From 1861 until 1865, the United States was embroiled in a war that took or changed the lives of some 625,000 people, leaving many more scarred, mutilated, mentally incapacitated, and with family torn asunder. The war, not fought against an opposing nation or an invading force, but with brothers and countrymen on opposite sides of armed lines, was both longer and bloodier than either side had predicted, though it had been coming for years. The question of slavery had caused numerous debates and fights at the state level as well as in the federal houses, and the many states holding slaves believed it was their right to decide their own future. After the election of Abraham Lincoln to the office of President of the United States, many saw …show more content…
In December of 1861, after the election of Lincoln, South Carolina became the first state to break away from the union that had held together since the ending of the Revolutionary War. In the weeks that followed South Carolina’s secession from the United States, several more states followed suit. With great speed a nation was seemingly born out of thought and created, like biblical tales, in what seemed like no time at all. On the morning of April 12, 1861, forces under the command of General P.G.T. Beauregard opened fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. These were the first shots fired in what would become known as the American Civil War. The fort was taken two days later by Confederate forces, with zero lives lost on either side (civilwar.org, n.d.), something that, unfortunately, was not signal the future of the war itself. With war officially declared, a sudden rising of Judiciary, Legislature, and Executive in the Confederate government, and the election of a President, Vice President, and a body of politicians to fill the various departments that were essentially carbon copies of those that existed still in the federal government of the United States, it
In November of 1860, the presidential election was one of the most momentous in the history of the United States. The land was split between North and the South and was smoldering for almost a decade. The candidates for the presidential election of 1860 were Abraham Lincoln, Republican, John Breckinridge, Southern Democrat, John Bell, Constitutional Union, and Stephen Douglas, Northern Democratic. Abraham Lincoln was against the increase of slavery into the new territories. Lincoln did not receive one vote from the south, but he did win over 50% of the Electoral College votes so Lincoln won the presidency to become the 16th President of the United States. Abraham Lincoln was known as one of America’s greatest heroes because of his inconceivable impact on our nation and his unique appeal. Lincoln was a captain in the military and a lawyer all before becoming the 16th President of the United States. Lincoln was one of two U.S. presidents who was assassinated while in office. Lincoln was also the president during the roughest part of American history, the Civil War. Lincoln was heavily in favor of abolishing slavery and so most of the citizens in the northern states of the U.S... On the other hand, the south had large plantations and favored slavery because the slaves worked for free and made plantation owners and other farmers a staggering amount of profit. The slaves were not treated as human beings; therefore, the slaves were mistreated. Slave owners often beat their slaves
A Civil War is a battle between the same citizens in a country. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the independence for the Confederacy or the survival of the Union. By the time Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1861, in the mist of 34 states, the constant disagreement caused seven Southern slave states to their independence from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The Confederacy, generally known as the South, grew to include eleven states. The states that remained devoted to the US were known as the Union or the North. The number one question that is never completely understood about the Civil War is what caused the war. There were multiple events that led to the groundbreaking, bloody, and political war.
Abraham Lincoln once stated “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” Abraham Lincoln is a hero for the citizens of America because his determination and courage to ending slavery even if it meant war caused peace in this nation. Slavery was the vital cause of the American Civil War. The north and the south both had their differences on how to run the country. People in the North believed in unity and that slavery should not exist because “all men are created equally.” On the other hand, the South believed in continuing slavery. People tried to talk it out and come to a middle ground after both sides compromising, however that didn’t work and caused war. Ideological differences were a vital role to making the American Civil War an inevitable event.
When the American Civil War began in the spring of 1861, those flocking to enlistment stations in states both north and south chiefly defined their cause as one of preservation. From Maine to Minnesota, young men joined up to preserve the Union. From Virginia to Texas, their future foes on the battlefield enlisted to preserve a social order, a social order at its core built on the institution of slavery and racial superiority . Secession had not been framed by prominent Southerners like Robert Toombs as a defensive measure to retain the fruits of the revolution against King George, a fight against those who sought to “intrique insurrection with all its nameless horrors.” (Toombs Speech) On January 1, 1863, when Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation went into effect the war became a revolution. The Union, the soldiers in blue fought to preserve could no longer exist. On every mile of soil, they would return to the Stars and Stripes from that moment on, the fabric of society would be irrevocably changed. In May of 1865, with the abolition of slavery engrained into the Constitution with the passage of the 13th Amendment, the Confederate armies of Lee and Johnston disbanded, and Lincoln dead of an assassin’s bullet; this change was the only certainty the torn fabric of the newly reunited states was left to be resown. Andrew Johnson and Southern Democrats believed the revolution of 1863 had gone far enough. Radical Republicans and African-Americans sought instead to bring it to
Until the 12th of April, 1861, the United States had never seen a war as big as the Civil War. The country, that, during the Revolutionary War, was small and united; now, was deeply divided by a (somewhat) imaginary line. This separated the Union into two independent countries: the Confederate States of America, also called the South or Confederacy, was pro slavery; and the United States of America, also called the North or Union, was against slavery. This division was long awaited. As someone who was against slavery on moral grounds, the election of Abraham Lincoln caused the secession of the following slave states in the Deep South: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. After the Battle of Fort Sumter,
In the 1800s the Civil War, a war between the northern and southern states, erupted into a massive conflict after President Lincoln was elected and after eleven states seceded from the Union. Following the secession from the Union, The Ft. Sumer conflict erupted, and this four-year tragedy between the northern and southern United States began causing an innumerable amount of casualties. This immense number of casualties, reaching approximately 600,000, resulted from economic and social differences of the North and South, the Dred Scott Case, and the election of President Abraham Lincoln. These causes of the Civil War were all created on conflict rather than intervention. They led to the creation of the Confederacy, a league of confederate states that embodied various disadvantages: the creation of weapons manually, the lack of railroads, the small population, as well as various advantages: tough fighting, devastating the Union 's army and unity that brought people of the Southern states together. Alongside these advantages came devastation, when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves, and led to the Confederacy 's defeat in 1865.
In the year of 1861, the Civil War, one of the bloodiest, most terrifying wars of all time, took place in American History. This four year war between the Southern and Northern states was fought over African American Rights and the issue of slavery itself. The Civil War, probably the most divisive war to ever be fought, turned the United States, a nation of unity, into a country of sectionalism, well-disputed and divided by attitudes and overall lifestyles. There were many different causes and explanations that led up to this major conflict, but the election of 1860 was the first milestone in a long series of events that turned into the Civil War. This pivotal point in U.S History, Abraham Lincoln’s becoming of president, was a big, if not,
Often, when one feels as though they have a better chance at succeeding than their opponent, the odds will flip, and that person will find that what they thought would be an easy win takes much more of an effort. In the American Civil War, the North went into battle with this mindset, later realizing that in order to keep the Union alive, they would have to put forth much more exertion than initially suspected. The Civil War began as a result of president Abraham Lincoln’s election, which then led to eleven Southern states seceding from the Union. Many Southern states were unsettled by Republican Lincoln’s plans for the future, fearing that they would lose the major institution that they depended so heavily on: slavery. The Confederates, feeling quite disgruntled with their unfavorable situation, fired first at Fort Sumter, North Carolina on April 12, 1861. The North was certain that this war would easily and quickly lead them to victory, due to their advantages in population, transportation, and industrial goods. Many Americans, both today and during the time the Civil War was commencing, also suspected that the Union had an easy path to victory; that their success was inevitable. But, the South, to much surprise, had many factors on their side to decrease the North’s chances of winning, as well as proving that their defeat was not always meant to be.
Prior to the First World War, the USA was a flourishing power in terms of having one of the largest economies and military strength, however America had few foreign policy ambitions during this period. Despite purchasing Alaska from Russia in 1867, there was no real interest in expanding America. Before The Great War, it seemed unlikely that America would become involved in war over the conflicts of other western powers. They considered themselves a ‘City on the Hill’, an example to the rest of the world of stability and democracy. The large Navy ensured security of the North American continent and the small professional army, points to the overwhelmingly defensive front they put on. Washington adopted an isolationist policy with regards
In the year 1864 the American Civil War was drawing to an end. The Confederate States of America was slowly running out of able bodied men and supplies to supply the army needed to ward off the Union’s invasion of the South. At this point in time the leader of the Union Army was Ulysses S. Grant. He devised a plan to escalate the process in which the Confederate Army was running out of supplies. Grant’s plan was to send Union troops to the West of the main conflict for them to loop around and cut off railroad lines, and burn farm lands. The greatest of these was the Army that burned thousands of acres in Georgia, yet another army led by General David Hunter might have been more decisive if it had not been stopped at the Battle of Lynchburg. General David Hunter was ordered by General Grant to make his way down the Shenandoah Valley and destroy as much farm land as possible along the way. On top of this General Hunter terrorized towns by pillaging stores and homes. The Southerners knew that a similar fate would become Lynchburg if they did not do anything to prevent Hunter’s advance. The people of Lynchburg worked hard at building up defenses protecting Lynchburg. They had to resort to using mostly young boys and elderly men since most able bodies men had already died in the War or were still fighting under General E. Lee. The boys and elderly men that maned the defenses did not have a good chance of warding of the large army led by General David Hunter; as a result, General
The American Civil War exploded in 1861 after several decades of tension boiling between the southern and northern states over contagious disputes including slavery, westward expansion and the federal authority over the states’ rights. The presidential election of 1860 and the triumph of Republican Abraham Lincoln, who was an ardent supporter of abolition led to the secession of seven southern states that formed the Confederate States of America. The other four states joined after the civil war had kicked off. Historical war manifested several years of ruthless battle at Bull Run (Manassas), Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Antietam, and Chancellorsville. Although the war lasted for over four years, it was one of the most important wars in the
America is the home of the free because of the brave. Most Americans know this to be true because of our current armed forces but more importantly our past. Our past militiamen and soldiers have gained us freedoms and homestead of our own religions, families, and the power to make our own decisions. Over the past few weeks I have read many different articles and a narrative by Fred Anderson, “The war that made America.”. Through all these things I’ve come to see how big of an impact our armies have made past and present. The thing people don’t take into consideration is that from the founding of Jamestown until 1785 the American colonial society was in a constant state of conflict.
The American Civil War was a chaotic and bloody conflict for the United States. While the Civil War was not strictly fought over slavery, it was a central factor. At the outbreak of the war, there were approximately four million slaves in the Union. With Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, those slaves were declared free men. However a large majority of those slaves were located in territory held by the Confederacy, and it was not until the end of the conflict that that these men and women actually saw their freedom. Lincoln had put serious consideration into how to go about ending slavery, but had not fully developed the logistical aspect of what would happen to these men and women after the war. It was not until 1865 that the Union
More than 100 years ago Canada had been a small child, progressing through life trying to find its place in this vast world. During the time periods of 1914-1945, 1950-1970, and 1971- 1990, there have been many factors that have helped induce its growth including: recognition due to military achievements, its international relationship with the United States, and uniting as one country. Through these times of hardship and glory Canada has succeeded in finding its autonomous identity in the world, as a “middle power”.
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