THE CRUCIBLE OF WAR

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15

THE CRUCIBLE OF WAR

1861–1865

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> How did the Civil War change the nation, North and South? Chapter 15 traces the course of the Civil War, exploring the connections between events on the battlefield and the political, social, and economic divisions on the home fronts. It explains how the war became a fight for black freedom and examines why the North ultimately won the war.

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Figure false: “Price Raid,” October 1864. This 1865 illustration by Samuel J. Reader shows a regiment of Kansas militia captured by Confederate soldiers in Texas. Reader was one of the captives. Kansas State Historical Society.

> Why did both the Union and the Confederacy consider control of the border states crucial?

> Why did each side expect to win?

> How did each side fare in the early years of the war?

> How did the war for union become a fight for black freedom?

> What problems did the Confederacy face at home?

> How did the war affect the economy and politics of the North?

> How did the Union finally win the war?

> Conclusion: In what ways was the Civil War a “Second American Revolution”?