The Fate Of The South

The New South: an era of change, a time of transition away from the destruction of the Civil War and chaos of Reconstruction. However, while the institution of slavery and a cotton-based economy faded away into the past, feelings of intolerance and inequality resided in the hearts and minds of Southerners, shaping a new society that closely mirrored the old. Blacks and other minorities, such as women, remained in an underclass with strict social and economic rules as the South expanded outside it agrarian roots. William Faulkner captures the preconceived sentiments keeping the Civil War relevant in the South in his novel Light in August. He chronicles the stories of the outcasts Lena Grove and Joe Christmas, both people who break social

The causes of most wars are often very complex, but in the America civil war it came down to two major issues, slavery and the protection of the Union. In the North, they were growing richer all the time as industry developed fast. The workers were mostly immigrants with low wages. The South didn’t have these resources, and the slaves were essential for them. The Northern politicians insisted that the Slavery should be abolished and that this was an evil system that should be stamped out. Only the rich wool farmers and other wealthy

The southern states were a slave society, and were known to being the way of life. It was the root to everything in the south, and southerners were very protective about it. In the south southerners “feared that without slavery’s expansion, the abolitionist faction would come to dominate national politics and an increasingly dense population of slaves would lead to bloody insurrection and race war” (The American Yawp, Chap.13), and southerners did not want to jeopardize their way of life. The south would press on the notion that racial mixing and racial wars would break out, and that blacks were a threat to white supremacy. Besides the racial fears the south would speak out on, they also stressed that slaves were property, which entitles them to their owner. People in the south also used the bible to justify slavery because it was present in the bible. The southern states believed in the ‘mudsill’ theory. James Henry Hammond speech on the ‘mudsill’ theory explained the theory. Hammond and other pro slavery southerners defined slavery as a good thing. Paternalism was another justification, to influence their belief that slavery was a caring establishment. That south argued that they took care of their slaves, and that the north did not treat their workers with such

The world has faced the dangers of war almost since the beginnings of time, and America in the mid-1800’s was no different. Despite the Union having won its freedom from England during the Revolutionary War less than a century before, problems were brewing internally within the young and rapidly expanding country. As slavery boomed in the southern states, the North grew less and less content with this state of affairs. It is said that “to southern whites, the Republican victory in 1860 presented an immediate danger to the slave-owning republic that had existed since 1776” (Henretta, 2012, p. 418). Southerners were not ready to lose one of their most valuable commodities, slaves, which they feared would happen under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, although he promised “to safeguard slavery where it existed but vowed to prevent its expansion” (Henretta, 2012, p. 420). Unheeding of Lincoln’s vows, and hoping to preserve the individual state’s rights, “radical southerners chose the dangerous enterprise of secession” (Henretta, 2012, p. 418).

The Civil War in the United States was one of the most significant events in the history of the country. This is due not only to the outcome it provided, but more importantly to the actual events that took place during the war, the aspects it dealt with, and the questions it raised concerning humanity, courage, democracy, human rights, slavery, unity and union. Throughout the war, the causes, the tactics, and the context changed. Further, the motivation of the soldiers fighting in both armies changed in a decisive manner. Despite all, this remains one of the bloodiest events in the history of the American states.

A Year in the South is a unique historical retelling of the lives of four individuals struggling to adjust in the years that followed the Civil War. The year 1865 was a major transitional period in American history. After the Confederate Army fell, Southern states were required to ratify the Thirteenth Amendment, abolishing slavery. Some Unionist resolved to make the South pay for their disloyalty. Railroads, factories, and farms were destroyed in some areas of the South, creating an enormous hardship. Although the war was over, resentment and fury still plagued the people. It can be described as a time filled with great despair, uncertainty, loathing, and poverty. The stories of Louis Hughes, Samuel Agnew, John

The American Civil War lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865. It was the bloodiest war in American history, killing approximately 620,000 soldiers in total. The War was fought and won by the North, ensuring that all the United States would stay united and slavery would be illegal in The United States. However, history is one of the most complicated things in the world. It’s also one of the most important things in the world because history is what made the present possible. Historians have debated the cause of The American Civil War for over a hundred and fifty years. This is a very complicated question as history can be a matter of opinion sometimes. When looking at history, one of the most important tools you can have is written words from past men and women of the time. “It is chiefly through books that we enjoy intercource with superior minds. In the best books, great men talk to us, give us their most precious thoughts, and pour their souls into ours. God be thanked for books. They are the voices of the distant and the dead, and make us their heirs of the spiritual life of past ages.” William Ellery Channing an American preacher 1780-1842. Writings from the time will reveal the true history of the time. The writings of John C. Calhoun, Alexander Stephens, and Henry Clay, are three opinions that highlight the causes of the Civil War.

The war between the North and the South, also known as the Civil War, was caused according to Pulitzer Prize-winning author James McPherson "….because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become states.”1 In this essay I will discuss the following: the primary causes of the civil War, the reasons the South decided to secede from the Union, the advantages and disadvantages each side had, the effects of the war on the home front and lastly, which side was the victor and the vanquished.

The bloodiest war in American history occurred not in the present day, as one might expect, but in the mid-nineteenth century: the Civil War. To understand how roughly 2% of the population died in those tumultuous four years, one must first have a decent understanding of the events leading up to it and politics at the time. Various factors induced this mass bloodshed, but the largest amount center around one issue: slavery. Several decades into the Industrial Revolution, new technology like the cotton gin made the institution more profitable than ever- and more controversial than ever, as well. The issue had existed since the nation’s birth, and it would require a war to resolve it. It

    America has fought in numerous wars, two world wars even, but the deadliest one was the war against itself. America’s first and only civil war was a brutal campaign of Americans versus Americans, brothers versus brothers, and resulted in over 600,000 deaths (White).  Looking past at America’s history this war was seemingly inevitable. Some say the start of the civil war was when Confederate troops attacked Union soldiers at Fort Sumter. While this officially started the war, what is more important are the events causing the tension that lead up to this breaking point. One reason for the civil war was because the North and the South had strikingly different cultures, cultures that clashed against each other. The North was a more liberal, abolitionist, industrial culture while the south was a conservative agrarian based area. The second reason for the outbreak of civil war was due to the increasing political tension within the union. Southern states who feared the removal of slavery threatened to secede if the republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln. was elected. Although there were many events that contributed to the civil war, the differing cultures of the North and South, and the political tension between the North and the South, were the two main events that caused the deadliest conflict in American history.

The American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 was a battle between the Union Party, led by Abraham Lincoln, and the Confederacy, led by Jefferson Davis and was described as ‘cruelty’ by one William Tecumseh Sherman. It can be argued whether slavery was the real root cause of the carnage that caused the loss of over 620,000 military personnel and a speculated 400,000 who were captured or deemed missing. The Unionist historian George Bancroft blamed slavery ‘the uprising of the irresistible spirit of the people in behalf of the law and order and liberty,’ and would therefore dispute that slavery was the root cause of the American Civil War, however, Progressive historians such as Mary and Charles Bead would have claimed that the War was caused by the economic struggle between the industrial North and the agricultural South.

The American Civil War is America’s deadliest war we have fought in our 240 years as a nation. Today the war is regarded in very negative light, with many people who know very little of the history behind the war making assumptions without having an in depth knowledge of the times. Historically, the Civil War’s causes are very intricate and most go hand in hand with each other, making one specific root cause of the war an inaccurate statement. For instance, studies show that about 60% of americans back the claim that the war was fought over slavery, however, slavery wasn’t truly the wars main cause until the Battle of Gettysburg, fought on the first of July, 1863. Until that point the war was a web of causes, with economic, social, and political

The South was politically, culturally, economically, and spiritually built around the institution of slavery. In the antebellum South, slavery was the thread that held the fabric of society together and defined the southern woman. Slavery was the foundation the southern hierarchy was based upon. Race and gender determined a person’s status with white slaveholding males at the top and black female slaves at the bottom. Slave ownership elevated the status of both male and female genders, giving white women more power within the slaveholding system. This sense of superiority and power led to the white women’s acceptance for the institution of slavery.

By all estimation, the American Civil War was considered to be the bloodiest and most gruesome war in American history. There are more US casualties involved in the American Civil War than US casualties in World War I & II, Korean, and Vietnam War combined. Historians have discussed possible causes that led to the greatest separation among the American people. It is important to recognize the true causes behind this separation so that history does not repeat itself. It is important to recognize the true cause behind this separation so that history of a civil war does not repeat itself. It is best to examine and understand one fundamental cause so that appropriate measures can be taken to prevent another repeat of the past. Current research as well as old documents demonstrate that the conflict over the legality of African American slaves is the main cause to such separation. However, many tend to overlook the economic reason that benefited both the northern and southern states. While it is clear that the Southern states benefited more from slavery due to the vastness of uninhabited land, both southern and northern states benefited in one way or another. Therefore, it makes one wonder: To what extent economic motive between the southern and northern states spurred the American civil war? Although causes like slavery, greed, and fear factor into the causes of the American Civil War, the economic motive between the southern and northern states spurred

The American Civil war is often remembered as the turning point in US history, especially in regards to topic of slavery. However many people fail to consider the decisions, choices and events that led to the second deadliest war in American history. Often times when analysing the Civil War, historians consider the combination of numerous controversial issues as the cause of the war. Although I agree with the claim that a combination of issues was a key reason as to why the war began, I firmly believe that it can be narrowed down to three specific matters of contentions: the ongoing battle between industrialization and agriculture, state’s rights, and most importantly slavery.