Lincoln's Turning Point

The American Civil War took place during April 12, 1861 – May 9, 1865. This was a pivotal time for societal development. The victorious side of the war would be the new face of a young country. Either the United States was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a powerful national government. And would this nation born of a declaration that all men were created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding country in the world? Powerplay and bloodshed were key players in the game that held the answers and turning points of a nation.

“A new birth of freedom…” was the message that Lincoln conveyed to the exhausted faces of the revolution. His speeches were
This was accentuated in how the economy of the North flourished while the South suffered in ways previously unknown. After Lincoln’s murder, his successor became Andrew Jackson. Jackson was never like Lincoln in their opinions concerning abolition. He himself was rich solely because of his plantation which contained 1,000 enslaved people. Jackson wanted to return the lands taken from the Confederates during the war. This lead to outrage from the Radical Republicans and much of the congress. His desires were not to be met, yet.

Just as the times seemed to be changing and the Africans were no longer oppressed, there was talk under the table. Businessman and former slaveowners were livid that their former slaves were free and prospering. Their racism was terribly bleak and lead to many conflicts in the courts. As time carried on and the recovery period had just begun people were becoming accustomed to the new lifestyle. Courage to begin rebuilding was born in the people. Soon after, powerful racists took control. They used their power to reignite the flame that had petered out called white
What the nation needs, a peaceful leader! The irony is in the fact that his presidency was far from peaceful. The backlash from the defeat of the South had manifested into the form of the KKK. These were a vicious people without sense of right or wrong. Racism and loathing was injected into the life of everyone. Public murders and beatings were ordinary where the Klan was. It was all revenge for losing the defeat. The ex-confederate soldiers may have been dying out but their hatred was not.

The South managed to control and maintain white supremacy in the South for nearly a century before the great Martin Luther King changed the world. He was the face of a rebellion and more change to a nation that needed it. When I hear the history of this country I cannot help but feel ashamed. There was no equality. It was all an illusion and it still is. The abolitionists were heroic. I am so honored to hear the stories of the fighters. They make me so incredibly proud. Their wins were all dignified and deserved. This country would have suffered eternally without their