America's Government and 1865

In 1789 federal government was set up to make important decisions about war, civil rights, amendments to the constitution, and voting, while state governments dealt with healthcare and sanitation.

The North was industrious and progressive while the South valued traditional values and could easily find loopholes to override laws established.

There was a Governor in state government elected every 2-4 years, and a House of Representatives and legislative senate to decide on state issues such as policing, education, and health, alongside State Courts.

The federal government was responsible for foreign policy, immigration controls, running post offices, minting money, organising armed forces, war and peace, governing Washington DC, and organising armed forces/admitting new states.

State government responsibilities included determining voter qualifications and establishing government through elections, regulating contract and trade, controlling education/police, and maintaining law.

Shared powers included taxation and control of the state militia, National Guard.

In Southern States legislation could be altered, such as Roe v Wade regarding abortion.

State government included an executive, (president), house of representatives, the Senate, and the judiciary.

EXECUTIVE:

Could propose and enforce laws, chief commander of armed forces, appoints Supreme Court justices and federal court judges.

JUDICIAL POWER OVER IT:

Chief Justice presided over impeachment and could determine executive's actions as unconstitutional.

LEGISLATIVE:

Approves presidential appointments and passes federal laws, approves treaties, and establishes lower court system. 

EXECUTIVE POWER:

Can veto acts of Congress and carries out laws. Vice-president makes the tie-breaker vote in the Senate.

JUDICIARY POWER OVER LEGISLATIVE:

Can determine laws as unconstitutional and Chief Justice precides over president's impeachment.

JUDICIARY:

Reviews lower court decisions, determines if laws are constitutional, and resolves state dispute. 

EXECUTIVE'S POWER:

Appoints federal judges and Supreme Court justices, can refuse to enforce decisions.

LEGISLATIVE'S POWER:

Rejects nominees for Supreme Court justices, propose constitutional amendments, change size of federal court and number of Supreme Court judges, and impeach federal judges.

Authors of the constitution in 1789 recognised it may need to be altered. Amendments could only be made with a 2/3 majority in the House of Representatives and Senate, making it law. Only 27 amendments have been passed. 

In 1865 Abraham Lincoln announced Civil War was due to slaves, but only 25% of people the in the South owned slaves.

In 1860 Lincoln was appointed in the North but most white non-slaveholding citizens in the South saw a threat to Southern honour. In 1861 the Confederacy formed between South Carolina and six other states.

Lee's surrender to Grant on 9 April 1865 was essentially the end of the Civil War.

The South lost because:

- Confederacy President Jefferson Davis from 1861, and leaders such as Lee, showed weakness. However, others argue they provided hope. 

- There wasn't a sense of nationalism, but 500,000 volunteers were raised. 

- Hatred of the enemy was confederate nationalism. 

- Ultimately, cities were burned, crops destroyed, and armies ruined, ending the South's strength.

When war ended, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth and 4 million slaves were freed with a united America, although there was still Southern resistance.

Abraham Lincoln was a blood and iron president, but in September 1862 weeks before his Emancipation Proclamation, claimed he would save the Union by any means, through abolition or not.

 Conferate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter, South Carolina, leading to four more states joining the Confederacy. Lincoln called on forces to fight, but neither him nor the Republicans intended to stop slavery in the short term.

In 1861 war started, with 22 million in the North compared to 9 million in the south, naval forces supremacy, industrial benefits, and twice as much railway track. However, the South was difficult to blockade due to its size. The war became a defensive one with the smooth bore musket replaced by the rifle musket with 600 yards effective range, and trenches were made.

By the end of 1861, nearly a million faced each other 1200 miles along, with limited fighting such as use of mines, submarines, and railway to transport men, alongside use of telegraphs for commanders. 

In 1862 fights began with battles at Shiloh, Second Manassas, Antietam, and Fredericksburg. 

General Robert Lee was defeated at Gettysburg and General Ulysses Grant captured Vicksburg. These were the first Northern successes. 

Lee surrendered to Grant on 9 April 1865.