Let's discuss who was involved, what they did, why they did it, how it was fought, how it ended and what significance it had, then and now. Let's discuss it all!
In the middle of the 19th century, white Americans of the North and South were unable to reconcile fundamental differences in their approach to government, economics, society and African American slavery.
The American Civil war was a major war between the United States The Union and the eleven southern slave states, which declared they had a right to secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis. The Union led by President Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party, opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States and rejected any right of secession. Fighting commenced on April 12, 1861 when Confederate General Pierre Beauregard opened fire upon Fort Sumter. They fired because Fort Sumter was in a confederate state. The Confederacy made its first invasion of the North when General Robert E. Lee led 55,000 men of the Army of Northern Virginia across the Potomac River into Maryland. The Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, was the single bloodiest day in American history. The Civil war ended with the ultimate defeat of the South and still today is recognized as the worst war ever fought.
despite popular ideas about the civil war being fought to end slavery, it wasnt. it was fought because the southern states were considered in rebellion, and the war was fought to keep them in the union.
South Carolina open fired on Fort Sumter when Lincoln was sending provisions, but they saw that as reinforcements. This caused Lincoln to call together militiamen and there were so many that people were actually turned down. Lincoln had to try to get back the crucial border states. During war time Lincoln had to say that he was not fighting to free the blacks because that would cause him to lose those southern states. He said his purpose was to save the Union at all costs. Most of the Five Civilized Tribes sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War. Even during the war the North got more soldiers because of immigrants from Europe that were coming in. Most of them were British, Irish, and German. The North did not have many good leaders so it had to go through trial and error methods. Ulysses S. Grant finally came in. King Cotton began to die during this time because British warehouses were so filled with cotton, and once the war started they already had so much. Jefferson Davis had in mind a strong central government and argued with Lincoln who believed in states rights. Lincoln, when inaugurated, increased the size of the Federal Army. Volunteers for the war began to lessen in 1863. For the first time Congress passed a federal conscription law on a nationwide scale in the US. (Draft) People were able to hire a substitute to take their place in the war or buy their way out with 300 dollars. (Obviously this really only worked for the rich. The economic stresses on war caused Congress to pass tariffs. The north got much prosperity with factories. New machines were invented. (Mechanical reaper) The souths cotton kingdom was crushed.
Th causes of the civil war were, Sothern Fears that that slavery would die out if they couldn't expand, Lincoln's election, Northern anti slave sentiment, sectionalism, and the Nullification crisis
Mellisa, While I aree that the battle of Antietem was extemely important to the War, do you think that it was the most important battle of the war or was there another?
The civil war was the first war involving actually new technology that the military had never used before. It was like, the first technological war... in which they used spikes to block off battle fields to from charging armies, newer guns that shatter the bones of the enemy, poisonous gases, etc. No one really understood the impact this technology would have. I think the Union one because it had so many industries to help produce so much weaponry
Jarred, Antietam is considered a turning point of the war and a victory for the Union because it ended Lee's strategic campaign and it allowed President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, which took effect on January 1, 1863. Although Lincoln had intended to do so earlier, he was advised by his Cabinet to make this announcement after a Union victory to avoid the perception that it was issued out of desperation. The Union victory and Lincoln's proclamation played a considerable role in dissuading the governments of France and Britain from recognizing the Confederacy; some suspected they were planning to do so in the aftermath of another Union defeat. When the issue of emancipation was linked to the progress of the war, neither government had the political will to oppose the United States. No other battle in the war had such momentous, multiple consequences as Antietam and in my opinion I do believe it was one of the most important battles in our American history.
Jarred, Antietam is considered a turning point of the war and a victory for the Union because it ended Lee's strategic campaign and it allowed President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, which took effect on January 1, 1863. Although Lincoln had intended to do so earlier, he was advised by his Cabinet to make this announcement after a Union victory to avoid the perception that it was issued out of desperation. The Union victory and Lincoln's proclamation played a considerable role in dissuading the governments of France and Britain from recognizing the Confederacy; some suspected they were planning to do so in the aftermath of another Union defeat. When the issue of emancipation was linked to the progress of the war, neither government had the political will to oppose the United States. No other battle in the war had such momentous, multiple consequences as Antietam and in my opinion I do believe it was one of the most important battles in our American history.
p.s. LEARN HOW TO SPELL MY NAME!
MELISSA= GOOD MELLISA= BAD
I'M SORRY GEESH. My name has 2 "r"'s. 99.99999999% of people spell it wrong. Not kidding.
I think that Lincoln, as president's, dealing with the issues of slavery and uprising conflict between the north and the south was creditable. I feel this way because he, in his Emancipation Proclamation, for example, carefully thought out the possible consequences in every aspect in order the accomodate the needs of both the industrialived north and the slave owning south. Lincoln never intended on ending slavery where it had already existed but from stopping it from reaching further boundaries starting with the Confederate states. His Proclamation however, i do believe, contributed, or led up to, the 13th ammendment later on, to the US constitution, abolishing slavery in the US.
The Civil War, is probably the worst war (actually during battle) in my opinion, not only because it was the bloodiest (that too), but it was also fought within our own country, which is hard to believe now looking back, you mean americans fighting americans, north vs. south. What ever happened to United We Stand...
