The American Civil War was one of the most defining moment in American history. It lasted from 1861 until 1865. Because the Northern and Southern states could not resolve their conflicts involving whether or not American would continue to be one of the largest slave-holding countries, it caused a division between the two. Along with the issue of slavery brought many economic and political disagreements that divided the states furthermore. Northern victory in the war preserved the United States as one nation and ended slavery that had divided the country from its beginning. These achievements came at the cost of 625,000 lives. That is nearly as many American soldiers as died in all the other wars in which this country has fought combined. …show more content…
The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave states. After President Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, because of pledging to keep slavery out of all the territories, seven slave states in the South seceded and formed a new nation, starting with South Carolina. They called themselves the Confederate States of America. Later, four more states withdrew and joined the confederacy. The idea of slavery was inconsistent throughout the constitution. It wasn't until the Battle of Antietam in September 1862 that Lincoln began emancipating the slaves. Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in Confederate territory on January 1st, 1863. Still, it wasn't until after the war in December 1865, that the 13th Amendment was ratified, freeing all slaves in all of America. Although the most common cause of the civil war was said to be slavery, there were several other factors involved as …show more content…
The conflict between the North and the South played a very important role in the result of the Civil War. The southern states felt as if they had no equal representation in congress. Since the Constitution was first written there had been arguments about how much power the states should have and how much power the federal government should have. The southern states felt that the federal government was taking away their rights and powers. As the United States continued to expand, new states were added to the country that shifted the power between the North and the South towards the North. Southern states began to fear they would lose all their rights because of so much power that they would lose. With the population growing in the north, it was obvious they were more largely represented in