9781422274200

1, 1863, all slaves in the rebel areas would become free. The Proclamation did not end slavery in the border states. It only freed slaves in Confederate states where the Union Army did not have control. The proclamation could not be enforced until federal troops regained control of those states. THE 10 PERCENT PLAN The Union strategy for winning the war was to gain control over important waterways, like the Mississippi River. At the time, rivers were the fastest way to move supplies from place to place, or to ship products to foreign markets for sale. Controlling the rivers would hurt the Confederacy’s economy. New Orleans, the largest city in the Confederacy, was captured in April 1862. Because of the city’s importance as a commercial center, some people there were willing to rejoin the Union so they could continue to trade with other countries. From New Orleans, Union forces worked their way up the Mississippi and other waterways in the West. By 1863, the federal government had regained control over large areas of Louisiana, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Before the war, most people in Tennessee had wanted to stay in the Union. But when Lincoln called for troops to put down the rebellion, Tennessee residents voted to secede. Nonetheless, there was still a strong minority that supported the Union cause, especially in the eastern part of the state. By the end of 1863, the Union army controlled most of the state. At the same time, Union forces captured major cities in Arkansas, including Helena and the capital, Little Rock, and controlled most of that state as well. The question facing Lincoln and the federal government was how to re-integrate citizens of those states into the United States. Lincoln struggled to find the best approach. He eventually settled on an idea that became known as the 10 percent plan. Lincoln’s idea was that a southern state could be readmitted into the Union once 10 percent of the state’s voters (based on the list

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A Broken Nation