Civil War Writing Style Essay

1607-1776 also known as the colonial period is a time of new beginnings.When the colonists first moved from England to the new world, they were in search of freedom in every sense of the word. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and being free of the British tirade. They formed cities and towns while establishing their own laws. The issue that occurred is that while the colonists were away from Britain they weren’t away from British laws. In an effort to control and make money from the colonists Britain issued a series of tax acts which include the Stamp Act, the Sugar Act, and the Tea Act. All of which led to the colonists revolt against British reign. This new search for independence is what

The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means.

War has the ability to change many things about the world. While most associate the changes of war with boundaries and governments, people often forgot the influence it has over society and culture. The United States experienced a change similar to this shortly after the Civil war. Citizens were shown the brutality and devastation of war which lead to them having a grim outlook on the world. This viewpoint inspired a new generation of artists and authors who ,with their combined works, created Realism. Writers like Mark Twain, Stephen Crane, Abraham Cahan, Ambrose Bierce, and Henry James pushed the drastic shift from feelings to reality in the hopes of appealing to the more literate working class. Many stories, in order to capture reality, relied on similar techniques and themes such as: simplicity, truth, and criticism.

In the beginning times of American Literature, Puritan writers were prevalent which grew into the Age of Reason by way of scientists and philosophers, which eventually emerged into Romanticism and the Renaissance writers, which developed into Realism by the middle of 19th century. Throughout American Literature, religious ideologies and philosophies influenced the way that writers portrayed the time period, characters, feelings, and God.

The battle of Bull Run ended today. Northerners, like myself, know it as Bull Run but the Confederates know it as Manassas. This battle is giving me bad thoughts about the outcome of this war. This was a Southern victory and the Confederate army looks high in spirit and high in confidence, compared to the hurt, tired, and disappointed North. The great leadership of the Confederate generals won this battle. Their plans and attacks were no match for the Union ones. I hope the North can do something to rebound from this great loss, maybe there will be a second battle.

In 1850, a document called the Fugitive Slave Act was passed. Primarily, this document dealt with the reclaiming of runaway slaves. This law allowed southerners to call upon the federal government to capture runaway slaves who had fled the South and may be living in the North. The Fugitive Slave Act and the laws that went with it only caused controversy in the North. This split the North and South. In reaction to this, some northern states passed laws forbidding state officials to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, which only angered the southern states. Northerners had become aware of the hypocrisy of slavery and became resolved to end slavery. Many abolitionists started to take action to help slaves escape. This major controversy over the

In 1861, the American Civil War commenced after many years of tension building between the Northern and Southern states. The main reason of the tension was said to be the debate of slavery between the North and South, and although some documents support this claim, it is false. The war had been brewing since 1607, before slavery was even introduced to the colonies that would become the United States of America. The debate of slavery did play a major part in the civil war; however it did so in supporting the true cause of the civil war. The main cause of the American Civil War was not the debate of slavery, but rather Europe’s role in the American economy.

The election of Lincoln, secession of the southern states and the Confederate States of America Constitution set the stage for the bloodiest and saddest war in American history. Before the Civil War even began the nation was divided into four very distinct regions; Northeast, Northwest, Upper south and the Southwest. With two fundamentally different labor systems, slavery in the south and wage labor in the North, the political, economic and social changes across the nation would show the views of the North and the South. The civil war was based on the abolitionists' ideas of emancipation and liberation of slavery the North wanted the war in order to create a society without slavery. The North's aggression to control the south lead to the

It all began in the summer of 2015. There was a close group of friends that were almost torn apart over one girl in the group. It almost completely destroyed the friendship that had been built upon over the years. There was a decision to be made and I was the one to decide.

These events provided inspiration for the prominent authors of the time. Literature was no longer focused on fanciful writing, but real issues such as slavery instead. Authors during the period of Realism and Naturalism began to focus

What challenges did the “new immigrants” face (those arriving between 1877 and 1914) that previous waves of immigrants did not?  (Discuss at least 2 challenges.)

The Realist literary movement brought many influential novels and short stories into American literature. The movement lasted for about fifty years, beginning around 1850 and ending in 1900. This was a huge time of change in America, with rising tensions between the North and South, the Civil War, westward expansion, and The Great Migration. Cities were quickly expanding and teaming with people looking for homes. Factory jobs were rapidly replacing farming and many Americans lived in city slums. Authors adapted to these changing times through their literature. This literary time period was greatly influenced by the influx of city factory workers and the poverty they faced. Many realist works are based on the gap in society between the wealthy and the poor. Realism was greatly influenced by the Civil War (1861-1865) and the post-war period. The Civil War influenced authors to write about the lives of soldiers and the average American person in a new light. Literature about the war at this time was rare and consisted mostly of letters and personal soldier diary entries. This literary time period was also greatly influenced by the westward expansion of

After the American Civil War came the time of great changes; social, economic, and political. The focus of literature then turned to the ordinary people and their everyday lives. Character building and their real complexity, combined with their temperament and motive, became the focal points in these literature as opposed to the plot and action seen in romantic pieces. The writing became more objective and in some cases, the

The Civil War substantially impacted literature by altering how authors portrayed everyday life and the common person. During the Romantic time period, authors used their feelings and emotions as the foundation for their writing. They wrote about topics such as nature and often included a dramatized hero as their main character. Gary Arpin describes this change by writing, "Reactions to grim casualties of the war, as well as to the rapid urban expansion, inspired writers and artists to abandon their Romantic ideals" (448). As a result of the Civil War, authors moved away from this style of writing and instead focused on realistic events and issues. Realist authors portrayed their ideas through short stories, letters, and poems. These forms of literature became popular, because they were an easy way for soldiers to communicate to their families and comrades about what was happening on the front lines. Major

American literature shifted from romanticism to realism after witnessing the harsh aftermath of the Civil War as many lives were taken, homes were destroyed, and many were left deserted. This reality disintegrated previous mindsets and united the country under the founding ideals of equality.