Question

What problems did Northerners face in the war?

They did not have a navy to control the seas.
They had to defeat the Southern armies on the South's home soil.
They would have to shut down the South's factories.
They would have to occupy each seceding state.

Answer 1

Correct choices: 2 and 4.

- They had to defeat the Southern armies on the South’s home soil — true. Most major battles were fought in Confederate territory, giving the South the advantages of terrain, shorter supply lines, and familiar ground.
- They would have to occupy each seceding state — true. Restoring and holding control over rebel states required long-term occupations and garrisons, which stretched Union manpower and resources.

Why the other two are wrong:
- “They did not have a navy to control the seas” — false. The U.S. Navy was far stronger than the Confederacy’s and was able to implement an effective blockade (the Anaconda Plan).
- “They would have to shut down the South’s factories” — misleading/false. The Confederacy had far fewer factories and industrial resources than the North; the Union’s difficulties lay more in destroying rail lines, seizing supplies, and disrupting the Southern economy than in “shutting down” a large Southern industrial base.