Use the telegram to answer the question. Your response should be a paragraph in length.
Summarize events leading up to the outbreak of the Civil War. Why were the events described in the telegram considered an act of war? What steps did President Lincoln take in response?
To summarize the events leading up to the outbreak of the Civil War, tensions between the Northern and Southern states had been escalating for several decades. The primary point of contention was the issue of slavery, with the South primarily relying on slave labor for their agricultural economy, while the North increasingly opposed the institution. The Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act were all attempts to address the expanding territories and the question of whether they would allow slavery or not.
The events described in the telegram refer to the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861, which is considered an act of war as it was a military assault on a United States military installation. It marked the first military confrontation of the Civil War. The Confederacy believed that the Union's continued presence in the South threatened their newly formed confederation's sovereignty and took action to assert their independence.
In response to the attack on Fort Sumter, President Lincoln took several steps. He declared a state of insurrection, calling for volunteers to suppress the rebellion. He also issued a naval blockade of Southern ports to cut off the Confederacy's trade and resources. Additionally, Lincoln requested Congress to provide funding and support to raise an army to defend the Union and preserve the federal government's authority. These actions by President Lincoln were seen as a direct response to the Confederate attack, showing his commitment to preserving the Union and prevailing in the conflict.