Question

question 8 of 20

president lincoln called for volunteers to join the u.s. military in 1861 in order to:

a. free enslaved african americans being held in the south.
b. protect northern cities from confederate attacks.
c. force southern states to rejoin the union.
d. destroy all major cities throughout the south.

Explanation:

Identify Lincoln's primary goal in 1861

In April 1861, immediately following the Confederate attack on Fort Sumter, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to join the U.S. military. At this initial stage of the American Civil War, Lincoln's primary and official objective was to suppress the rebellion and preserve the United States as a single nation.

Evaluate the given options

• A. free enslaved African Americans being held in the South. This is incorrect because emancipation did not become an official Union war goal until the Emancipation Proclamation was issued later in the war (taking effect in 1863).
• B. protect Northern cities from Confederate attacks. This is incorrect because the call for troops was intended to put down the Southern rebellion and restore federal authority, not merely to act defensively.
• C. force Southern states to rejoin the Union. This is correct because preserving the Union by bringing the seceded Southern states back under federal authority was the central purpose of the mobilization.
• D. destroy all major cities throughout the South. This is incorrect because the Union's goal was reconciliation and preservation, not the total destruction of Southern cities.

Select the correct option

Based on historical evidence, Lincoln's call for volunteers in 1861 was aimed at suppressing the rebellion to force the seceded Southern states back into the Union.

Answer:

• (A) free enslaved African Americans being held in the South.
• (B) protect Northern cities from Confederate attacks.
• (C) force Southern states to rejoin the Union. (Correct answer)
• (D) destroy all major cities throughout the South.