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        The American Civil War forever changed the face of a divided and troubled nation.  From 1861 to 1854, the citizens of the United States turned against each other and shed their own brother’s blood. The divergence between the Union and Confederacy involved issues from political and military precursors to economical and ethical constituents. The significance and sweep of the Civil War was recorded not just through great politicians and generals, but also through the words of soldiers, wives and most importantly the former slaves. Behind the Civil War laid intricate causes, presidential controversy, life changing political documents, and a historical outcome.  The Civil War was genuinely an ugly and atrocious war, but it was a war worth fighting for.  

        The causes of the Civil War are not as simple as black and white; there are many shades of gray. It was more than a battle of right and wrong, it was fight to unite the country under one belief hence one side would have to relinquish their ways.  The South feared that they were “being overpowered by northern political, industrial, banking, and manufacturing strength; the fear that the southern way of life was threatened by northern control of Congress” consumed them (Davis, 2003). The pressure from the North to conform to wage paid labor added stress in the peace between the Union and Confederates. The South were utterly dependent on slave labor; it proved to be more profitable than paying an employee hence they were not about to renounce slavery. While the North insisted on a nation wide industrialized based economy because it was shown to be more successful. Dry facts and figures were not the only cause for the Civil War, personal emotions and principles also contributed to the commencement of the war.  The two sides had two very diverse perspectives- “pro-slavery, anti-Union secessionists in the South, and abolitionists, pro-Union forces in the North (Davis, 2003).” Both sides were unable to compromise so the South found a solution to their problems. Eleven states seceded: Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The Union interpreted the act as a declaration of war for it was treason. This engendered rage throughout the North and motivated them to support the Union in the inevitable war.

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        President Abraham Lincoln was a firm supporter of the North; however, rumors told a different story.  People questioned whether Lincoln was either an abolitionist or racist. He vehemently believed “there [was] no reason in the world why the Negro [was] not entitled to all the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence, the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness (Lincoln, 1858).” Lincoln strongly felt that no one should be deprived of the basic rights of a human for the pigment of some one’s skin was of no importance when it came to that matter. All people ...

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