Fuller 4 Sean Fuller
Mr. Bradford
US History
24 October 2014 In 1861 the Civil War began, but the cause of the war began decades before with a societal struggle of slavery between North and South. The societal influences that lead up to the Civil War consisted of five distinct events, all intertwined with one another. The societal events began with the rise of Black churches, and led to abolitionists creating the Compromise of 1850, to fighting in Bleeding Kansas, to a ground-breaking Supreme Court ruling, and ultimately to armed abolitionists attempting to incite a slave rebellion.
The rise of African American churches played a vital role in advancing the Civil War because it brought the issue of morality into the slavery debate. Created in protest, the Black church, prior to the Civil War represented the first occasion of Black rebellion among the secret churches of the slave community, and in the liberated Black churches in the North. Black congregations nurtured a sense of hope and self-expression, laying the basis of Black power and freedom. They understood that the “…Christian Gospel was a gospel of liberation … and … refused to accept an interpretation of Christianity that was unrelated to civil freedom.” (Westley 1). Northern church members Richard Allen and Absalom Jones created the first African American church by walking out of a Methodist Episcopal Church in protest due to the discrimination they had experienced. They started the African Methodist Episcopal
The American Civil War has become a point of controversy and argument when discussing key events in shaping America. The arguments that arise when discussing the war tend to focus on whether the Confederate was constitutionally justified in seceding, or whether the North had the right to prevent the secession. However, when discussing the America Civil War and the idea of separation, it is important to be mindful that separation did not simply end at the state level. Letters written by Jesse Rolston, Jr. and Jedediah Hotchkiss portray two significantly different attitudes toward the war, despite the fact that the writers both fought for the Confederate States and give accounts of the same battle, one of which ended in the Confederate’s favor. When examining the documents, both writers express different viewpoints on life on and off the battlefield. This significant difference represents a division amongst the Confederate army.
In Nicholas Lemann’s story Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, it shows a theme of leadership through the main character of the story, and Adelbert Ames effectively demonstrates the required traits of a main character and a leader. The book focused on a lot of events that happened in the Reconstruction era. It tells about both the political characteristics and the social characteristics that are unraveled throughout the reformation of the South and giving the African Americans the right to vote along with other political freedoms. Throughout the story, Adelbert Ames successfully demonstrates the qualities of a great protagonist and a leader. Adelbert Ames shows the theme of leadership and how his change in his ambition and morality would make him a better leader in his life.
During the 1860s there were many issues and that the Southern and Northern states needed to work on. In 1861 hundreds of thousands of Americans volunteered to fight in the Civil War, also known as the First Modern War. The main causes of this war were the economic and social differences between the North and the South. These differences led to other fundamental issues such as slavery and its abolition. In addition to that as the war was coming to its end, federal authorities found themselves presiding over the transition from slavery to freedom.After the war, there was a 12-year period best known as the Reconstruction and the main goals that it had were to get the Confederate States back into the Union, to rebuilt the Southern economy
The battle began on July 1st, 1863 when Brigadier General John Buford met the Confederate forces just northwest of the town to slow their advances. General Buford and his troops successfully stalled the enemy until their reinforcements arrived. The Confederate reinforcements, led by Generals Hill and Ewell. The Confederacy forced the Union Army to retreat back through Gettysburg to the south of the town. There they joined the main Union forces led by Major General George Gordon Meade, who had been at the same time preparing to meet the Confederacy’s main forces led by General Robert E. Lee (www.history.com, 2015).
Throughout the Civil War, there is a constant reference to states. The obvious answer is that this represented the composition of the armies at that time. It also demonstrates that each military unit carrying that state representation formed a shared identity among the soldiers. The Confederate and Union armies both suffered from failures of leadership. These failures put strain on the rank and file soldiers to which they turned to their state identity, to their fellow soldiers from the same state, to maintain the rationale for their personal sacrifice and remember why they were in the war at all.
William Thomas was 36 and the owner of a plantation in Virginia near Norfolk. He had a wife, two daughters, and a son who he intended to pass the plantation on to just as he father had to him. Following the events of Fort Sumter, he elected to join the Confederate army to defend against what he saw as the Union’s invasion.
Months prior to the battle, the Confederate Army dealt a blow to the Union Army at the battle of Chancellorsville was in May 1863. At the battle of Chancellorsville Major General Joseph Hooker, who commanded the Army of the Potomac, lay in defeat by a smaller force under the command of General Robert E. Lee. The Army of the Northern Virginia had sent the Union forces retreating inflicting over 15,000 casualties. In mid June 1863, General Lee moved his army across the Potomac River for the second invasion of the North. On June 28th, General George Meade took command of the Union forces. On June 29th, the newly appointed Commander ordered his army to pursue General Lee. They would later meet at Gettysburg.
When you hear about the civil war and what caused the feud between the North and the South many people believe it was due to slavery. Too some individuals however, this claim is considered a misconception. James Rhodes was amongst those people who didn’t believe slavery had been the main cause, instead he believed in the Impending Crisis, which was the belief that the cause of the civil war was due to aspects other than slavery such as the difference in views economically, socially, and politically between the colonies. Rhodes stated in his seven-volume History of the United States the Compromise of 1850 that “the moral conflict over slavery, had suggested as well that the struggle also reflected fundamental differences between the Northern and Southern economic systems” (380). The North compared to the South was extremely advanced economically, due to entering the industrial revolution. Northern sectionalists had about two times as much man power as the south, and were open to the idea of advancement in technology such as, railroads and factories. The South was contempt with the life they had been living due to agricultural incomes from products like tobacco and cotton. Money was being made for the South without people having to do anything because slaves had done all the work to make the citizens of the South revenue. This comfort of living is what did not prompt the South to enter the industrial revolution, they rather just stick to the basics
As the first major battle of the Civil War the First Battle of Bull Run was an end to the illusions of a quick war and instead was a first glimpse of into the long and bloody four-year struggle the Civil War would become. In this paper the battle and its many repercussions across the political, social and military spectrum of the Union and Confederacy will be explored.
Three years after the attack on Fort Sumter, one of the most controversial battles of the American Civil War was fought in West Tennessee. The battle at Fort Pillow, located near the Mississippi River about 50 miles north of Memphis, was a bloody slaughter of a mixed Union garrison. The garrison was comprised of 557 men total, about half of those men were African American 's in the 6th U.S. Regiment Colored Heavy Artillery, and the 2nd Colored Light Artillery, commanded by Major Lionel F. Booth. The other half was made up of white soldiers from the 14th Tennessee Cavalry, a Federal regiment, lead by Major William F. Bradford.The fort became engulfed by Confederate personal resulting into a tactical stalemate. However, when giving chance to
The Civil war was one of the biggest turning points in United States history. The nation’s failure to compromise on the subject of slavery led to an outbreak of war. Battles such as Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Shiloh led to what we know of today as a free nation. Great technological advancements in weaponry led to mass casualties among both north and south, often making death inevitable. Those who bravely served and those who were forced to serve lived a life of fear, starvation, and commitment to battle. Brethren killed each other for the sake of southern slaves. Not only did the soldiers have it rough, but the civilian population suffered hardships as well. Lack of everyday goods made it nearly impossible just to carry on with life. This turning point, the American Civil War, tore apart and further solidified us to the point of where we are today.
On September 27th 1864, Union forces, under the command of Brigadier General Alexander Asboth raided the small town of Marianna, FL. The battle will be virtually unknown in the history of the Civil War, but its success marked the longest successful incursion of Union troops into Florida (Cox, 2014). This raid had two goals; the first was to rescue the reported Union prisoners and the second was to liberate and enlist any slaves that were found along the route (Calvin, 2014). The prisoners were not located, but more than 600 slaves were liberated along their route (Cox, 2014). The subsequent battle did not last long, with minimal losses on both sides, but led to the decline of the Confederate stronghold in Jackson County.
There have been many generals that have served under their respective sides during the Civil War. Generals that come into mind are the Confederates Robert E. Lee, who is arguably the best general to have ever served in the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant who was one of the finest Union generals that Abraham Lincoln found, but there was one general that turned the chapter for the union in the Civil War, William T. Sherman. The Union underwent a stage where they needed help badly. They had absolutely no advantage whatsoever against Robert E. Lee and the South. They lost the 1st/2nd Battle of Bull Run, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Chattanooga, Battle of Antietam, Seven Days Battle, etc. They were doomed. Although the Union was at a constant fall, the rise of William Sherman brought the Unions troubles and the confederates down. William T. Sherman went into war because the Union had no more options. He himself was also out of options. He’s going through a turning point in his career as well. When he got the job, his mindset of torturing the Confederates changed the perspective on how the South were going to attack the north. It even made Lee think a little bit on what he would do next. Who knows where the Union would be without the leadership of Sherman. His incredible guts/determination/leadership in many battles show that he truly belongs in the Civil War elite.
Looking back with hindsight and the knowledge of warfare of the 21st century it is easy to say that the American Civil War was simply put, a very traditional war. Thinking of modern tactics and a course of numbers and deployment one might come to the conclusion that the Civil War was fought centuries ago; nevertheless, it only occurred 152 years ago. This hard fought national struggle was in fact a very modern war for many simple reasons, including the emergence of a new form of large national government with centralized authority, new state run economies, groundbreaking technologies, the development of rank based on merit rather than birth or relationship status, as well as many others.
On September 27th, 1864, Union forces, under the command of Brigadier General Alexander Asboth raided the small town of Marianna, FL. The battle will be virtually unknown in the history of the Civil War, but its success marked the longest successful incursion of Union troops into Florida (Cox, 2014). This raid had two goals; the first was to rescue the reported Union prisoners and the second was to liberate and enlist any slaves found along the route (Calvin, 2014). The prisoners were not located, but more than 600 slaves were liberated along their route (Cox, 2014). The subsequent battle did not last long, with minimal losses on both sides, but led to the decline of the Confederate stronghold in Jackson County.