People’s Contest, Chapter 10, “The Dialogue of Politics: Loyalty and Unity,” 1863-1864   p. 231-262

1.    In what way did Democrat, John Merryman oppose the Civil War?

2.    Identify one example where opposition to the war in regions of Democratic loyalty turned violent.

3.    In your own words, briefly explain why the poem printed in a Democratic newspaper in Pennsylvania exceeded political decency.

4.    What did state legislators from Democratic controlled Illinois and Indiana threaten to pass to oppose the war?

5.    To what did Democrats profess their loyalty?

6.    Identify one example by which the Democrats demonstrated their loyalty to the Union.

7.    What local organizations were created to rally Republicans and Democrats favorable to the war?  These groups often used intimidation and mob violence against antiwar protesters.

8.    What conclusion can be reached from Mark Neely’s research regarding arrests made for war-time dissent?

9.    What happened to the National Zeitung when the government concluded that its print was seditious?

10. What government policy (or practice) was most effective in moderating dissension in the opposition press?

11. What change did Abraham Lincoln make to the sentence handed down to Vallandigham for violating General Order No. 38?

12. What was the Democratic party motto in 1864?

13. In what way did Congress respect the civilian judicial process in passing a law that sustained the president’s suspension of the writ of habeas corpus?

14. In what way were Democratic party’s presidential nominee and Abraham Lincoln connected in the past?

15. What platform did the Democrats adopt in 1864 that appeased the Vallandighams of the party?

16. What issues did Democrats avoid in their party platform and rhetoric that kept them unified during the 1864 elections?

17. What action did Lincoln take that crippled the effort by Salmon Chase to interfere with the president’s campaign for renomination?

18. Identify one issue that backers of John C. Fremont supported in challenging Lincoln’s nomination from the left.

19. For what reason did many Republicans stay away from the Radical Democracy party?

20. What plank did Republicans include in their platform that reflected a shift by the party to appease Republican radicals?

21. Identify one part of Lincoln’s Ten Percent reconstruction plan for the South.

22. What was the primary difference between Lincoln’s Ten Percent Plan of reconstruction and the Wade-Davis Plan?

23. Identify the primary reason why Lincoln remained silent about the Wade-Davis Plan of reconstruction supported by Congress?

24. For what reason did the Republican party replace Hannibal Hamlin with Andrew Johnson as their vice presidential candidate?

25. To what does the author primarily attribute the Republican victory in 1864?

People’s Contest - Chapter 12   "Frankenstein and Everyman: Sherman, Grant, and Modern War" p. 287

26. General McClellan understood the economic, institution, and organizational structures of modern warfare.  However, what transformation was McClellan was not able comprehend or adapt as the Civil War progressed?

27. What was the goal of the Confederacy in invading the North in the late spring of 1863?

28. What did the prewar struggle between North and South symbolize for William T. Sherman?

29. For what reason was General Sherman relieved of his command?

30. With what words did General Sherman sum up his friendship with General Grant?

31. Briefly explain how General Sherman experienced some close calls in the battle Shiloh?

32. For what reason did General Sherman hold civilian populations accountable for insurgent attacks Union troops?

33. Identify one example in which General Sherman punished Southern civilians for insurgent attacks on Union troops.

34. Generals McClellan and Halleck implemented similar strategies of fortifying occupied territory, organizing the army, and gathering supplies.  For what reason was Halleck able to get away with this strategy while McClellan could not?

35. Identify one of three reasons why the capture of Vicksburg was important to the Union.

36. With what victory did General Grant cut the Confederacy in half?

37. In what way did General Grant’s appearance, personality, and approach to warfare reflect the reality of the conflict?

38. In what way did the hardships and failures in Grant’s life make him a successful general?

39. How did Secretary of War Stanton plan to reinforce the nearly entrapped Union general Rosecans in Chattanooga?

40. For what reason did General Sherman denounce the claim by the mayor of Atlanta that he was being cruel to the people of Atlanta?

41. Why does the author call into question the notion that Sherman’s march carried out the most horrible deeds of modern warfare?

42. In what way did the Civil War advance international law of war toward more humane standards, even while nurturing new concepts in war?

43. According to one popular story, for what reason did some rebels despair over blowing up a tunnel to stop Sherman’s advance?

44. In what way did Grant differ from earlier generals after facing defeat by the Confederate army?

45. Union casualties during Grant’s campaign were horrific, what did many of these soldiers do before entering battle in the expectation of being killed?

46. What was the two-front war strategy upon which Lincoln, Grant, and Sherman agreed?

47. During the summer campaign of 1864, how many casualties did Grant’s army suffer every day? 

48. In the past, Lee was able to raise and nourish doubts about the ability of the ability of Northern society to prevail, what type of man did General Lee find himself facing in General Grant?

49. In what way did Grants appearance contrast that of Lee’s during the surrender ceremony at Appomattox Court House?

50. For what reason did Grant decide to write his memoirs long after the war was over?