marye’s Heights
27. The Emancipation Policy
28. Fitzhugh, Proslavery View on Free Labor (1854)

Part II - Essay

Prompt: The Civil War and debates about it continue to haunt the United States in 2024. Assume that you had to explain the war to someone today with regards to the three following questions:

What historical events, ideas, and developments (from 1776 forward) caused the US nation to fall into armed conflict in 1861? How did various Americans (soldiers, civilians, slaves, President Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, et cetera) understand the war’s purpose or meaning – and how did their understandings evolve between 1861 and 1865? In your view, what lessons may the Civil War era offer to Americans amid challenging times today?

Use specific evidence from your lecture notes and course readings (including especially the chapters from McPherson’s For Cause and Comrades, Lincoln’s speeches, and the Narrative of Frederick Douglass) to argue and support your points

STUDY IDS

1. Minié Ball

• Invented by Claude-Étienne Minié in the 1840s.
• A conical bullet with a hollow base, used in rifled muskets.
• Increased accuracy and range of firearms, leading to higher casualties in the Civil War.
• Historically significant as it transformed battlefield tactics and warfare lethality.

2. The Eastern Theater

• Refers to Civil War operations in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
• Included major battles: Antietam, Gettysburg, and the Wilderness Campaign.
• Key focus for Confederate and Union armies due to proximity to capitals (Washington, D.C., and Richmond).

3. “Revolution” of 1861

• Refers to the onset of the Civil War and the radical transformation of American society.
• Marked the shift from a union of states to a centralized federal government.
• Significant for initiating debates on freedom, slavery, and national identity.

4. Popular Sovereignty

• Principle allowing territories to decide on slavery through vote.
• Championed by Stephen Douglas in the Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854).
• Led to “Bleeding Kansas” and escalated tensions pre-Civil War.

5. Little Round Top

• A key hill at the Battle of Gettysburg (1863).
• Defended by Union forces, including Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine regiment.
• Turning point in the battle, critical to Union victory.

6. Confiscation Acts

• Laws passed in 1861 and 1862 during the Civil War.
• Allowed Union forces to seize Confederate property, including enslaved people.
• Paved the way for emancipation policies and undermined Confederate labor systems.

7. Declaration of Sentiments

• Drafted at the Seneca Falls Convention (1848).
• Modeled on the Declaration of Independence to demand women’s rights, including suffrage.
• Launched the women’s rights movement in America.

8. Immediatism

• Abolitionist belief advocating immediate end to slavery without gradual measures.
• Prominent figures: William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass.
• Significant for shaping radical abolitionist efforts pre-Civil War.

9. The Unlikely Candidate

• Likely refers to Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 election.
• Rose from humble beginnings with limited national experience.
• His election led to Southern secession and the Civil War.

10. “Trade in Indentured Servants” (1750)

• System where individuals worked under contract for passage to America.
• Replaced over time by slavery as the dominant labor system in the colonies.
• Significant for shaping early labor practices and class dynamics.

11. Debating Societies

• Popular in the 18th and 19th centuries for discussing political and philosophical ideas.
• Fostered public engagement with issues like slavery, rights, and governance.
• Important for the development of American democratic culture.

12. Harpers Ferry

• Site of John Brown’s 1859 raid to incite a slave uprising.
• Failed but heightened national tensions over slavery.
• Significant as a catalyst for the Civil War.

13. Washington as a Farmer (1851)

• Refers to a painting emphasizing George Washington’s agrarian leadership.
• Romanticized rural life as central to American identity.
• Reflects the antebellum idealization of farming and simplicity.

14. Constitutional Compromise on Slavery

• Encompassed clauses like the Three-Fifths Compromise and the Fugitive Slave Clause.
• Allowed slavery to persist without being explicitly mentioned in the Constitution.
• Delayed but did not resolve sectional conflict.

15. The Case of Hester Tate

• Legal case involving a mixed-race woman in colonial America.
• Highlights early contradictions in racial identity and legal status.
• Significant for understanding evolving racial hierarchies.

16. Thirteenth Amendment

• Ratified in 1865, abolished slavery in the United States.
• Culmination of Civil War emancipation efforts.
• Fundamental in reshaping American society and civil rights.

17. The Western Theater

• Civil War campaigns west of the Appalachians, including battles like Shiloh and Vicksburg.
• Crucial for controlling the Mississippi River and dividing the Confederacy.
• Played a significant role in Union victory.

18. Election of 1864

• Lincoln vs. McClellan during the Civil War.
• Lincoln’s victory ensured continuation of Union war efforts.
• Significant as a referendum on emancipation and war policies.

19. Cotton Revolution

• Expansion of cotton cultivation in the South, driven by the cotton gin and slavery.
• Economic backbone of the antebellum South.
• Central to sectional tensions and the Civil War.

20. The “Fishhook”

• Union defensive line shape at Gettysburg (1863).
• Effective positioning ensured strong defense and victory.
• Crucial to Union success in the battle.

21. Gradualism

• Belief in the slow abolition of slavery over time.
• Contrasted with immediatism and informed early antislavery movements.
• Significant for its limitations in addressing slavery’s urgency.

22. Sophia & Hugh Auld

• Figures in Frederick Douglass’s life; Sophia initially taught him to read.
• Their interactions illustrate the complexities of slavery’s personal impact.
• Significant in Douglass’s narrative and broader abolitionist discourse.
• Yes there are these bonds, but this is still slavery

23. Second Inaugural Address

• Delivered by Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
• Emphasized reconciliation and divine justice for slavery.
• Significant as a moral framework for post-war Reconstruction.

24. Colonel Marcus Spiegel & Private Chauncey Welton

• Union soldiers whose writings reflect diverse Civil War experiences.
• Spiegel: Jewish officer, highlighted anti-slavery transformation.
• Welton: Common soldier, detailed daily life and motivations.

25. “Revolution” of 1860

• Refers to Lincoln’s election and the sectional realignment.
• Marked a seismic shift toward abolitionist-influenced governance.
• Triggered Southern secession and Civil War.

26. Marye’s Heights

• Site of the Battle of Fredericksburg (1862).
• Confederate defensive stronghold, repelled repeated Union assaults.
• Symbolized the brutality and futility of frontal attacks.

27. The Emancipation Policy

• Lincoln’s policy evolved from preserving the Union to ending slavery.
• Culminated in the Emancipation Proclamation (1863).
• Significant for transforming the Civil War’s purpose and legacy.

28. Fitzhugh, Proslavery View on Free Labor (1854)

• George Fitzhugh argued slavery was superior to Northern wage labor.
• Defended slavery as a paternalistic system benefiting all parties.
• Significant for illustrating pro-slavery ideology’s intellectual justifications.