Civil War: The United States In The 19th Century
When the Founding Fathers of America gathered to sign The Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, their meeting marked the beginning of America’s separation from Britain. Little did they know, the South would recreate such an event 90 years later when it would secede from the Union. This act of secession would spark the Civil War, which claimed “more than half a million lives and a million wounded.” In the 19th century, a majority of the population started to reflect on itself, in particular, its practices and customs. This introspection resulted from demographic pressures caused by technological advancement, unfavorable legislation, modernized thoughts, and incompetent leaders. Such factors contributed to creating varying perspectives
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When the American government started passing unfavorable bills regarding certain territories in America, hostilities increased significantly, destroying the only aspiration of avoiding a civil war. Due to plentiful resources and population growth, the North transformed into a metropolitan area with advanced technology and successful ventures. It was also able to increase its territory due to the Ordinance of 1784, which allowed it to “incorporate new north-western states into its region,” and “achieve a larger population of residents.” The North’s increase in territory caused the South to envy its prosperity, increasing tensions that would contribute to the Civil War. Similar to how the Ordinance of 1784 escalated tensions in the South, the Wilmot Proviso, intended to eradicate slavery, drew an uproar from both the North and the South. Henry Clay, a politician opposing slavery, defied the expectations of both the North and the South by instructing the North to refrain from “demanding the terms” of the Wilmot Proviso and the South “against considering secession.” Since the South possessed a worse economy than the North, Clay had asserted that by eradicating slavery in the South, it would wage war just to preserve its economy. Clay’s warning revealed that the government advocated the North as opposed to the South, and that it was incapable of passing sufficient legislation. The South discovered the government’s bias towards the North and started the process to secede from the Union in order to achieve autonomy and create an honest
When the American government started passing unfavorable bills regarding certain territories in America, hostilities increased significantly, destroying the only aspiration of avoiding a civil war. Due to plentiful resources and population growth, the North transformed into a metropolitan area with advanced technology and successful ventures. It was also able to increase its territory due to the Ordinance of 1784, which allowed it to “incorporate new north-western states into its region,” and “achieve a larger population of residents.” The North’s increase in territory caused the South to envy its prosperity, increasing tensions that would contribute to the Civil War. Similar to how the Ordinance of 1784 escalated tensions in the South, the Wilmot Proviso, intended to eradicate slavery, drew an uproar from both the North and the South. Henry Clay, a politician opposing slavery, defied the expectations of both the North and the South by instructing the North to refrain from “demanding the terms” of the Wilmot Proviso and the South “against considering secession.” Since the South possessed a worse economy than the North, Clay had asserted that by eradicating slavery in the South, it would wage war just to preserve its economy. Clay’s warning revealed that the government advocated the North as opposed to the South, and that it was incapable of passing sufficient legislation. The South discovered the government’s bias towards the North and started the process to secede from the Union in order to achieve autonomy and create an honest