Major Events That Affected The Outcome Of The Civil War

There have been many major events that have changed countries forever. The Civil War was one of those as hundreds of thousands of americans were killed by family, friends, and fellow americans over the issue of slavery and issues between the northern states and the southern states. The Civil War has said to be one of the bloodiest wars in the world having more casualties than World War II, World War I, Vietnam, and the Korean war combined. The Civil War had many major events and battles that changed the outcome of the Civil War and how the Civil War impacted U.S. history forever. During the Civil War there have been many major events that affected the outcome of the Civil War. Some of these include the Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Shiloh, Antietam, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Battle of Vicksburg, the Emancipation Proclamation, Sherman’s March to the Sea, the Election of 1864, the
fall of Atlanta, and the Surrender at Appomattox.
A major turning point in the war was the Battle of Gettysburg where Confederate troops led by General Lee marched into Pennsylvania and met Union forces. After a 3 day battle Lee lost more than 50,000 troops, Lee was forced to retreat back to the south. The Battle of Gettysburg was an incredible victory for the Union and a catastrophic loss for the Confederates. Another major event that occurred during this time frame was the Emancipation Proclamation, The Proclamation stated that any slave living in a pro-slavery state was freed. However, Lincoln stated, “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could do it by freeing some and leaving
others alone, I would also do that. What I do about slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save this Union.” Which meant he reluctantly needed to free the slaves because he only wanted what was required to keep the Union intact. A third major event that took place during the civil war was the Gettysburg address in which Abraham Lincoln states that the men that died on the battlefield of Gettysburg should not have died in vain and that the United States shall have a new birth of freedom. The Gettysburg Address became one of the greatest speeches in U.S. History. No other conflict impacted our country greater than the Civil War. There are tons of reasons including great technological advances, safer surgical techniques, memorial day, about 65,000 books about the civil war, and social differences. The most prominent difference the war made was the 13th amendment which banned all slavery. This was major because there were still many people in the south which were against the banning of slavery. If the 13th amendment did not pass then there would still be controversy today and there could have been a second war. Another change that was an effect of the Civil War was the technological advances that occurred including the production of canned food, national paper currency, left and right shaped shoes, new telephone lines that reached the west coast, the transcontinental railroad, and more. In conclusion the Civil War was one of the most important wars in United States history and has impacted the U.S. in numerous ways. Some of these include amendments to the United States Constitution, the south was completely destroyed, and the way we act towards people of different race. The Civil War is one of the worst wars in United States history as it forced many friends, family members, and fellow americans to fight against each other but ultimately made our country stronger as a whole.