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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. During the discussion of the American volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, what percentage found that "belief in war aims" helped overcome the fear of battle?

2. When talking about how some soldiers' wives felt they had greater responsibility to their families than the founding fathers, a lieutenant from which regiment received letters from his wife complaining about raising three children without him?

3. From which state was the major whose letter home during the summer of 1862 contained the line "slavery must be cleaned out," from which the title of the chapter was inspired?

4. During the discussion of the desire to punish treason and "clean out" the rebels, a soldier from which state wrote his sister "I want to fight the rest of my life if necessary"?

5. In "Chapter 8: The Cause of Liberty," which immigrant group drew the clearest parallels between the fight for the Union and the fight for liberty in their home country?

Short Essay Questions

1. What difference did class and education make in terms of support when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?

2. In what way did the Confederate soldiers identify with the Founding Fathers in the discussion of the concept of liberty?

3. Under what conditions were black soldiers allowed to join the Confederate army during the final year of the Civil War?

4. In the discussion of revenge, why does McPherson say that the Confederate army was more motivated by hatred and revenge than the Union?

5. How did Northern soldiers initially respond when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation?

6. In the discussion of vengeance, what disturbing instructions did some soldiers send in letters home to their wives?

7. What was meant when some soldiers wrote home about being stuck in a "rich man's war," toward the end of "Chapter 7: On the Altar of My Country"?

8. When McPherson discusses the extra incentive Confederate soldiers had to keep fighting, what does he say about the Northern opinion of Southern soldiers?

9. At the close of "Chapter 12: The Same Holy Cause," what final lessons does McPherson hope readers take from the book?

10. What challenges did soldiers face in the last year of the Civil War that exacerbated their combat exhaustion?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Compare and contrast the Confederate attitudes toward their own liberty with their attitude toward liberty for black slaves. Include supporting information from the book and outside research as necessary.

Essay Topic 2

In a well-developed essay, explain and discuss two examples--one Union, one Confederate--of how the phenomenon of primary group cohesion kept soldiers fighting during the Civil War. Include supporting information from the text.

Essay Topic 3

Compare and contrast the motivations behind the Civil War for Northern and Southern soldiers. What were the three primary motivations for each group? Be sure to include quotes and supporting information from the text.

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