The Civil War Had Revolutionary Effects On American Society

“The beginning of the Civil War marked the beginning of the end of slavery in the American South” (Berlin, 3). The Civil War started from opposing states’ opinions; the South thrived on slavery’s economic impact while the North opposed the institution. The issue of slavery divided the nation, and the contrasting views of the anti-abolitionists and abolitionists caused the war to occur. Slavery’s impact in the United States started in the 1600’s, and the large influence made the process of ending the enslavement of blacks more difficult. The Emancipation Proclamation served as an important government document, containing controversial ideas about abolishing slavery. Lincoln issued the

The final cause leading to the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln’s election. Lincoln in truth fought for and against slavery depending on the situation. However, Southerners strongly believed Lincoln was anti-slavery. So before Lincoln even entered the office seven states had already seceded. These states included the following: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Lincoln was moderate towards slavery at first, but many congressmen agreed that the South was becoming too strong and slavery should not be

The Civil War is something almost everyone has a general idea about. It is more than a huge part of America’s history and is the central event in America 's historical consciousness. This war, unlike the American Revolution which created the first American states, determined what kind of nation it would be. Though there are many reasons for the cause of the American Civil War, one of the main reasons is the different attitudes the North and the South had toward slavery. In January of 1863, The Emancipation Proclamation was

The Civil War marked a monumental period in United States History. President Lincoln found himself attempting to preserve the union, while the Confederates from the south were fighting to create their own separate country. This war was primarily caused by one issue: slavery. The northerners did not expect the power of the South; it was not the quick war that they had expected. Both sides had their fair share of victories and losses. From the beginning of the war the Confederacy had a strong advantage of military leadership. After turning points in the war such as the battles of Gettysburg and Antietam the power shifted to the Union, eventually leading to the surrender of Robert E. Lee at Appomattox Court House. During the war, Lincoln was able to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the slaves. The freeing of the slaves resulted in a tremendous change in the lifestyle of southerners, both black and white. White southerners no longer had free labor, and black southerners were free to start their own lives. However, many of these free blacks did not know what to do with themselves after they were freed (McPherson 105). They did not have any land or money, and the majority were not educated. They were promised land from the union, but they never received this land (PBS 1). Without land it was nearly impossible to gain money in the southern economy at this time. These blacks were technically free citizens, but they were nowhere

When the Civil War began in 1861, the issue of slavery was not the central focus of the war effort on the side of the Union. While it was still important to many in the North, the main war aim of the Union side was to preserve the Union and make sure it remained intact. As the war dragged on and more soldiers died on both sides, Lincoln realized he would need to entirely cripple the already weak Confederate economy, and he did this by making the Emancipation Proclamation, which became effective January 1, 1863. This executive order stated that all slaves in states currently in open rebellion against the United States were free from slavery. By doing this, he caused African Americans in slave states to cross into Union territory and into

Prior to the Emancipation Proclamation, the main focus of the Civil War was to preserve and protect the ideals of the Union. However, freeing southern slaves became the primary objective, following Lincoln’s proclamation. Because slavery was believed to be the root cause of southern secession, the decision to emancipate “would weaken the rebels by drawing off their laborers, which is of great importance.” According to Alexander Stevens, Southern society, at this time, was entirely dependent on the labor of African American slaves. Relying on an already weak and unstable economy, the Confederacy could not afford to lose their salient source of labor-- doing so would almost guarantee a Union victory.

During the period after the civil war, Slaves became an even greater conflict of interest that divided the states. On one hand, there were various Southerners who didn’t want the end of slavery to be consummated. The South had their own selfish agenda behind why they wanted the continuous use of slaves. On the other hand, you had many Northerners who were against the South’s ideals and believed slaves had the right to be free. During this time in the 1860s, slaves had numerous effects on many aspects each states way of life. They contributed economically, split the states, and played an important role in state sessions. All of these factors ultimately led to the slaves fate, as well was the fate of the union.

In the modern world we rarely if ever refer to The United States our, United States as the Union. Yet that is still what it is today the Union and to maintain and protect its integrity was something that millions have laid down their life for which is nothing less an honorable. There are always two sides to a story and slavery may have been the South version, but preservation of the Union was initially the North main priority. Emancipation held an enormous role in the Civil War; it just depends on who you ask how, perhaps as a tool or punishment or both. In the history books, the headlines may read The Civil War a war for slavery, when it could read The Civil War a war for a United

To be begin with, the civil war brought slavery to an end by Abraham Lincoln. In his speech, “Gettysburg Address”, says, “Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” (Lincoln, 2). With this in mind, he (Abraham Lincoln) wants to show that this nation is dedicated and willing to do anything to get it. In other words, Lincoln tells the crowd that the war has meaning behind it and that it’s worth fighting for to end slavery along with other things. Additionally, “it is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us...” (Lincoln, 4). The words “ a great task remaining before us” means the banishment of slavery. Also, the main purpose for the civil war was banning slavery. To summarize, slavery was brought to an end by the civil

While the South was largely agrarian, they saw slavery as an essential institution to maintain a competitive economy. However, the North was strongly opposed to slavery, seeing it as an immoral practice and unfair competition against American laborers. Disputes over taxes also fueled the increasing friction between the North and the South. By raising protective tariffs, the North benefited from less competition and cheaper imports of raw materials, however it also harmed the southerner’s ability to purchase affordable goods and sell their produce at a competitive price. These conflicts sectionalized the United States and gave rise to a political divide between the northern republicans and southern democrats. Relations between the North and South combusted as republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election causing the South to propose bills of secession. Washington’s two warnings of sectionalism and political parties were both ignored during this time, resulting in the bloodiest war AMerica has ever seen. If his warnings were enforced as constitutional law, where the North and South corporated in unison to each other’s benefit, instead of plotting against each other, America may never have ruined their hard built cities, infrastructure, their farms, and families in a war between themselves. 620,000 men and women would have been alive with their loved ones and able to contribute more to their community instead of lost in bloody battles between their fellow

slaves themselves took actions that helped propel a reluctant white America down the road to emancipation. Well before Lincoln made emancipation a war aim, blacks, in the North and the South, were calling the conflict the “freedom war.” In 1861 and 1862, as the federal army occupied Confederate territory, slaves by the thousands headed for Union lines. Unlike fugitives before the war, these runaways included large numbers of women and children, as entire families abandoned the plantations. Not a few passed along military intelligence and detailed knowledge of the South’s terrain. In southern Louisiana, the arrival of the Union army in 1862 led slaves to sack plantation houses and refuse to work unless wages were

After the Civil War, the advanced industrial civilization in the north gradually intruded into the southern civilization. And the social structure and economic structure of the southern society have undergone profound changes. The economy of slavery and plantation gradually collapsed, and the old South is losing its economic base that people need to live by. Many people almost lost all they have overnight. A large number of manors closed and the nobles lost their means of production. Labor forces were liberated from the land and flocked to cities, accelerating the development of industrial capitalism and the process of urbanization. Socio-economic changes directly led to cultural changes in the mind. Except those who died in the Civil War,

As a Republican President, Abraham Lincoln opposed slavery. He believed it was unnecessary to everyone-including Negros and Whites. However, with his stand on slavery, he held back by declaring that he had no reason to disrupt slavery where it existed. The constitution had protected states where citizens wanted slavery to exist. Lincoln knew he would not get enough support and that the four slave-holding states in the North would turn against him. As a result, the Civil War began in 1861 with more of a political purpose in keeping the union together rather than a battle for human freedom. Slaveholders could not turn to the Union’s side because slaves were valuable and played a vital role to

The outburst of the Civil War forever changed the future of the American nation. At first, it began as a fight to protect the Union, not as a struggle to free the slaves. Many citizens from the North and South felt that the conflict would ultimately decide both issues. Slavery was one of the primary issues which physically divided the northern U.S. from the Southern U.S. during the Civil War. Even after the Reconstruction Era it continue to divide the two. The Southern resistance to ending slavery was the main reason as to why the South believed in rejecting outsider ideals and it helped establish the Southern Code of Honor that emphasizes aggression and violence.

This week’s readings featured aspects of American culture that were present during the Civil War, yet not typically mentioned in historians’ dialogues about the war. Side stepping the typical slavery and federalist versus anti-federalist focuses, this week’s readings, especially Drew Faust’s The Republic of Suffering, talked about how the incredible amount of death that resulted from the Civil War changed American Culture. My understanding of the civil war has always been that it was bloody and bad, but all it really did to reshape the country was get the south back in the Union and end slavery. This week’s readings have taught me that the deadliness of the Civil War impacted everyday life in America profoundly.