The Civil War Essay

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.

As we already noted – in the 1800s expediency of slavery was disputed. While industrial North almost abandoned bondage, by the early 19th century, slavery was almost exclusively confined to the South, home to more than 90 percent of American blacks (Barney W., p. 61). Agrarian South needed free labor force in order to stimulate economic growth. In particular, whites exploited blacks in textile production. This conditioned the differences in economic and social development of the North and South, and opposing viewpoints on the social structure. “Northerners now saw slavery as a barbaric relic from the past, a barrier to secular and Christian progress that contradicted the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and degraded the free-labor aspirations of Northern society” (Barney W., p. 63).

The civil war, reconstruction, and Redemption era does serve as a unique moment in American history because it shaped what kind of nation US would become. All wars are the result of social change, talks of revolution, institution of slavery and connection to power and liberation. There are many reasons that attribute to the institution of slavery becoming a big determinant in the Civil War and in American History. A consistent reason is that the states have always been dependent upon themselves and relying on their own kind to create a sense of power. The institution of slavery gave white men a sense of power in which was stripped away from them by the government. They no longer could control and have an opinion in state nor federal government decisions. Throughout all these eras of history the enslaves Africans were never seen as equal, therefore were never treated as equal. They were always seen as the black labor workers. The focus point of this paper will be the institution of slavery. After the civil war and reconstruction, America changed drastically in defining slavery and what would become of the institution.

Between the time period of 1840 and 1860, slavery played an influential and pivotal role in the development of a new southern lifestyle. In the struggle for dominance in America, slavery was the South’s stronghold and the underlying cause in much of their motives for many of the economic instigations along with the affirmative political actions. By dominating the everyday southerner’s life, slavery also dominated the economic and political aspects of life during the height of the slavery period. By the 1840’s the Southern economy had become almost entirely slave and and agriculturally dependent. Without the dependence of slaves in the south, a person was to remain landless, poverty stricken or struggling to sustain life through the means

There was a growing demand for workers in the cultivation of these profitable crops such as tobacco, rice, sugar cane and cotton specifically, which was in large demand especially after the invention of the cotton gin. However, “ The lust for profits led southerners to ignore concerns over the morality of slavery” ( Tindall & Shi 361). The severe savagery and racism that followed with the quest for profit was just another conflict over the expansion that led to the Civil War. The horrendous treatment of slaves in the Old South was exposed in a variety of articles and readings, one being the famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, that supported abolition, “ Exposé’s of the dark side of southern culture portrayed the planters as arrogant aristocrats who raped enslaved women, brutalized slaves, and lorded over their communities with haughty disdain” (Tindall and Shi 361 ). Slavery became a large source of this mass economic development, so it is no surprise that “ the twelve richest countries in the U.S. by 1860 were all in the South” (Tindall & Shi 365). While history was created by changes in the economy and the political realm, it is the social problems expansion created that are most remembered regarding

The Civil War lasted from 1861-1865. During this time period, the war was evenly fought between the South (Confederates) and the North (Union). The Confederate side allowed slavery and wanted the United States to go pro-slavery, while the North contained free states and was anti-slavery. The Civil War was a tough fight for both sides, resulting in heavy losses for the Confederates, as well as the Union. The South lost the War in 1861-1865 over the North due to their lack of industrialization, population and their loss of Britain and France’s support.

The war between the Northerners and the Southerens lasted for about four years, from 1861 to 1865, and ended with the last major confederate armies of the South surrendering. Their surrender was due to the fact that they could no longer fight. They could no longer fight because the war had caused them to go bankrupt. When the Civil War ended an estimated amount of about 750 thousand Americans had died, and more than one million with wounds that were caused by there service in the war.

At this point, plantation owners were more focused on the profits they made then their slaves. Although the author uses the document to discuss slavery on cotton plantations, there were many other industries where slaves were equally badly off. This document directly supports the author’s argument indicating the difficulties that many Americans faced due to the revolutions of the early nineteenth

Slavery was a disgraceful part of our history for many years. Its start grew from a need for a labor source in the new and growing America. The Southern economy thrived from slave labor whereas the North did not rely on the labor of slaves. This paper will prove that slavery failed in the North because in the North there was no need for large labor to support the economic structure compared to the South where slavery was needed to support their economy. There are three main points that will be used to support this. They are; Northern industry and Southern industry were very different, the slave population was smaller in the North because of the different economy in the North, and the smaller slave population and less

The atmosphere of America during the pre-Civil War period can be describe as a time of great changes and distress. Remnants of manifest destiny resided as a fraction of the common belief. The desire of wanting further developments and utilizing more land reached its highest potential. At the same time, a revolution occurred in the North making a shift from the agricultural work to a market based economy. The North now less focused on expanding are more focused on business, trade, and service. On the other hand, the South with the new invention of Eli Whitney 's cotton gin made gathering cotton more efficient than ever before. With the uprising growth of the cotton industry, the Southerners wanted more land to make a larger sum of profits. The South dissatisfied with the territory of land they possessed now has a high hoped to acquire more land through the ideal of expansionism.

From the time of the colonial period to the early national period, hardships came about because of differing opinions and views on peoples’ rights. Slavery was a major issue for African Americans along with issues involving equality, race, and liberty. Slavery mainly arose because of the high demand for crops and goods as the world evolved. In the articles by Morgan, Breen and Innes, Holton, Levy, and Rothman the issues dealing with slavery, liberty, and equality are discussed. The main issue over the course of time dealt with the American paradox and how slavery made such an impact on society.

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.

In the Civil War the North had many advantages over the South. The South was outnumbered, out supplied, and pushed into a corner using military tactics. Many things changed because of the Civil War. The military tactics used by the North changed how war was fought from then on. Many changes were made politically; some were only temporary, while others were permanent. After the war was over, the country was reunited and the image of the soul and duty of our country redefined.

This paper will question the relationship between Slavery and Capitalism, and the extent to how dependent Capitalism was on slavery. Chattel slavery first arrived to America in 1619 and from there the business just kept on growing. It leads to the invention of the cotton gin and helped push forward the young country into the developed powerful nation it is now. This can be gained from the readings from Bailyn, Beverly, the Declaration of Independence, and other works that show not only how profitable slavery was, but also how important it was to the development of America as a country.

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.)