| A. | Slavery and the territories | |
| 1. | Role of federal government in legislating slavery | |
| 2. | Sectional debate on slavery in territories | |
| B. | Election of 1860 | |
| 1. | Republican platform and territorial slavery | |
| 2. | Southern fear of Republican victory | |
| C. | Secession crisis | |
| 1. | Role of South Carolina | |
| 2. | Political theory of secession (John C. Calhoun) | |
| 3. | North's unfavorable view of secession | |
| D. | Attempts to avert crisis | |
| 1. | Crittenden Compromise | |
| 2. | Washington Peace Convention | |
| E. | Fort Sumter | |
| 1. | Buchanan and compromise | |
| 2. | Lincoln and resupplying | |
| 3. | Confederate attack | |
| A. | Northern advantages | ||
| 1. | Industrial strength | ||
| 2. | Transportation capabilities | ||
| a. | Twice as many railroad miles | ||
| b. | Economic and military consequences | ||
| 3. | Population advantage | ||
| a. | Three times as many soldiers | ||
| b. | Larger pool of potential workers | ||
| 4. | Financial power | ||
| B. | Northern disadvantages | ||
| 1. | Large-scale offensive war | ||
| 2. | Vague motivation | ||
| 3. | Divisions within North | ||
| C. | Southern advantages | ||
| 1. | Defensive military strategy | ||
| a. | Fighting to protect home | ||
| b. | Home front conditions | ||
| 2. | Patriotic motivation | ||
| a. | Clear cause and purpose | ||
| b. | Sense of nationhood | ||
| 3. | Superior military commanders | ||
| D. | Southern disadvantages | ||
| 1. | Limited industrial capabilities | ||
| 2. | Small number of troop reinforcements | ||
| 3. | Problems in financing war effort | ||
| A. | Southern military goals | ||
| 1. | Defensive strategy | ||
| 2. | Wear Union down | ||
| 3. | Occasional forays into Northern territory | ||
| B. | Northern goals | ||
| 1. | Early end to the war | ||
| 2. | Capture Richmond | ||
| 3. | Defeat Southern armies in the field | ||
| C. | Early campaigns | ||
| 1. | Southern victory at Bull Run | ||
| a. | Northern disbelief | ||
| b. | Reassessment of war strategy | ||
| 2. | McClellan and command of Union forces | ||
| a. | Superb training of Union troops | ||
| b. | McClellan's reluctance to deploy army | ||
| 3. | Grant and western theaters | ||
| a. | Control of Tennessee | ||
| b. | Shiloh | ||
| 4. | Robert E. Lee and Army of Northern Virginia | ||