The Civil War The name Civil War is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but a sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements. It has been characterized, in the words of William H. Seward, as the “irrepressible conflict.” In another judgment the Civil War was viewed as criminally stupid, an unnecessary bloodletting brought on by arrogant extremists and blundering politicians. Both views accept the fact that in 1861 there existed a situation that, rightly or wrongly, had come to be regarded as insoluble by peaceful means. In the days of the American Revolution and of the adoption of the Constitution, differences between North and South were dwarfed by their common interest in establishing a new nation. But sectionalism steadily grew stronger. During the 19th century the South remained almost completely agricultural, with an economy and a social order largely founded on slavery and the plantation system. These mutually dependent institutions produced the staples, especially cotton, from which the South derived its wealth. The North had its own great agricultural resources, was always more advanced commercially, and was also expanding industrially. Hostility between the two sections grew perceptibly after 1820, the year of the Missouri Compromise, which was intended as a permanent solution to the issue in which that hostility was most clearly expressed—the question of the extension or prohibition of slavery in the federal territories of the West. Difficulties over the tariff (which led John C. Calhoun and South Carolina to nullification and to an extreme states' rights stand) and troubles over internal improvements were also involved,... ... middle of paper ... ...ed have been defeated and the Government itself has been destructive of them by the action of the nonslaveholding states,”- declared South Carolina, feeling discontent about the government “encouraging and assisting thousands of slaves to leave their homes.” (A Declaration of the Causes Which Induced the Secession of South Carolina, South Carolina, December 24, 1860) Lincoln responded to this action that no state has a right to leave the Union: “In doing this there needs to be bloodshed and violence; and there shall be none, unless it be forced upon the national authority.” (Abraham Lincoln, The US History, Chapter 17, p.338, 1977) But the southern answer was war! Hence, although the Civil War was the result of extremism and failures of leadership on both sides, or, sometimes, as an irrepressible conflict, it was difficult to avoid it.
In this essay, the author
- Argues that the name civil war is misleading because the war was not a class struggle, but sectional combat, having its roots in political, economic, social, and psychological elements
- Explains that the south remained agricultural, with an economy and a social order largely founded on slavery and the plantation system. the north had its own great agricultural resources.
- Analyzes how hostility between the two sections grew perceptibly after 1820, the year of the missouri compromise, which was intended as a permanent solution to the issue of slavery extension or prohibition.
- Explains that the compromise of 1850 marked the end of the period that might be called the era of compromise. the deaths of henry clay and daniel webster left no leader of national stature.
- Analyzes how the south was alert to protect its "peculiar institution" with the kansas-nebraska act (1854) and the subsequent struggle over "bleeding" kansas.
- Explains that abraham lincoln, who was douglas's opponent, favored prohibiting slavery in all new territories, hoping thereby that the institution will die out.
- Analyzes the passions aroused by arguments over the fugitive slave laws and over slavery in general were further excited by the vigorous proslavery utterances of william l. yancey and the activities of the northern abolitionist john brown.
- Analyzes how the "wedges of separation" caused by slavery split protestant sects into northern and southern branches and dissolved the whig party. lincoln's victory was the signal for the secession of south carolina.
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- The American Civil Waranalytical essayThe Civil War has been viewed as the unavoidable eruption of a conflict that had been simmering for decades between the industrial North and the agricultural South. Roark et al. (p. 507) speak of the two regions’ respective “labor systems,” which in the eyes of both contemporaries were the most salient evidence of two irreconcilable worldviews. Yet the economies of the two regions were complementary to some extent, in terms of the exchange of goods and capital; the Civil War did not arise because of economic competition between the North and South over markets, for instance. The collision course that led to the Civil War did not have its basis in pure economics as much as in the perceptions of Northerners and Southerners of the economies of the respective regions in political and social terms. The first lens for this was what I call the nation’s ‘charter’—the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, the documents spelling out the nation’s core ideology. Despite their inconsistencies, they provided a standard against which the treatment and experience of any or all groups of people residing within the United States could be evaluated (Native Americans, however, did not count). Secondly, these documents had installed a form of government that to a significant degree promised representation of each individual citizen. It was understood that this only possible through aggregation, and so population would be a major source of political power in the United States. This is where economics intersected with politics: the economic system of the North encouraged (albeit for the purposes of exploitation) immigration, whereas that of the South did not. Another layer of the influence of economics in politics was that the prosperity of ...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the civil war was viewed as the unavoidable eruption of a conflict between the industrial north and the agricultural south.
- Argues that the declaration of independence and the constitution are political documents, but they speak of justice as the basis of political organization.
- Analyzes how the constitution paved the way for the bitter political disputes and failed compromises of the 1840s and 1850s, and eventually the civil war.
- Analyzes how the southern colonies remained agricultural, and later southern states adopted a similar economy. however, population growth in the south lags behind that of the north.
- Explains that the northern states followed the path of economic development already underway, with a significant consequence: the substantial wave of european immigration was absorbed by these states.
- Explains that the south faced a real disadvantage in terms of representational democracy power in the 1840s, and argues that secession was the only way to preserve the economic system of southern society.
- Argues that the failed attempts at political compromise in the 1850s did nothing more than postpone the inevitable. but the swift escalation of tensions into military action suggests that americans were ready for a fight.
- Explains kulikoff, a., from british peasants to colonial american farmers.
- Explains roark, johnson, cohen, stage, lawson, and hartmann, s. m. (2009). the american promise: a history of the united states.
1805 wordsRead More - American civil waranalytical essayIn the following text I will point out some moments of the American Civil War. The American Civil War was during 1861 and 1865. The Civil War was between the Nothern and the Southern states. The reason for the Civil War wasn't only because of the differences in economic, in social divisions and political divisions between North and South, it was more about the big question: “Slaves in America?”.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the american civil war was between the nothern and the southern states during 1861 and 1865.
- Analyzes how the south took political consequences after south carolina declared to withdraw from the federal government on december 1860.
- Explains that the southern states worked out a constitution, which included the most ideas with the constitution of the union, but the northern states didn't want to approve this bill.
- Explains how lincoln let trained recruits and brought them in the front, and the powerful armaments industry of the north supplied the soldiers with new weapons.
- Analyzes how the american civil war became a war of extermination waged by all means. the states used the latest technology for the control on mississippi and to win.
- Explains that the south was exploited by the troops from the north, and the last decisive battle was fought around the capital of the confederacy in virgina.
- Explains that the ku-klux klan was formed shortly after the civil war. it was rumored to want to hit from the defeat of the south profit.
762 wordsRead More - Why Did the South Secede In 1860?analytical essayGeographically, North and South were very different places. The pastures of New England were similar to those found in England, suitable for a variety of uses. Hot Southern prairie lands were perfect for cotton growing, a lucrative business at this time. Following the invention of Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin, the South became increasingly dependent on this crop, and an entire society grew out of it. The society was one of wealthy planters, who led a life similar to the landed gentry of England, controlling politics and society of the day. In the fields laboured Negro slaves, usually only a handful per plantation, though larger farms were occasionally seen. In addition, there lived poor whites, tenant farmers or smallholders, who eked out a living from the land. This contrasted sharply with Northern society, where industrialisation flourished, creating wealthy entrepreneurs and employing cheap immigrant labour. Given the localised nature of media, and difficulties of transport two cultures grew up in the same nation, remarkably different and often suspicious of one another.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the seeds of secession had been sown early in american history with the fundamental differences in agriculture and resultant adoption of slavery in the south.
- Explains that the north and south were very different places. the new england pastures were similar to those found in england, while the southern prairie lands were perfect for cotton growing.
- Explains that the north/south balance in the senate was threatened by the application of missouri to join the union as a slave state.
- Explains that sectional conflict flared again during the era of andrew jackson, when south carolina threatened to secede over the nullification controversy, and tensions heightened following the heated webster-hayne debates.
- Analyzes how the problems of the early 1800s were nothing compared with the turmoil america experienced during the 1850s and 60s.
- Explains that the years 1850-52 saw the deaths of three great figures in american political history: clay, calhoun, and webster. they were ardent unionists and respected elder statesmen.
- Explains how the kansas-nebraska act repealed the missouri compromise and put cass' idea of popular sovereignty into practice.
- Explains that the implementation of the strengthened fugitive slave law was vital to keep southern states content. however, many northern states were reluctant to comply with this law.
- Analyzes how taney's vehemently pro-slavery chief justice ruled that negroes were not citizens and had no right to bring a case to court. the missouri compromise denied slaveholders their property, compromising the fifth amendment.
- Analyzes how southerners were livid following john brown's raid at harpers ferry, despite his crackpot scheme being a total failure.
- Opines that lincoln's election was the spark that ignited the tinder of secessionist feeling, blowing apart the union.
1422 wordsRead More - Abraham Lincoln: Peacemaker Or Catalyst?analytical essayThe increasingly diverging economies of the North and South resulted in the development of different political and social ideologies. The South’s agrarian economy resulted in wealthy plantation owners investing their money into slaves, leading to weak institutions and little innovation. While New England’s economy benefited from factories and business ventures. New Englanders invested in transportation and internal improvements. Divisions surrounding taxes, tariffs, internal improvements and states rights versus federal rights was most prominent during the 1850’s. This period was most renown for it’s political compromises and violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery figures. Growing sectionalism
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the diverging economies of the north and south resulted in different political and social ideologies. lincoln's election in 1860 led to the american civil war.
- Explains that the north and south tried to reconcile relations through compromises that might have made the war avoidable. lincoln was firm in his beliefs and wasn't willing to compromise with the south, ultimately leading to the civil war.
- Analyzes how lincoln's election led to the belief that southern interests were no longer considered in the federal government and that the government would outlaw slavery.
679 wordsRead More - The Secession Crisisexplanatory essayIn the years of 1830 through 1860, a breach in the unity between the North and the South of the United States occurred. They faced an
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the secession crisis led to the civil war. both north and south disagreed on slavery and what states would be free states. lincoln's election had the most impact.
- Explains that the north and the south faced an impasse over the issue of slavery. the north feared modernization, but was angry at the south's aggressive attack on "northern rights and honor."
- Explains that the election of 1860 only gave the south more reason to secede from the unity of the united states. lincoln was against even the idea of slavery and told the south that he would not abolish slavery altogether.
- Explains that the south saw lincoln as an abolitionist and opposed slavery. the north dismissed these claims, believing that lincoln and the northern republicans would convince the supreme court to ban slavery everywhere.
- Opines that lincoln's election gave the south the fuel it needed to rebel.
- Explains how the southern confederates were furious that the northern union for trying to abolish slavery. when lincoln was elected president, he tried to contain slavery to its geographical area to keep it from spreading anymore north.
903 wordsRead More - Why The Civil War Started?analytical essayFor a long time, historians have been unable to come to an agreement to why the Civil War started and whether or not it was repressible or irrepressible. Northern and Southern writers had different opinions as to why the war occurred. To most Northern writers, the war occurred because of the unlawful plan of slave owners who were committed to a not liable institution. The North defended the Constitution and was against the immoral aggression of the south. The North clearly defended the Union. However, the Southern writers on the other hand tried to show their views on why the Civil War started by portraying the North as the aggressive ones who wanted to destroy the South and all of its institutions. The south insisted that slavery was not the main cause of the war but instead was the aggressive and unconstitutional acts of the North. The south claimed the North used its powers for political and economic gain and denied that the war had stemmed from differences over slavery. The north’s domineering attitude toward the south was the main cause for their hostilities. They defended this ...
In this essay, the author
- Explains that historians have been unable to agree on why the civil war started and whether or not it was repressible or irrepressable.
- Argues that the civil war was an irrepressible conflict because of sectional differences, one of which was slavery. james ford rhodes, like many northerners believed that slavery was the basic cause of the war.
- Analyzes how the civil war was irrepressible due to the south's dependency on slavery and the controversy the issue caused.
619 wordsRead More - The Invetability of the American Civil Waranalytical essayThe Missouri Compromise is said to be one of the key political factors that contributed to the Civil War. This Compromise was passed in 1820 and stated that the land west of the Mississippi was considered a slave state, and the land North was considered a free state, excluding Missouri, which was considered a slave state. It was designed to ensure there were an equal number of slave states and free states represented in the House, which gave both sides an equal vote on a specific issue . Unfortunately with the split of the two regions, tension began to rise and there was talk from the South about seceding from the Union. The South argued that if they had the right to join the Union, it is their right to secede from the Union as well.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the civil war was inevitable because of the political, economic and moral differences between the north and south on the subject of slavery.
- Explains that the civil war was fought between the confederate states of america and the union between 1861 and 1865.
- States that the missouri compromise was one of the key political factors that contributed to the civil war. it was designed to ensure there were an equal number of slave states and free states represented in the house.
- Explains that the cotton gin, invented in 1793 by eli whitney, was a tool for removing cotton seeds from cotton fibers.
- Explains how the backbreaking and unprofitable cotton industry became profitable and the southern economy drastically improved. the north failed to see the reason for using slaves with the cotton gin.
- Analyzes how the tension in the north increased even more when the southern plantation owners wanted to grow the cotton industry westward. the north did not see the need for the use of slaves.
- Analyzes how the north and the south differed on the institution of slavery. white southern males thought that slavery was a more efficient way of increasing cotton production.
- Analyzes how the north argued that slaves were mistreated, while the south preached that every system has been abused in one way or another.
- Explains that the south argued that slaves were not sold, the labor was sold. the southern plantation owners would give them food and provide for their family.
- Explains that state rights were one of the most controversial issues that caused the civil war. the north believed that the federal government should have the right to put an end to slavery over the states if it is morally incorrect.
- Analyzes how the civil war was inevitable because of the lack of compromise between the two sides.
863 wordsRead More - Lincoln and the Outbreak of Civil Warexplanatory essayAt the time of Lincoln’s inauguration, the tension between the North and the South was nearing a breaking point. Seven states—South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas—had already seceded from the Union, although the federal government refused to recognize their government, the Confederate States of America. And eight other slave states—Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Arkansas—strongly sympathized with the Confederates. President James Buchanan seemed to have been waiting for his term to end, thereby avoiding making an actual decision. Thus, the public realized that the handling of this delicate and potentially explosive issue rested on the shoulders of the new government and the new president, Abraham Lincoln.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gideon welles, secretary of the navy under lincoln, wrote up a diary entry for march 7.
- Describes lincoln's letter to cabinet members, march 15, 1861, with brief excerpts from their replies.
- Explains that the civil war was the worst crisis in american history, pitting two sides of a split nation against one another in bloody battles that persisted for four exhausting years
- Describes the letter from captain h. a. adams to gideon welles, secretary of the navy, dated april 1, 1861.
- Describes the letter from james chesnut, jr., and stephen d. lee, aides to general beauregard, to major anderson.
1586 wordsRead More - Slavery and the American Civil Warcomparative essayMany would argue that tobacco or cotton was main profits for Southern states, but we can all agree that without slavery there would be no gatherings of both products. The Southern states would believe that slavery is acceptable; they would do so by scaring people into believing that “Defenders of slavery argued that the sudden end to the slave economy would have had a profound and killing economic impact in the South where reliance on slave labor was the foundation of their economy. The cotton economy would collapse. The tobacco crop would dry in the fields. Rice would cease being profitable.” Slave owners were looking for a way to maximize the use of slaves, in doing so Eli Whitney created the cotton gin1. Since this revolutionary machine was increasing the production of cotton it required for more slaves to be put to work in fields.
In this essay, the author
- Describes the battle of gettysburg as a turning point in the civil war.
- Explains that vicksburg was the last important battle that had taken place in the civil war. victories in two smaller battles have destroyed confederate securities leaving them weak for an easy capture.
- Explains that slavery was a constant in the united states until the 1980's, when the confederate troops lost and slaves were set free to come and go.
- Explains that the civil war was a war between northern union states and southern confederate states over the matter of slavery.
- Concludes that the civil war fought for morality and for a group of people's economy.
1234 wordsRead More - Events that Led to the Civil Waranalytical essayIn the south, cotton was becoming a huge success for the southern farmer. Cotton, being a very laborious crop, required the ownership of many slaves per plantation. Unlike the immigrants of the north, slaves were property. Slaves were also much less of a profit. When a slave became ill he could not simply be replaced, he needed to be cared for, after all, this was the plantation owners property. On the other hand in the north if a worker became to ill to work, there were several immigrants waiting for the job.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the factors that led to the civil war, including the deep social, economic and political differences between the northern and southern states.
- Explains that northerners began building factories for mass production, which created several opportunities for jobs. with immigrants flooding in from europe, finding employment was no problem.
- Explains that cotton, being a laborious crop, required the ownership of many slaves per plantation, unlike the immigrants of the north.
- Explains that in 1818, the balance of power in congress was equal. illinois became the eleventh free state to join the union, with alabama following as the next slave state.
- Explains that a disagreement over tariffs on imports and exports led to the war. the tariff was lowered to help new england manufacturers compete on the same level as foreign products.
- Explains that the missouri compromise of 1820 only dealt with the louisiana territory. david wilmont, of pennsylvania, proposed that any land received from mexico would be free land.
- Analyzes how the 1850 compromise delayed the war for 11 years, allowing the south to enact tougher fugitive slave laws in the new territories.
- Analyzes how harriet beecher stowe's novel, "uncle tom’s cabin," created an uproar. the south claimed that the slaves were treated much better than described in the book.
- Explains that the kansas-nebraska act of 1854 repealed the missouri compromise, which prohibited slavery in territories north of 36' 30', and said the inhabitants of the territories themselves should decide the legality of slaveholding.
- Explains that the republican party was forming after the splitting of the whigs. the republicans were not abolitionists, but southerners saw them as people out to destroy their way of life.
- Describes the conflict that led to succession: the presidential election of 1860, when the newly formed republican party nominated abraham lincoln on principles that opposed further expansion of slavery.
- Narrates how south carolina adopted an ordinance of succession, which outraged the north and sent the u.s. into a civil war.
- Explains how many efforts were made to save the union and prevent the war. james buchanan believed the constitution did not allow the north to take any action against the south.
- Explains that slavery was the central element of the conflict between the north and south. the only way to avoid the war was to abolish slavery, but this was not able to be done.
1792 wordsRead More