There has been much debate as to whether the Civil War could have been avoided or not. The Evansville Daily Journal argues that the Civil War was inevitable, but Alexander Stephens disagrees and proposes that the war could have been avoided. Stephen’s argument is superior to the Evansville Daily Journal one because it objectively talks about the recent changes in the United States, explains the different views between the North and South, and tries to convince people that a war is not necessary. Stephens begins his argument by stating that the splitting of the Union has been a bloodless one (Stephens 1). The author views this fact as an accomplishment, and he believes the bloodless state will endure due to the current evidence he sees (Stephens 1). Stephens, however, does recognize that this split led to the South altering the Constitution. The Constitution of the North was based on the assumption that all races are created equal, and the South could not abide with this foundation (Stephens 1). Even though the South’s Constitution has changed, Stephens believes that all of the essential content has been preserved, like the protection of live liberty and property (Stephens 1). The author’s explanation and presentation of these changes are very factual and unbiased because he simply presents the facts and attempts to stay away from theorizing. For instance, he does not theorize that this split will lead to war because the split, so far, has not indicated or suggested that
America’s transformation into the country we live in today has been formed through numerous events during its short history but the event that will split the United States into North versus South is truly one of the most defining events in American history. Through numerous events leading up to the start of the Civil War, I will attempt to show how the United States was destined for conflict and that the Civil War was inevitable. The first way I will show how the war could not be avoided will deal with the issue of slavery. Slavery should be the first mentioned because many conflicts within the United States leading up to the Civil War and the division of the United States dealt with slavery. The Missouri Compromise should also be talked
The civil war was a devastating time for many people. Although it was only expected to last 6 months it ended up taking 4 years before it was over. . The war started in 1861 and ended in 1865. The 2 sides of the war were the union and confederates. The union was on the north side and the confederates were on the south. The south wanting state rights and the north not wanting slaves anymore caused the war. After 4 many long years the North won.
The war produced about 1,030,000 casualties, including about 620,000 soldier deaths—two-thirds by disease, and 50,000 civilians. The war accounted for roughly as many American deaths as all American deaths in other U.S. wars combined.
The Civil War that occurred was one of the darkest times in our history as a country. It was a time where there was a complete breakdown of social and political systems. Hundreds of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands more were aversely affected. However, it was also a time of remembrance and significant moral progress. It is remembered as the turning point in American History and would be the foundation for the Civil Rights movement many years later.
The romanticized version of the Civil War creates a picture of the North versus the South with the North imposing on the South. However, after reading “The Making of a Confederate” by William L. Barney, one can see that subdivisions existed before the war was declared. The documents analyzed by Barney primarily focus on the experiences of Walter Lenoir, a southern confederate and a member of the planter elite. His experiences tell a vivid story of a passionate and strongly opinioned participant of the Civil War as well as demonstrate a noticeably different view involving his reasoning when choosing a side. Between analyzing this fantastic piece of literature and other resourceful documents from “Voices of Freedom” by Eric Foner, one
During the 1860s there were many issues and that the Southern and Northern states needed to work on. In 1861 hundreds of thousands of Americans volunteered to fight in the Civil War, also known as the First Modern War. The main causes of this war were the economic and social differences between the North and the South. These differences led to other fundamental issues such as slavery and its abolition. In addition to that as the war was coming to its end, federal authorities found themselves presiding over the transition from slavery to freedom.After the war, there was a 12-year period best known as the Reconstruction and the main goals that it had were to get the Confederate States back into the Union, to rebuilt the Southern economy
The Civil War was a trying time in American History; societies crumbled, lives were lost, and a nation was torn apart in order to be made whole. However, was this conflict inevitable? Were the North and the South destined to battle out their differences? Were the decisions made by President Abraham Lincoln to make war on the CSA justified? While there is much deliberation on this topic, the final answer is yes to each and every question. The North and the South, though they shared many similarities, were irreparably divided over the slavery issue, such that conflict could not be avoided. Lincoln’s deliberations on the situations of the day were the only acceptable response to the issues at hand. Disagreement caused by the slavery issue
There is no question that the disagreements in the Civil War between Northern and Southern states were over the economy as well as state rights. Yet, the confederate flag was a valiant symbol of slavery and the mistreatment of African American people. “The Confederacy was based on the defense of slavery, and it benefited from the usually coerced, but sometimes willing, labor of black people” (Chapter 11 pg.253). For example in the South, slavery was a major reason for why the Southern states needed to win. By losing, it meant slavery would be abolished in both Southern and Northern states. “Lincoln’s announcement gave the Confederate states one hundred days to return to the Union” (Chapter 11 pg.240). Prime example of this was when the Southern
The fight between the union and a separate entity called the confederacy was a profound event in American History, but how did this development evolve? Slavery and democracy had existed for many years, making the Civil War avoidable, yet the course of events still led the United States to the outcome stated above. In order for one to understand this change, one must try to piece together the many instances that would tell him/her the reasons for a Civil War as destructive as the one fought in the eighteen hundreds between the North and the South. The Civil War was caused by the North’s and South’s viewpoints on slavery.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”1 These words, spoken by Abraham Lincoln, foreshadowed the war that became the bloodiest in all of the United State's history. The Civil War was a brutal conflict between the North and South; brother against brother. With slavery as the root cause, Southern states had seceded from the Union and were fighting for their independence. They became the Confederate States of America (CSA) and were a force to be reckoned with. The Union, however, put up a fierce struggle to preserve the country. If the Civil War was to be a war of attrition, the North had the upper hand because of its large population, industrialization, raw materials, railroad mileage, and navy. But if the war was short lived, the
After thoroughly assessing past readings and additional research on the Civil War between the North and South, it was quite apparent that the war was inevitable. Opposed views on this would have probably argued that slavery was the only reason for the Civil War. Therefore suggesting it could have been avoided if a resolution was reached on the issue of slavery. Although there is accuracy in stating slavery led to the war, it wasn’t the only factor. Along with slavery, political issues with territorial expansion, there were also economic and social differences between North and South. These differences, being more than just one or two, gradually led to a war that was bound to happened one way or another.
Even after wisely gaining victory over the British during the revolutionary war, problems for America did not stop, the biggest issue of rising sectionalism was yet to be solved. This time the conflict was not with any foreign power, but it was between the northern and southern American states. David Donald, the editor of the book titled, “Why the North Won the Civil War” attempts to cautiously scrutinize the reasons behind the outcome of the civil war by inspecting major advantages and disadvantages of the confederate states which prevented their victory. In my opinion, Donald seems to argue that the biggest reasons behind the failure of the confederate states were not a shortage of resources, but the absence of economic unity, weak military leadership, European neutrality, surplus of democracy, and numerous partitions within the political parties. The five essays written by various expertise and compiled by Donald to provide in-depth information on major factors involved in the Civil War are impeccable for answering the question in focus, why the North won the Civil War?
Ever since the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter in 1861, the Civil War has been noted as one of the most significant events in United States history. Thanks to numerous books, scholarly works, and recollections, there is insight into the history that makes the United States the way it is today. Those years have been vital, if not essential, in shaping America into what citizens know today. Because of differing views, richness of sources, and lack of credible sources, it is hard to form any honest view about whether the Civil War was inevitable or not. However, Americans must not forget that the topic of the "War Between the States"-as Southerners named it- has so much sentimental value in the minds of countless of Americans that it is
The civil war was a war fought between the north and the south. The periods of the war went from 1861 to 1865. The ways in which slavery and Abraham Lincoln are portrayed very differently in Nast’s cartoon of Abraham Lincoln and Alexander H. Stephens’ “cornerstone speech”. The majority of the northern states had a different view than the southern states. Ultimately, the south along with Stephens went against the deceleration of independence which states “that all men are created equal”. Stephen’s Manipulation of science and religion played a big part in the beliefs of the confederacy leaving Abraham Lincoln no choice but to stand up for what was morally right.
In 1861, a horrific war began. Nobody had any idea that this war would become the deadliest war in American history. It wasn’t a regular war, it was a civil war opposing the Union in the North and the Confederate States in the South.. The Civil War cost many people’s lives on the battlefield and beyond. In addition it cost an extreme amount of money for the nation which possibly could have been avoided if the war had turned to happen a little differently.