The United States And The Civil War

By 1860 Manifest Destiny divided America, making it hard for the Union to hold itself together. The spread of slavery broke bonds as more terrain was gained. Southern states and Northern states couldn’t reach common ground on slavery, causing more problems in the government. Slave labour was used for every state, and if slavery was to end many states could suffer financially. Slavery also had many members of the Union question if owning humans and treat them as property was just. Slavery threatened every state in the Union because it separated the country by political interests, economical requirements, and moral beliefs.

Major civil war events took place between 1861 and 1865, which was a contribution of the division of nations. The war was between the southern and northern states. The northern states were not supportive of slavery in comparison to their southern counterparts. Although slavery was a major cause of the split between the north and south, it was not the only reason. The economic status, cultural activities and the position on state rights were also factors contributing to the division among the states. Slavery was a major issue that divided the northern and southern states. In this paper, the focus is on slavery as the divisive factor of the division of the northern and southern states.

Slavery had always been a big issue in the 19th century. The south believed that slavery was essential for the development of the southern economy. As seen in document one, there is a strong controversy about the rights of slaves. Northerners had stated that they, “deny the authority of Congress, of a territorial legislature, or of any individuals, to give legal existence to slavery in any territory of the United States.” (Document 1). Southerners, on the other hand, believed that, “all citizens of the United States have an equal right to settle with their property in the Territory, without their rights, either of person or property, being...impaired...” (Document 1). The ongoing quarrel on the rights of slavery leads to continuous tension between the two divisions of the country. The North, which depends strictly on manufacturing and industrial factories, disapproves of the usage of slavery

Starting in 1865, the United States began to experience a series of changes and transformations that completely altered the landscape of the country. On the political side, the federal government had to deal with the aftermath of the Civil War and faced the challenge of reintegrating southern states back into the union while also attempting to institute desegregation movements in the South. From a social standpoint, almost four million slaves were freed by the end of the Civil War and in search of a better life, while a wide majority of women saw their roles begin to change–as there was a 307% increase in women joining labor forces from 1880-1930. Meanwhile on the economic side, the entire nation was undergoing the most significant industrial expansion to date, which would completely alter everyday life. All of these profound and rapid changes left American citizens in a state of disarray and in search for order, as they worried about how these changes would affect their lives and social statuses. This growing paranoia among American citizens, especially in the upper class, culminated with laws and court rulings being passed that ultimately favored the wealthy elites and prevented these changes from taking power away from the hands of the people that already had control.

"All Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among there are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" (Declaration of Independence). According to the U.S. Constitution the purpose for which the United States was created was to establish a perfect union within the citizens of the U.S. through justice, safety, welfare and liberty. In my opinion, although the U.S. Constitution states this, I do not believe this perfect union is in favor for everyone in this country because of the unjust events that have taken places within this country such as slavery. I believe the U.S. Constitution purpose only applies to those who are in higher power. The Civil War started because of unbending

The northern and southern states of the union were developed along different lines. The South had a predominately agrarian economy while the north dealt with industry and commerce. As a result of this they had different cultures and political beliefs, which led to many disagreements and conflicts between the states. Many events occurred as a result of this conflict. These events caused the southern states to secede from the Union and ultimately led to the Civil War. The Civil War was the bloodiest battle recorded in American history. It caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries. The cause of this significant war has been a question in limbo for the past 100 years, as there are many theories as to what the main cause might be.

During the first century of the United States as an organized country , it experienced an unprecedented amount of growth. It had a territory that stretched from the Pacific to the Atlantic; an industrial economy was slowly starting to form. Despite these accomplishments, the United States had one major problem standing in the way of it becoming a truly great country, the issue of slavery;slavery slowly drove the nation apart ever since the country was formed in 1776. Slavey clearly drew lines in the nation between the South which heavily relied on slavery for economics, and the North which opposed the institution of slavery as being immoral and clearly defining constitutional rights. The issue of slavery was heavily exacerbated by the idea of manifest destiny; manifest destiny was the idea that the United States should expand across North America since many believed it was their god given right. Slavery combined with the new territories acquired from manifest destiny ultimately contributed to the south’s secession of the union and the civil war because manifest destiny exacerbated the effects slavery had already had on the nation. Slavery had always caused tension between the North and South because slavery had always been an institution that the south full-heartedly swore by; despite the North’s unfavorable view of slavery, they couldn’t stop slavery since slavery was so engraved in the southern culture . Manifest destiny exacerbated these effects because politicians from

The United States dealt through many problems and challenges that they were forced to overcome. Throughout the battles that The U.S. faced, they encountered many benefits that shaped them. Such as the conflict in the west, the gilded age the change and industrialization, along with the progressive area were events that lead to the problems and issues that the United States addressed.

In the 1800s Mexico owned a large portion of North America. This Mexican territory included the current country of Mexico along with, Arizona, Colorado, California, New Mexico, parts of Nevada, and Texas. When the Mexican government allowed American to live in Texas conflicts arose between the settlers and government. The Americans rebelled and stared their own republic and asked to join the United States. After much debate, the Republic of Texas was annexed and shortly after a war broke out between the States and Mexico.

During 1790 and 1850, the United States was rapidly changing. The country was learning to live on its own, apart from England with its own economy, laws, and government. Not long after it declared independence that a rift between North and South began to start. The North believed in the Puritan Merchant role model, and the South in the role model of the English Country Squire. The difference in point of views soon caused the United States to start to split apart before eventually completely separating and resulting in one the bloodiest wars in American history. Prior to the outbreak of the civil war in 1861-1865, many events occurred within the years leading up to it that that foreshadowed the eventual succession of the southern “cotton states”. The Union and the Confederacy had begun to grow apart politically and economically following the election of President Lincoln. The outcome of the 1860 election sparked controversy and disagreement between the two sides, most specifically about the topic of slavery. Blacks had become bound to a life of slavery, and had become a staple of the American work force and economy.

The Souths need for slavery was difficult for the North’s industrialized civilization to understand which created a huge sociopolitical disagreement and division between the states as new issues arose and became harder to ignore. From the Early Abolitionist movement to the 1857 Dred Scott Supreme Court ruling the tensions were heightened, as the Souths constitutional right to the protection to their “property” was threatened and the moral question of the “property of men”. On November 6, 1860 the tensions reached its peak after Abraham Lincoln the Republican Party nominee, who relied heavily on the anti-expansion of slavery platform during the campaign, was elected the 16th president of the United States, which threatened the Southern way

On June 17th 2015, in Charleston S.C., where the roads are named after confederate generals, 21 year old Dylann Roof wore a Rhodesian badge, as he shot nine african americans in the Emanuel Church in hope of “igniting a civil war”. (Jessica Glenza; The guardian) Previously that year Roof, had been arrested and banned from a public mall, in march for a drug charge and in April for trespassing. In his case file it states that he was found in possession of narcotics to treat his drug addiction. It was also noted that he had an obsessive-compulsive disorder. However, despite these factors, Roof was still able to personally purchase the gun from a retail gun store in charleston because of lapses in the FBI background check system, (Ellen Nakashima; Washington Post) and commit this act of racial violence.

For the first half of the 19th Century the, still relatively young, United States began to face many conflicts regarding civil rights as well as continuous opposing views between the North and South. One of the more prevalent issues at the time, even though both Democrat and Whig parties attempted to avoid talking about it, was regarding the institution of slavery and whether or not it was “right”. Another issue that arose was whether or not the country would go to war with Mexico after Democrat, and current president at the time, James K. Polk went to Congress with a declaration of war with the claim that on American soil, Mexico had caused the shedding of American blood. Furthermore, the war against Mexico would eventually ignite the debate of slavery even more and unfortunately lead to the events of the Civil War.

There has never been a war that has pitted brother against brother or friend against friend like the Civil War of the United States. How did families, friends, and a country become divided down the middle over slavery, a mainstay that helped the economic growth of this country? As the northern states population grew and expanded westward their anti-slavery beliefs began to spread faster than the pro-slavery beliefs of the southern plantation owners. This influx of an anti-slavery population began to use the senate as a platform to question the use of slavery, causing the southern elitists to strengthen their defenses in support of slavery. Many southerners feared their right to own slaves would be taken away as the anti-slavery

Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” In the 1800s, the American nation was slowly becoming a house divided against itself. The United States were no longer united, mainly over the issue of slavery. In fact, many historians believe that, “From the nation’s founding, the issue of slavery threatened to tear the United States apart.” (“The Civil War” 1). The issue of slavery was always kept at bay through the utilization of various compromises; however a permanent solution was never sought after by the government. The peoples’ perspective of slavery differed by region. In the South, the economy was extremely reliant on farming and agriculture. These areas required slave labor, so Southerners favored slavery. However, in the North, many people were pro-abolition and called for the end of slavery (“Slavery: Three Points of View” 2). These varying ideals about slavery ultimately lead to the start of the Civil War. When Lincoln, the Republican, pro-abolition candidate, won the Election of 1860, Southern states began to secede from the United States. Within 6 months of Lincoln’s election, the Confederate States of America had been created (“The Civil War” 1). The Confederacy despised the principles of the North, or the Union, and was ready to go to war in order to settle their differences. This war would forever change life in America and even break down society’s barriers between the races. In short, key battles and the abolition of slavery are