1. Which event in the 1860s convinced many leaders in Georgia and other Southern states to reconsider their position on remaining in the Union, leading them to contemplate secession? 2. What fundamental strategies did each side intend to use to swiftly conclude the war? 3. How did the Emancipation Proclamation, along with the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, shift the war's momentum in favor of the North? 4. How did the war transform the lives of African Americans? 5. What was the impact of the Civil War on the South, and how did it affect the nation overall? 6. Describe the devastation that Georgia experienced during the war. Can you identify one particularly devastating event?

1. The event in the 1860s that convinced many leaders in Georgia and other Southern states to reconsider their position on remaining in the Union was the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States in November 1860. Lincoln's election was seen by many in the South as a threat to the institution of slavery, which was central to the Southern economy and social structure. In response to his election, and the perceived threat it posed to slavery, several Southern states began to discuss secession, which eventually led to the formation of the Confederacy.

2. The fundamental strategies that each side intended to use to swiftly conclude the Civil War were quite different. The Confederacy aimed for a defensive strategy, hoping to hold its territory long enough to force the Union to negotiate. They believed that by defending their homeland and drawing out the war, they could wear down Northern resolve. Meanwhile, the Union's initial strategy was called the Anaconda Plan, which was to blockade Southern ports and gain control of the Mississippi River, thereby cutting off and isolating the Confederacy to slowly squeeze it economically and strategically.

3. The Emancipation Proclamation, along with the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg, shifted the war's momentum in favor of the North significantly. The Emancipation Proclamation, issued by President Lincoln on January 1, 1863, declared that all slaves in the Confederate states were to be set free. This elevated the war from a fight to preserve the Union to a moral crusade against slavery, which undermined the Confederacy's potential to gain support from European countries that had already abolished slavery.

4. The Civil War had a transformative impact on the lives of African Americans. When the war began, the vast majority of African Americans in the United States were slaves in the South. The war afforded many the opportunity to escape bondage as Union forces advanced into Confederate territory. Moreover, after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, African Americans were officially allowed to join the Union Army and Navy, which over 180,000 did, serving with distinction and for the cause of their own freedom.

5. The impact of the Civil War on the South was profound and multifaceted, utterly devastating its economy, infrastructure, and social fabric. The war resulted in a huge loss of life and left many cities and towns in ruin. The Southern economy, which relied heavily on slave labor, was disrupted by the emancipation of slaves, and the physical destruction wrought by the war made recovery slow and difficult. The region remained economically and socially disadvantaged for many years.

6. Georgia experienced significant devastation during the Civil War. A particularly devastating event was Sherman's March to the Sea. In November 1864, after capturing Atlanta, Union General William T. Sherman led his forces on a march across Georgia to the port city of Savannah. Sherman's troops engaged in a strategy known as "total war," destroying railroads, factories, and the property of civilians in an effort to crush the morale of the Southern populace and hasten the end of the Confederacy.