The American Civil War, which began in 1861 to 1865, has gone down in history as the one of the most significant events to have ever occurred in the United States of America, thus far. At that time, questions had arose wondering how the United States ever got so close to hitting rock bottom, especially being that it was a conflict within the country itself. Hostility steadily grew through the years dividing the nation further and further, and finally leading to the twelfth day in April 1861 in Fort Sumter, North Carolina. The American Civil War was an irrepressible battle and aside from the obvious physical effects of the war, the disagreement over states rights, the act of slavery, and the raising of tariffs played crucial roles in the …show more content…
In 1787, the creation of the U.S. Constitution would grant the national government dominance over the states. However, the southerners still felt that they should be able determine whether or not they accepted certain acts, and the idea of nullification was proposed. John C. Calhoun was first to present the states right to nullify, or ignore federal laws in which they disagreed, in his doctrine.[6] Things seemed to have remained calm until the commencement of Lincoln’s presidency when nullification was no longer allowed. South Carolina and the other southern states to follow, announced their intentions to leave the Union. They believed that since they voluntarily joined the Union, they could voluntarily withdraw as well.[7] During Lincoln’s attempt to stop the secession, more southern states joined the Confederates, and thus due to, but not only to these political factors, the civil war was slowly induced. Alexander H. Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America stated in the Savannah
During the early nineteenth century the United States began to split, but at the middle of the century people views started to become more concrete and so separation in the Union became more drastic. From 1850 to 1861 it was apparent that the union was separating into the North and the South. The Constitution played a major role in the separation that was occurring. Through sectional favoritism of bits and pieces of the Constitution and through ideas that were left out of it, the Constitution led to sectional discord and nearly the failure of the union.
Did you know America’s bloodiest battle fought on their own soil was the Civil War? The Civil War was fought on American soil between the northern states and the southern states. Many causes provoked the war, which would affect the nation for decades to come. Slavery, the Missouri Compromise, and John Brown’s attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, were some of the many causes. In turn hundreds of thousands of soldiers died, the South’s economy was devastated, and the northern ideals flourished.
Shelby Foote once said “But the Civil war defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads.” In this famous phrase he states how the civil war shaped the future of generations ahead, and was the collision of our beliefs, which led to issuing many policies and the burst of many disagreements, which were later solved with violence. His statement is valid because it interprets the situation the people where in, how they felt, and how the Civil War later affected people’s actions and beliefs.
American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 was a great and bloody war fought between the North and South. Growing up, we were taught in history class that it was a righteous war to free slaves, a public outcry for human rights. Abraham Lincoln once said that slavery “was somehow the cause of this war” (The American Pageant, 2006, p.348). But as we dig further, he also denied the intention to initiate a civil war, stating in his inaugural address that, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”(Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans, 2013, p.325)Accordingly, we can’t help but ask what made Abraham Lincoln change his mind, or, what exactly was the
that led up to the civil war, to include the fugitive slave Act, the publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin, the Kansas-Nebraska act, the Dred Scott Decision, and the Secession Crisis. Secondly who were the presidents during the war, and what they bring to the
There is a group that advocated for greater state rights, arguing that states deserved more autonomy under the union. An opposing group supported greater federal rights. This group felt that the union would only be stronger if the federal government had more rights. This situation, they claimed, was the only way to build the United States into a formidable political and economic entity. At the time, the first thirteen states formed the United States immediately after the American Revolution; the Article of Confederation that bound them together was fragile. In effect, the federal government became weak. As a result, some leaders continually met to make adjustments to the Article of Confederation. These changes formed the Constitution of the United States. Because most of the meetings excluded leaders who advocated for greater state rights, the law ignored the rights of the states under the federation to act autonomously. Proponents of state rights demanded that the federal government amends the Constitution by giving them the right of nullification, which would enable them to reject some federal acts but the federal government refused. The states that pushed for these changes were mainly from the south. When the federal government denied the right of nullification, they felt that the only solution would be
The American Civil War, it is a defining tragedy in our nation’s journey to its present state. The story of the Civil War has been said on many occasions to be a the American version of the Illiad, a horrible struggle of blood and guts that ultimately set the stage for a country that grew to be a world power. Nobody who wishes to comprehend the American history, even the America of today, can ignore the events of America’s Civil War. Following Abraham’s Lincoln’s election as the President of the United States in the year of 1861, a total of eleven states withdrew from the Union and formed what was known as the Confederate States of America. This ignited a bitter war between the Northern and Southern states. So bitter,
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.
Lasting from 1861-1865 The Civil war: one of the most bloodiest and alienated wars in the American History has had a tremendous impact on our past society, and modern as well. In the early 1800’s the United States accomplished harmony, alliance, and unification, eventually causing sectionalism to flourish. This controversy led to the famous bloody war, known as the Civil war. While the south wanted to separate, and become one, the north wanted to unite and have a peaceful relationship as a whole. In addition, slavery was a big dilemma between both the north and the south. A series of events that led to the Civil war include: The ending of the Mexican war(1848), The Fugitive slave act (1850), uncle tom 's cabin was released(1852), Kansas-Nebraska act (1854), charles sumner is attacked by preston on the floor of the senate (1856), Dred scott decision (1857), lecompton constitution rejected (1857), John brown raided harpers ferry (1859), and abraham lincoln being elected as president(1860).
Abraham Lincoln once stated, "A House divided against itself cannot stand. I Believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the house to fall. But I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other". More than anything else, differing interpretations about the Civil War drove the debate over the meaning of the Constitution and of the Union.
Lasting from 1861 to 1865, the Civil War is considered the bloodiest war in American history. However, the Civil War had seemingly been a long time coming. There were many events that took place within the fifteen years leading up to the Civil War that foreshadowed the eventual secession of seven “cotton states” from the Union. The end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, the Dred Scott Decision of 1857, John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859, and the outcome of the Presidential Election of 1860 all helped contribute to southern secession and the start of the Civil War; they each caused
When the American Civil War broke out amongst the divided entities that encumbered the United States during the 19th century an explosion of turmoil and struggle reigned free throughout the nation. Furthermore, with the strife of the Civil War came a barrage of changes that wracked much of the infant nation to its core. Traveling from end to end of the United States the effects of American Civil War became the precedent for the future of the nation. The war, for its influence on the people of the U.S, became a symbol for a turning point in American history. Cemented in that history is a conception of the war that has remained over the many years since its culmination. The idea that the Civil War was a war of rules and regulations and therefore is synonymous with the notion of battles being fought with troops lining either side of an open field and exchanging fire until one stood no more. Often this interpretation of the war is used to personify the idea of glorification of the ferocity of battles, paying homage to brave soldiers who fought in them, and telling of the birth of a refined nation through insurmountable suffering and evoke an attitude of awe towards the scale of conflict the Civil War provided. However there are some whose accounts allow us to look at the American Civil War in a different light, a light that paints a different picture of battles for those caught amongst the struggle but yet still envelop similar attitudes towards the war. This different style
The American Civil War is a civil war that is fought since 1861 and it is now the year 1864. The Union and the Confederacy are fighting for independence of African Americans to determine the survival of the United States of America. Thousands of young men left their safe homes with loving families and friends for many months to fight in the war to fight for America. The Union will win this battle and make America survive and claim independence and equality for all, but in doing so our strong soldiers have to participate in long hours of drill, often insufficient food or shelter, disease and many days in the hot dusty roads. There lives are very tough right now and it is very hard to communicate with you. All they have from there missed loved
The Civil War determined what kind of nation the United States would become. It determined whether it would be a nation with equal rights for everyone or the biggest country that still abused of slaves. The war started because of the brutal conditions slaves were living in. Many had no education what so ever and were treated worse than animals. Back then part of this country found this acceptable and demanded to keep their slaves while the others demanded freedom. Today there are many movies about the civil war. For example the movie Glory which was made in December 15, 1989 it was directed by Edward Zwick. The movie depicts the lives of African American soldiers who had to endure tougher training than the American man,
The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865. The result of a political debate over slavery, war broke out in April 1861, when Confederates attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, shortly after President Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The nationalists of the Union proclaimed loyalty to the U.S. Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States of America, who advocated for states' rights to expand slavery. Among the 34 U.S. states in February 1861, seven Southern slave states individually declared their secession from the U.S. to form the Confederate States of America, or the South. The Confederacy grew to include eleven slave states. The states that remained loyal, including the border states where slavery was legal, were known as the Union or the North. Although many people would disagree, the Civil War could not have been avoided because of certain circumstances like Geography, demographics, slavery and political events