The Civil War
The American Civil War lasted from 1861-1865, and is known as one of the most crucial events in the history of American. In those four years, more than half a million soldiers from both the Confederate and Union side were either wounded or died trying to fight for what they believed in. A nation was divided and mass social and economical changes occurred throughout the entire region. This fight over slavery and State rights would pit man against man and create a greater debt within the United States than anyone could have possibly imagined. However, whether it was directly or indirectly, it led to true unification, abolished slavery and gave women a voice that had previously not been heard.
All Men Are Created Equal
In 1860, the Southern states of the nation were the last in the Western world to still occupy and enforce human slavery. The Dutch had brought black slaves to the United States in early 17th century and from there, the use of slaves grew. By the 18th century, there were half a million in the country. In a country that’s Declaration of Independence started off with “all men are created equal”, this was a far cry from it and nothing short of hypocrisy. By building a nation built off of the tolerance of slavery, it was denying its own occupancies, the very same principles it stood for. The Country had spent most of the last ten years divided over the issue of slavery, and many voters believed the well-being of the nation depended upon the new president. One candidate, Abraham Lincoln was at the forefront of the race and this was what the people of the North had hoped for. The Union wished for preservation of the North, and Lincoln seemed to want the same. Lincoln promised to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories outside of the South, and this angered the South. For southerners, slavery was considered vital to the economy and without it, the economy would fail. In turn, many southerners vowed that they would leave or secede from the
All Men Are Created Equal
In 1860, the Southern states of the nation were the last in the Western world to still occupy and enforce human slavery. The Dutch had brought black slaves to the United States in early 17th century and from there, the use of slaves grew. By the 18th century, there were half a million in the country. In a country that’s Declaration of Independence started off with “all men are created equal”, this was a far cry from it and nothing short of hypocrisy. By building a nation built off of the tolerance of slavery, it was denying its own occupancies, the very same principles it stood for. The Country had spent most of the last ten years divided over the issue of slavery, and many voters believed the well-being of the nation depended upon the new president. One candidate, Abraham Lincoln was at the forefront of the race and this was what the people of the North had hoped for. The Union wished for preservation of the North, and Lincoln seemed to want the same. Lincoln promised to prevent the expansion of slavery into new territories outside of the South, and this angered the South. For southerners, slavery was considered vital to the economy and without it, the economy would fail. In turn, many southerners vowed that they would leave or secede from the
Bibliography: Davis, Burke. The Civil War Strange & Fascinating Facts. New York: Fairfax Press, 1982. Barnes, Jeremy Civil War January,Brendan . The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Canada : Children’s Press, 1998. Gibboney ,Douglas. Tragic Glory. Fredericksburg: Sergeant Kirkland’s Museum , 1997. Morris, Richard. "Timeline of the Civil War, 1865." http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1865.html (accessed 11/28/2010). Freeman , Joanne. "Timeline of the Civil War, 1864." http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/tl1864.html (accessed 11/28/2010). [ 2 ]. January, Brendan. The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Canada: Grolier Publishing Company, 1998.