“1863 was the military and moral turning point of the US Civil War.” Discuss.

Candidates are required to offer a considered and balanced review of the events of 1863 and determine if they constitute a turning point in the war. They should focus on both military and moral aspects of that year in the war. Counter-arguments for other turning points may be relevant.

Indicative content

• Moral turning point should focus on the Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect in January 1863 and indicated slavery would be abolished. Emancipation also set the stage for the use of African-American troops, who accounted for nearly 20 per cent of the Union Army by the end of the war.
• Military turning points could include Gettysburg, which repelled the Southern advance into the North, and Vicksburg, which cut the South in half; both occurred in July 1863.
• Some candidates might see Antietam in September 1862 as the turning point because it was a Northern victory stopping a Southern advance and gave Lincoln an opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation. This virtually eliminated any possibility of foreign involvement, which the South desperately needed.
• Others could argue that Sherman’s capture of Atlanta and the ensuing March to the Sea in 1864 was the turning point because it physically destroyed the South, lowered morale of Confederate troops and helped Lincoln win re-election, which ended any chance of success for the peace movement in the North.
• Candidates may conclude that the military turning point and the moral turning point occurred at different times.

The above material is an indication of what candidates may elect to write about in their responses. However, the list is not exhaustive and no set answer is required.

Examiners are reminded of the need to apply the markbands that provide the “best fit” to the responses given by candidates and to award credit wherever it is possible to do so.

[20 marks]