The Legacy Of The Civil War

History helps shape the future and what we can learn from it to make sure that we do not repeat the same mistakes. During Reconstruction, the country was trying to make amends after the war was over. The country needed to find a way to mend a broken nation because it was divided. The main issue during reconstruction was the status of African Americans because they wanted their civil rights, but could not get that. The question that needs to be answered is: who did the most to aid the cause of African American during Reconstruction, and why? Many organizations and people helped African Americans, but the Freedman’s Bureau did the most.

The Civil War that occurred was one of the darkest times in our history as a country. It was a time where there was a complete breakdown of social and political systems. Hundreds of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands more were aversely affected. However, it was also a time of remembrance and significant moral progress. It is remembered as the turning point in American History and would be the foundation for the Civil Rights movement many years later.

The Civil War is known as a turning point in America, the road to ending slavery, while first turning a nation against each other.

In 1862, thousands of enslaved African Americans headed to the Union lines as President Lincoln’s troops marched through the south, to push and fight for their rights. A common belief about the slaves was that they were accustomed to the bondage and basically, did not mind that they were slaves. This, of course, was a myth, and them heading to the Union lines during the Civil War further proved to Lincoln that he needed to free them. Prior to this, Lincoln personally did not support the enslavement but was concerned as to how the Northern slave states would react to the Union wanting to free their slaves. He was worried they would join the Confederacy. However, he realized that emancipation was a necessity, both politically and for the military.

Abraham Lincoln is the first Republican president that announced that he wanted to keep slavery out of the territories but he respected slavery where it had already existed. Several southern states seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. The northerners refused to acknowledge the secession because they believed it was illegal and illegitimate. Abraham Lincoln wanted to save the Union in the fastest possible way. He believed as soon as national authority was reestablished, the nation would become the Union it was once before. The main goal was to preserve the unity of the America and whether slavery is saved or destroyed depended if it helps save the Union. Even before the civil war ended, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. Emancipation was not initially a war aim but by the summer of 1862, in order to win support in Europe, the government made abolition an objective. By January of 1863, the Proclamation stated that all slaves in areas of rebellion against the United States, shall then be freed of bondage. Although this was only a start to the political and social transformation in America, it was the start of revolutionizing the social and political status of blacks. Eventually, black males were granted proper social and political rights such as the right to vote and the right to own land (Doc 1, Garraty 398-399).

For over two centuries, people of African American descent lived in strife under the absolute control of their owners. Slaves were completely stripped of their humanity, decency and basic human rights. After the end of our American Civil War, the start of Reconstruction struck a thunder of hope within the spirits of former slaves. The strongest foundation of hope for freed slaves began on March 3rd, 1865, when the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands was established. This bill was more popularly known as the Freedmen’s Bureau. The bill was established to provide aid to former slaves while transitioning to a new life of freedom.

Most of the time, the Blacks had to pay a large amount of money for taxes and did not receive much in return. However, black children were allowed to go to school and receive an education. Many of them dropped out after only two or three years however so they could help their families tend the farms. For those who did continue till they were old enough for collage, they did not attend because, one, tuition was immensely expensive and because two, not many collages would accept Black scholars.

Only the President wanted to help us Southerners. The Freedmen’s Bureau which gave food, housing, medical and legal aid to free slaves; 40 Acres and a Mule where freedmen were expected to get 40 acres of land and a mule after the war; and the 14th Amendment which gave slaves citizenship were opposed by Johnson, but Congress went and overruled

The Freedmen’s Bureau was established to achieve these goals. During its existence from 1865 to 1870, former slaves received education, medical care, and social services that helped them to reunite with family members. Public works programs and churches were also established. The societal advances realized as a result of this organization were invaluable and contributed greatly to the sense of liberty felt by former slaves. Although the Freedmen’s Bureau was not able to provide long-term protection or equality for blacks, it did indicate the introduction of the federal government into issues of the social welfare of freed

The days of African-American’s not being able to read and write were ending. The Southern States placed African-American schools around their regions. Not only did it bring education to African-American children, the Reconstruction made public schools supported by the states. Before the Reconstruction the Southerners saw education as something that should be taught at home, and it wasn’t a necessity for children to attend a school. The make of public schools, not only educated the African-American children, but also the White children in the

A war that originated because the nation was divided ultimately marked the beginning of a truly unified United States. The Civil War put to rest the increasing sectionalism that divided the North, the South, and the newly colonized West. At the root were the issues of slavery in the South, and the attempt of the Southern states to withdraw from the Union. Although many lives and untold millions were lost in personal belongings, livestock, and structures, the Civil War set in motion the progression towards a unified Nation. During the 18th and 19th century, slavery was a very significant aspect of the development of the nation. The economic, social, and political development of the

The lives that we live and the freedoms that we have today may be considered great for the majority of our population. This could be attributed to the history of the United States and the civil war. What would our country be like if the Confederacy won the war? How would our lives be impacted and what freedoms would we have today if that were the case? What if the major Union victories were actually Confederate victories? The following is just an idea of what potentially could have happened if this were the case. There was intense fighting that occurred throughout the United and Confederate States of America ranging from Texas and as far north as Pennsylvania as well as Naval battles Atlantic Ocean and a few in the Gulf of Mexico. Coupled

The Civil War ravaged the country. The number of American casualties during the Civil War was greater than the number of casualties that occurred during every other war with American involvement combined. The South was particularly devastated; most of the war was fought there. The plantation economy that the South had relied on for 200 years had been dismantled by the Emancipation Proclamation. Entire cities, such as Richmond, Virginia, had been burned to the ground, and it seemed as though the South had lost the Civil War in every conceivable way.

Succeeding from certain countries is often a common solution that many would agree on in order to avoid problems within a nation. A war that includes this action is the civil war. After several disagreements of lifestyle, the South had succeeded from the United States of America. However, Abraham Lincoln’s initial goal was to keep the Union as a whole, as he continuously worked on achieving this goal. There are many accountable reasons for the Civil War, but the disagreement on slave vs. free states and the election of 1860 were the two main causes to the succeeding of the south.

The aftermath of the Civil War shook the nation. A new way of life was beginning for the people of America. A way of life that was beautiful and free to some and absolutely devastating to the rest. The country had changed and nobody did a better job at documenting this change than the authors. The authors used this new world to explore new and unique stories as well as capturing what it was actually like living in the post-Civil War times. This paper will examine post-Civil War Literature and its importance to documenting this period in history.