Introduction
Freedom and democracy are the pillars of American society and the principles that its government must follow in making all decisions. Political science circles constantly debate when these two virtues triumphed and when they were neglected during the historical course of the United States (US). In this essay, the victory of the democratic worldview and the virtue of freedom in the context of the Civil War will be discussed and assessed.
Political Philosophy in the Context of the American Civil War
The Union’s heavy victory in the Civil War can rightly be considered a significant triumph of freedom and democracy over institutional discrimination and unconstitutionality. One proof is that Abraham Lincoln, the central figure of that historical conflict, was elected democratically. He received more popular and electoral votes than other candidates in the pre-Civil War presidential elections (Locke and Wright 372). Moreover, while he recognized secession as illegal and unconstitutional, he did not intend to forcibly reintegrate the Confederate States back into the Union until the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter (Locke and Wright 375-376). It shows that economic interests were not paramount for the 16th President.
The Confederacy was a system with opposite ideas and virtues. For example, almost all the Southern states, except for Texas, decided to secede based only on the electoral vote results (Locke and Wright 373). Most Southerners indeed had identical views on the political crisis, but a substantial part of the white and Black people were pro-Union (Locke and Wright 374-375). The Confederacy’s founding document included Christianity and slavery as ideological and institutional foundations (Locke and Wright 374-376).
It led to centralization and partial loss of autonomy by its member states. Just like secession or rebellion from a segment of the federal government, not society, these were contrary to the postulates of the Constitution. Lincoln’s political behavior and actions demonstrated respect for the democratic virtues of autonomy, self-governance, independence, and constitutionality, while those of Confederate leaders did not. The Northern democracy and its virtues, such as freedom, equality, and voluntarism, were more efficient and attractive. These qualities ensured the Union’s victory in the bloodiest conflict of the 19th century.
On the Emancipation Proclamation
Another proof that the Union won because it followed the ideas of freedom and democracy is the Emancipation Proclamation. This measure was the culmination of the first phase of the Civil War and the beginning of the War for Emancipation. The executive order emerged under the three resonant socio-political influences. These were the Black social activists and abolitionists, whose aim was achieving freedom, the evolving egalitarian vision of Lincoln, and the danger posed by an undemocratic Confederacy.
The Emancipation Proclamation resulted in a significant economic and morale blow to the Confederacy (Locke and Wright 385). It ensured that more Black people would defect to the North and that the European powers would not support the South (Locke and Wright 385-386). Allowing African-American men to join the military finally provided a turning point in the conflict for the North, and a more egalitarian and democratic society won out.
It is essential to clarify that Black soldiers still experienced pay discrimination from the government and racism and violence from ordinary northerners. According to Locke and Wright, “economic and racial anxieties culminated in the New York City Draft Riots in July 1863” (389). Eventually, the enormous contribution of African Americans was recognized in the Reconstruction Amendments, which abolished institutional racial discrimination and gave equal rights to Black people.
Emancipation of Freedmen and Women’s Struggle during Reconstruction
The granting of constitutional and civil rights to Black people during Reconstruction was not smooth. It has been constantly sabotaged and hindered by southern state governments, the former Confederate aristocracy, and even the racist 17th President, Andrew Johnson (Locke and Wright 405). However, Republicans’ integrity and commitment to freedom and democracy enabled them to achieve the full and almost equal inclusion of African Americans in the socio-political life of the United States through the Reconstruction Acts.
White and Black women were the other two disenfranchised demographics deeply involved in the Civil War. They acted as social activists, nurses, spies, and fundraisers during the conflict (Locke and Wright 390, 394). After four years of conflict, many of them became civic activists.
During the Reconstruction period, abolitionists and women’s suffragists successfully abolished slavery through the Thirteenth Amendment (Locke and Wright 414). It gave hope and impetus for women to fight for equal socio-political status with men. Unfortunately, all efforts were in vain due to internal conflicts within the women’s rights movement. This is why the triumph of freedom and democracy in the context of the Civil War and the Reconstruction Amendments cannot be considered absolute.
Conclusion
As one can see, the Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction Acts brought about a greater democratization and liberalization of American society. Black people gained almost equal access to key American institutions in the South throughout the US. The contribution of women was not recognized, and their struggle continued for about 100 years. For the 19th century, this certainly was a significant triumph of democratic ideas, but not an absolute one.
Work Cited
Locke, Joseph L., and Ben Wright, editors. The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U.S. History Textbook, Vol. I: To 1877. Stanford University Press, 2019.