Question

question 5 of 10

one of president lincolns major challenges at the start of the civil war was:

a. building popular support for the war effort in the north.
b. convincing northerners to support a military draft.
c. helping enslaved people in the south escape to the north.
d. forcing the border states to agree to end slavery.

Explanation:

Analyze the historical context

At the outbreak of the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln faced the monumental task of preserving the Union. A primary challenge was that the Northern public was politically divided. Many Democrats and conservative Northerners did not support a war to force the Southern states back into the Union, and there was widespread concern about the economic and human costs of a military conflict.

Evaluate the options

• A. building popular support for the war effort in the North. This is correct. Lincoln had to carefully unite a politically fractured North, convince citizens of the necessity of fighting to preserve the Union, and maintain morale as early battles resulted in heavy casualties.
• B. convincing Northerners to support a military draft. This is incorrect because the military draft (conscription) was not introduced at the very start of the war; the Enrollment Act was not passed until 1863, well after the war had begun.
• C. helping enslaved people in the South escape to the North. This is incorrect. At the start of the war, Lincoln's official policy was strictly focused on preserving the Union, not ending slavery or actively assisting escapes, to avoid alienating the critical border states.
• D. forcing the border states to agree to end slavery. This is incorrect. Lincoln went to great lengths not to force the border states to abolish slavery early in the war, fearing that doing so would cause them to secede and join the Confederacy.

Answer:

• A. building popular support for the war effort in the North. (Correct answer)
• B. convincing Northerners to support a military draft.
• C. helping enslaved people in the South escape to the North.
• D. forcing the border states to agree to end slavery.