Discussion of the American Civil War

Introduction

Almost one century witnessed a civil war that was dominantly between the southern and northern parts of America. The northerners were the opponents of the warfare, while the southerners were the proponents in the war. It happened between 1789-1877 during the regime of some famous rulers such as Abraham Lincoln.¹ The civil war’s main issue that caused the collision was the practice of slavery, especially to the people of the south who were majorly African Americans. Other issues sparked reactions leading to the civil war, such as the social stratification system that argued some people were superior to others. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the impact of slavery on American culture and politics, issues and problems that emerged during the slavery period, and to what extend American civil war resolved those problems.

Impact of Slavery on American Culture and Politics from 1789-1877

The American culture had major changes in culture and politics due to prevailing issues that emerged during slavery in the civil war. The first impact was on the status of women during that period, which was altered due to the shortage of men away at war.² Women were regarded as key contributors in social matters that men majorly did. For instance, teaching had been predominantly done by men, but women began tutoring younger students in the grade schools due to men’s absence.³

The government then had to form a new bureaucracy intended to manage the war efforts, and that saw women serve in government offices. Some of the capacities which women filled in the government offices were filing, typing, and receptionists in the front office.⁴ Additionally, the private sector then began hiring women in some roles such as bookkeeping and filing. Therefore, men’s participation in the war to fight against the slave trade gave women platforms to be recognized in society.

The other cultural impact of the slave trade was the expectations for death. Before slavery began, death would come at an old age or when someone was severely ill, which meant people had the notion that death would come at given incidents. Now under slavery, many people died, and society expected death to come any time by slavery means.⁵ Additionally, many families learned to depend on themselves without the fatherly figure since most men died in the slavery war resulting in many widows and orphans. Due to the fight against the slave trade, more than 620,000 people died, while 400,000 were permanently injured.⁶ The victims of slavery served as a reminder of the civil war that had happened, and they were important elements during the reconstruction period.

Politically, slavery led to the increased popularity of the then US President Abraham Lincoln. Due to the political pressure, Lincoln, to some extent, allowed slavery to occur, but he did that while seeking the solution on the matter. The political system under Lincoln regarded slavery as unjust to human beings, and through the elites of president Lincoln, anti-slavery moves were issued to stop the civil war.⁷ Lincoln freed slaves who were rebelling to show his commitment to ending slavery in the two conflicting regions. It is during the slavery period that Lincoln managed to get political power and was reelected in office. However, due to his stand, many conspiracy agents in the government secretly went against the policies set to end slavery then.⁸ During the period of emancipated political pressure, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated and Andrew Johnson took over as the president.

Issues That Emerged During the Slavery and How They Were Solved

Military issues were rampantly witnessed during the slavery period because regions and locality had organized civil war. It was observed that most of the soldiers came from the same ethnicity, and they would die and leave the regions with huge losses.⁹ Additionally, the military men were volunteers and not professionals, which meant poor leadership was witnessed hence prolonging the war. Financial issues were also witnessed because the south’s financial sources were typically in land and slaves, making it harder for the government to access.

There were issues of the establishment of new territories by settlers in 1853. For instance, the west of Missouri wanted to form Nebraska territory, which meant the region would be a free state.¹⁰ However, the southerners would not agree since they knew they would lose California, and the compromise would lead to the end of slavery, which they did not want to happen.

Financial issues were solved by printing treasury notes which would make the war simultaneous. Additionally, the confederate increased the taxation on crops and livestock to meet the cost.¹¹ The military issue was solved by having a central command structure that drew Soldiers from entire south and north regions. President Lincoln organized a series of independent armies which would have strategic decision to leverage on the war. The new territories were another concern where the congress formed legal acts that barred the unions from forming free states because that would lead to extended warfare.¹² As a result, the unions retained the major eleven states from the north and twenty-one from the south.

The Extent to Which American Civil War Solved These Problems

During the reconstructions, all problems that had emerged during the slavery period were significantly addressed. However, it was a major challenge to win over the majority.¹³ The American civil war solved the existing problems of slavery, territorial collisions, and respect for human dignity by forming constitutional acts and festering the issues that seemed to be tough in a consensus way. For instance, President Lincoln had pushed Congress to pass laws that would bar slave owners from acquiring more slaves and exploiting them physically. Additionally, Congress has given an ultimatum to slavery masters to submit their wills to carefully utilize the slaves without harmful approaches.¹⁴ Through the civil war, the southerners lost the battle because the union formed settled on the existing matters and all the parties involved went slow on slavery.

Conclusion

The issue of slavery caused the American civil war as a major factor. The southern part of America supported the slave trade while the northern side did not. Due to slavery, many people died, and others were injured. During the slavery period, women’s status was raised when they began doing key roles such as teaching and office work. Within the slavery period, military and financial issues were evident due to the ethnic and slavery oppositions. The American civil war later came to an end after a series of policies regarding human dignity supported by the constitution.

Bibliography

Foner, Eric. 2017. Give Me Liberty!. 5th ed. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Unknown. 2021. “Reconstruction”. Lecture, Undisclosed.

Unknown. 2021. “Start of Civil War”. Lecture, Undisclosed.

Footnotes

1. Foner, Eric. 2017. Give Me Liberty!. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
2. Handout on Social Change in Civil War, p.1.
3. Handout on Social Change in Civil War, p.2.
4. Handout on Social Change in Civil War, p.3.
5. Foner, Eric. 2017. Give Me Liberty!. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, p. 207.
6. Handout on End of Civil War, p.11.
7. Handout on Start of Civil War, p.3.
8. Handout on Start of Civil War, p.5.
9. Handout on Start of Civil war, p.5.
10. Handout on Causes of Civil War, p.3.
11. Handout on Start of Civil war, p.6.
12. Foner, Eric. 2017. Give Me Liberty!. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, p. 176.
13. Handout on Reconstruction, p.2.
14. Handout on Reconstruction, p.4.