...The American Civil War In my final project I would like to try to describe the American Civil War. I chose this topic, because I think there are still disparities between the South and the North. I would like to learn something more about it. I would also like to discuss racial problems. In my opinion it is interesting to show a different perspective of slavery during the war and African American’s status these days. This project should also remind people of what the American Civil War was about. The Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Causes o the war 3. Abolitionism 4. The war 5. Characteristics and results of the war 6. Reconstruction period 1. Introduction The American Civil war was an armed conflict that took place between the States of the Union (today's founding states of the USA) and the Confederation of States (11 states that wanted to secede from the Union). The war lasted from 1861 – 1865. This war is also known as the North versus the South. 2. Causes of the war • Difference between the North and the South The North - industry, coal mining and processing iron, financial, more people, slavery was prohibited The South – agriculture, cultivation of tobacco, cotton and sugar cane, backward industry, legal slavery • Slavery Slavery was the most obvious reason for the war. The northern states wanted to ban slavery throughout the USA, while the southern states feared, that it would destroy their economy. The balance between "free states"...
Words: 620 - Pages: 3
...to as "The American Question." The question could not be evaded; a choice had to be made between neutrality and intervention. European attitudes towards the American Civil War would have a significant effect on the war's ultimate outcome (Randall and Donald 355). Throughout the early months of the conflict, the reaction of Europe was of great interest to both sides; Queen Victoria's Great Britain, in particular. Would Queen Victoria recognize Confederate independence? Such recognition would legitimize the Confederacy and provide it with allies who could furnish weapons and supplies the Southern cause desperately needed (Davis 197). At the outbreak of the war, most foreigners were poorly informed about America, according to Leslie Stephen in 1865: The name of America five years ago, called up to the ordinary English mind nothing but a vague cluster of associations, compounded of Mrs. Trollope, Martin Chuzzlewit, and Uncle Tom's Cabin. The choice between neutrality and intervention was not an easy one; either choice would lead to more choices. The question dealt with several issues, and it was difficult to read the conflict amidst threatening demands of angry belligerents. England had to guess the future in order to make a wise decision while balancing interests at home (Randall and Donald 355). Europe's three greatest powers were England, France, and Russia. England and France had won control of Central and Eastern Europe by defeating Russia in the Crimean War (1854-1856)...
Words: 1604 - Pages: 7
...The American Civil War Jill Ayala HIS/115 February 19, 2012 Jody Ault The American Civil War “In the course of four years, more than 2% of the population of the United State lost their lives in the American Civil War, between 618,000 and 700,000 people” (American Civil War, 2012). Never before or since has there been such a tragic event occur. There are many different opinions regarding the American Civil, why it occurred, and what the actual reasons for the War were. A Nation Divided In 1861 the American Civil War erupted after many years of conflicts between the North (the Union) and the South (the Confederacy). These conflicts included western expansion, States rights versus federal authority, and slavery. With the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 seven Southern states (South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama) declared their succession from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. Four more states (Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Arkansas) joined the Confederation after start of the Civil War. The Confederates wanted to remain slave State. The Union wanted to bring the country back together as one single, unified nation. Why the North Won the Civil War In 1860 he South’s population was 1/3 slaves. The South relied heavily on the slave trade and not only wanted but needed the slave trade to continue for economic purposes. They wanted to become and independent nation...
Words: 964 - Pages: 4
...Experiences of the American Civil War (1861-1865): Honor, Duty and Death Introduction The following pages are an essay on the cause of the American Civil War (1861-1865) and the effects that the war had upon the soldiers, women and African Americans of the North and the South. In this essay I will write about the following topics and present a view of how the war was witnessed by these different groups of people. In regards to the soldiers of the North and the South, I will answer the following questions: What was the enthusiasm of the soldiers from the North and the South before the war? What was their perspective after the fighting had started? How did the soldiers of the invading armies treat the civil population? The horrors of the Civil War witnessed by the soldiers of the North and the South? Then I will answer some of the following questions about women and the Civil War: What role did women play during the war? What respect did women attain for their role? How did women help the soldiers to endure the hardships of the war? The questions dealing with African Americans are: Did the Civil War change how their comrades in arms viewed African Americans? How did African Americans help in fighting the war? Why did African Americans fight in the war? What did African Americans hope to gain from fighting in the war? The Causes of the American Civil War The American Civil War (1861-1865) occurred because the two principal regions of the country, the North and...
Words: 3517 - Pages: 15
...The American Civil War Student’s Name: Course: Instructor’s Name: Institution: Date Submitted: The American civil war is a war that happened between the years 1861 to 1865. The war was fought so that the union could determine its survival and to ensure that it gets independence (Blattman, C., & Miguel, E., 2010). The war originated due to the issues of slavery that was especially practiced in the western countries. The lessons that struck me from the story of American civil war include the following; one is that there is a very big role of influence that a few important people can contribute in the outcome of a war. There were few individuals who influenced people to take part in the civil war in the United States during mid-1860 as they played major role in making sure most people participate in the war through incitement (Justino, P. 2009).For example Abraham Lincoln had a lot of influence to general public because of his position of being the commander in Chief although he had not been trained on military. The other thing that struck me from reading the civil war is that no one should ever undermine the determination of the average soldier. This is because the soldiers have a chance to show a difference no matter how the plans of the commander are. When the war started the soldiers fought very well not considering the plans but to show the outcome of the war. The soldiers wanted to ensure that they became the winners after the war which after the war they...
Words: 417 - Pages: 2
...Theil The American Civil War 04-18-13 Sumter to Think About Graphic photos depicting tragic events during the course of the history of this great nation are in obvious abundance. Whether it was the Vietnamese War, to those horrific scenes captured on film that fateful day, September Eleventh, 2001, visual documentation of violence continues to captivate these United States. During the Civil War, capturing a photo was in its infancy. Despite the primitive technology, there may be no better way to express the horrific events that transpired inside of Andersonville prison, as well as the overall feel of the Civil War in general. The visual of malnourished inmates dying a slow, agonizing death invokes emotion to most that view them. Despite all of this horrible negativity surrounding the prison, did anything good come out of Andersonville? Was it as awful as documented or simply a necessary evil of the war itself? I liken this to a high budget Hollywood blockbuster, horrible comparison but it seems to be what comes to mind. In most major motion pictures, the “winner” is placed upon a pedestal for all to cheer. The “loser” on the other hand, that’s normally the villain of the story. Certainly the Union had to have prisons set up where similar acts were being enforced, right? Is Andersonville so well regarded as the worst of the worst simply because the south have the stank of loserdom all over them? Located in Andersonville, Georgia, this Confederate Civil War prison was...
Words: 2786 - Pages: 12
...American Civil War History Paper The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a civil war between the United States (the "Union") and the Southern slave states of the newly-formed Confederate States of America under Jefferson Davis. The Union included all of the free states and the five slaveholding border states and was led by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into territories owned by the United States. Republican victory in the presidential election of 1860 led seven Southern states to declare their secession from the Union even before Lincoln took office.[1] The Union rejected secession, regarding it as rebellion. Hostilities began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Lincoln responded by calling for a large volunteer army, then four more Southern states declared their secession. In the war's first year, the Union assumed control of the border states and established a naval blockade as both sides massed armies and resources. In 1862, battles such as Shiloh and Antietam caused massive casualties unprecedented in U.S. military history. In September 1862, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation made ending slavery in the South a war goal, which complicated the Confederacy's manpower shortages. In the East, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee won a series of victories over Union armies, but Lee's reverse at Gettysburg in early...
Words: 6578 - Pages: 27
...V. Borunda Mrs. Martinez World History November 20, 2014 The American Civil War Many people know about the Civil War, but not every one knows the details. The Civil War was a key point in U.S. History that brought all the states together and made them into one single indivisible country. Before the civil war started there was the election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln has just been elected into office and many political officials didn’t like that. The Battle Field Lincoln pledges to abolish slavery in all the states, his views were very different from those in congress, and Lincoln wanted a strong nation, one without slavery. This would be fine if slavery wasn’t popular in most states, but sadly it was. There was conflict and disagreement, but most of this conflict came from the south. In the south slavery was a very popular and common practice. Thirteen states from the south seceded from the United States. These states called themselves The Confederate States Of America. According to www.civilwar.org the first battle of the civil war took place at Fort Sumter. On April 12, 1861, Major Robert Anderson was under fire by General P.G.T Beauregard, who was in command of the Confederate forces around Charleston harbor. Major Robert Anderson surrendered on April 13 and evacuated the next day. This The battlefield is a very known subject in all wars but this was one of the harshest wars in American history. This war like any other was fought and won with armies of soldiers. Each side...
Words: 1667 - Pages: 7
...History Homework Name: Course title: Institution: Instructor: Submission date: The American Civil War An increase in the American population during the 1800s bore dissatisfaction among the white settlers with regards to the land they owned. As a result, they began exploring land in the west of the Mississippi River, thus marking the Westward expansion. The exploration also included the acquisition of lands from Mexico and Louisiana, exploitation of California, and invasion of Texas. Although this activity propelled America onto a new stage and position, it also caused more conflict within the country that became one of the causes that led to the American Civil War. The annexation of Texas, movement of immigrants to the West and the settlement in Oregon led to the formation of a new region that later became states. At this point, there was a conflict of interest as to whether or not to make regions Free states (Brinkey, 2004). Meanwhile, Congress was seeking ways in which they could strike a balance between Free states and slaves. The westward expansion elicited views and debates on granting western territories permission to become states on the basis of their view of slavery. Subsequently, the state was split into two; abolitionist union and pro-slave Confederacy (Bartleby.com, 2014). A significant number of settlers had relocated to south into the Missouri by 1818. At that time, it was still in the process of being made a state while the same problem emerged...
Words: 869 - Pages: 4
...Michael Wilson History 120 May 2 2016 Important Personages of the American Civil War. Abstract A defining time in American history was the Civil war of 1861-1865. It is said that while the Revolution founded the United states,the American Civil war shaped the United states into the kind of country it would come to be. The war would come to decide whether the United states would break up to become sovereign states or continue to stand as one nation. Also it would be key in determining if the United states would eventually abolish slavery or continue to dominate the world in slavery. These two issues would come to be widely recognized as the reasons for the war. This paper focuses mainly on some major personalities that played important roles during the war. It highlights their achievments and setbacks and Osuala 2 also takes a look at how they were instrumental to different causes and in general, their influences on the war at large. Stay tuned. Introduction There were so many people who took part in the American Civil war of 1861-1865 which was between the Confederacy and the Union. By the end of the war,over 730,000 soldiers and sailors died in the conflict (Shi and Tindall 506). Some of the most...
Words: 1972 - Pages: 8
...Causes Of The American Civil War Four years of American bloodshed on American soil. Why? The reasons are varied. From the formation of America to 1860, the people in this country were divided. This division was a result of location and personal sentiments. Peace could not continue in a country filled with quarrels that affected the common American. There is a common misconception that the American Civil War was fought only over slavery, when in fact there were several other reasons for why the War Between the States was fought. The Civil War (or the War of the Rebellion as it is officially known) lasted for four years, from 1861-1865. It was between the American people; primarily the northern states vs. the southern states. The South was called the Confederate States of America (also known as the Rebels) and was led by President Jefferson Davis. The North was still known as the United States of America, or the Union, and the people were called the Yankees or sometimes the Federals. They were led by president Abraham Lincoln. If one were to ask the average person the causes of the War Between the States, that person would most likely answer with one word: slavery. But this was not the only cause. Slavery had been a historical problem before the war. Slavery came up in debate during the making of the American Constitution, and both Northern and Southern states held slaves. In 1611, a group of Scottish women and children were sold as the first slaves in America, and...
Words: 1571 - Pages: 7
...Causes of the American Civil War THE CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR I Introduction to Civil War II Social Causes A Differences in society B Westward Expansion III Economic Causes A Differences in economy B Westward Expansion IV Political Causes A Government V Aftermath A Costs of War CAUSES OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR I. Introduction to Civil War The American Civil War was a war fought within the United States of America between the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy) starting from 1861 and ending in 1865. This war was one of the most destructive events in American history, costing more than 600,000 lives. It was thought to be one that helped shape the character of the American individual today. From the Southern point of view, this war was a War of Rebellion, or a War for Southern Independence. From the Northern point of view this war was seen as a revolution. This unfortunate war started as a result of many years of differences between the Union and the Confederacy. It erupted after many years of conflict building up between the two regions. Between the North and the South there lay deep economic, social and political differences, but it is important to understand that Slavery was the root of cause of these differences. II. Social Causes There were many factors that contributed to the onset of the Civil War. Socially, the North and the South were built on different standards. The South, or the Slave States, was a slave-based community that followed...
Words: 1323 - Pages: 6
...The Cause The American Civil war was a fight between the Northern states and the Southern states. The South was sick of the North telling them what to do and making laws they didn’t want. So as a result of this the South decided to break away and formed their own country, which is called the “confederacy”. The North wanted to stay united as one country so the war began. There were many events that led up to the Civil War. The events lasted from about 1860 until 1865. One important event being Bleeding Kansas, this was a fight between pro slavery and antislavery for the new territory of Kansas. Hundreds of men crossed the Missouri border and went and out-voted the anti slavery settlers in Kansas. This brought vicious retaliation from the anti...
Words: 479 - Pages: 2
...we have seen many generations of our U.S. men and woman go to battle for our country. I think that goes to show how dedicated we are to our land. I believe that all Soldiers have stories to tell about their experience during war, and I’m sure that most of the men and women fighting for our country aren’t comfortable telling these stories. However, we are lucky to have such a rich history of letters saved for many wars including the Civil War. I have always had an interest in the Civil War since I first leaned about it in elementary school. The main reason why I was fascinated by the Civil War was because it divvied our country, North and South, and I just couldn’t imagine the United States fighting itself. When it came time for me to take this course I was excited to broaden my knowledge on this war. I always knew that we (Americans) preserved our history very well. On a trip to Washington D.C., I was enlighten when I was able to see George Washington’s’ home, and Abraham Lincoln’s Coat and so much more. But when I began this assignment and started reading the letters from the soldiers of the Civil War in the After-Actions-Reports, I gained a true sense of what those men were going through on those battlefields. I found out that during the Civil War, officers were required to send in reports on their status’s and events. I decided to read Luetinet Colonel Robert Anderson’s official report. Lt. Col Robert Anderson was a Federal officer based near Sharpsburg. The letter I...
Words: 593 - Pages: 3
...Many people believe that the major cause of the Civil War was because of slavery. In reality there were several factors that including about regional diversity, differing interpretation of the constitution, slavery, state's right, sectionalism, especial territorial expansion, led to the Civil War. States’ right is one of the most symbols of the American Civil War. States’ Right refers to the struggle between the federal government and individual states over political power. Since the time of the Revolution, two camps emerged: those arguing for greater states’ rights and those arguing that the federal government needed to have more control. At the Constitutional Convention and create, in secret, the US Constitution, many felt that the new constitution ignored the rights of states to continue to act independently. They felt that the states should still have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts. And this resulted in the idea of nullification, whereby the states would have the right to rule federal acts unconstitutional. The federal government denied states this right. When nullification would not work and states felt that they were no longer respected, they moved towards secession. The Northern and Southern sections of the United States developed along different lines. The South was mostly rural and agricultural. With invention (sang che’) of the cotton gin in 1793,cotton farming becoming the most profitable (loi nhuan) business in the South....
Words: 856 - Pages: 4
