Civil+War+Discussion+Questions

Here are some of the key questions that we'll be discussing in class about the Civil War. Please come to class ready to discuss these questions!

1. How justified were Lincoln's wartime abridgments of civil liberties and his treatment of the Copperheads?

2. What were the advantages of the South during the Civil War? What were the advantages of the North? What advantage proved most important to each side? What were the disadvantages of each side? Which disadvantage proved most troublesome?

3. How did the Civil War reshape the Americas?

4. How was the impact of the Civil War different for the soldiers and civilians of the North and South?

5. Did the results of the Civil War justify its cost? Does the answer to that question depend partly on whether you are a Northerner or a Southerner, black or white?

6. What made Lincoln a great president? Was it primarily his political leadership or his personal qualities and character?

7. Why did the North win the Civil War? How might the South have won?

8. Should the Civil War be seen primarily as a war to save the Union or as a war to free the slaves? Why? What name would give to the conflict?

9. What role did race and racism play in the Civil War? How did the war itself reflect and affect American attitudes toward race? Why were the black Union soldiers so critical in this regard? What impact did Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation have on the war and society?