Slavery: Differences Between The American And Southern States During The Civil War

The Civil War brought up a lot of difference between the North and South not just Slavery. Even though it was one of the larger issues there were other issues such as social cultures, political beliefs, taxes, tariffs and internal improvements as well as states’ rights versus federal rights. The South remained a primarily agricultural economy while the North became more and more industrialized. Lincoln described the Civil War as a struggle for "a new birth of freedom" (Lincoln) The war was the beginning of freedom and changes of the nation. The war started off as differences between the North and South and was reformed into a war about Slavery.
The period before Civil War years known as the “antebellum years”, were the middle of the most
Second, American society urbanized extremely during this time. The United States had been a land of farmers for the most part, but around 1820 more and more people started to move towards the city areas. Third, the major political struggles during the antebellum period focused on states’ rights. Southern states were ruled by “states’ righters” which believes that individual states should have the last say in matters of interpreting the Constitution. Fourth, and narrowly tied to the states’ rights issue, was the debate over slavery the most disruptive issue the nation had ever came across. During 1820 and 1860, more Northerners started to realize just how horrible and the injustices of slavery, while southerners grew gradually dependent upon it to keep up the maintenance of their cotton-based economy. Finally, the matter of westward development itself had a reflective effect on American politics and society during the antebellum
Lee attacked Maryland in September 1862 after winning a couple victories from the Union Army led by General Ulysses S. Grant. Unfortunately, he underwent a great loss at the Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest fight of the war. Lee overpowered the Union Army, the next year at Chancellorsville leading to the climactic Battle of Gettysburg after the invasion of Pennsylvania,. The Battle which 50,000 men were killed or injured and Lee was forced to retreat to Virginia, never to attack the North again. “But on July 1, 1863, a Confederate brigade ran into Union cavalry near Gettysburg and the largest battle ever fought in the West Hemisphere broke out before anyone realized what was happening.” (Fuller) On July 4th, 1863, the same day that the Union victory at Gettysburg reached Washington, Union General Grant took Vicksburg on the Mississippi River. On January 1st, 1863, Lincoln issued his Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in seized Confederate territory. The War legitimately became about Slavery from that point