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 American Civil War has become a point of controversy and argument when discussing key events in shaping America. The arguments that arise when discussing the war tend to focus on whether the Confederate was constitutionally justified in seceding, or whether the North had the right to prevent the secession. However, when discussing the America Civil War and the idea of separation, it is important to be mindful that separation did not simply end at the state level. Letters written by Jesse Rolston, Jr. and Jedediah Hotchkiss portray two significantly different attitudes toward the war, despite the fact that the writers both fought for the Confederate States and give accounts of the same battle, one of which ended in the Confederate’s favor. When examining the documents, both writers express different viewpoints on life on and off the battlefield. This significant difference represents a division amongst the Confederate army.
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
They claim that it was big government which could very well mean that they were not happy with the idea of the government ending slavery and said it was getting to big thus making slavery and important issue in the Civil War. The Northern states did not mind if slavery ended because the economy was industrialized but the South relied on slave labor to keep their agricultural based way of life lucrative, which is a good reason to go to war. A pro-flag article written by Walter E. Williams says slavery thrived under the American flag longer than it did under the Confederate flag, and for this reason the American flag should be more offending to those that are offended by the Confederate flag. I see this as a false analogy, because what is being argued on is about the Civil War and not about the time before hand.
In the south the people had a very different way of life. Most were poor farmers with the exception of large plantation owners who were very wealthy. These plantation owners white and black alike used slave labor to grow and harvest their crops. There was almost as many black plantation owners as there were white. In Charlestown, South Carolina there were more than 100 free black men who owned slaves. Slave labor was a big part of the South’s economy. Cotton was the South’s number one cash crop. The only way they could make good money was to sell to the highest bidder. The highest bidder was not always the industries of the North. Most of the time the south would sell their crops to other countries such as England and France, and then in return they would buy their goods from these other countries. That is the reason these countries backed the south in the war. The north did not like the idea that the southern states were trading with foreign countries because they were losing out on a lot of money. The southern states were cutting the north out of the trade cycle completely. So, how does the north stop this? The Government of The United States passed laws and put heavy taxes on imported goods. They passed laws hoping it would cause the south to do more business with the northern industries. It did not work.
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.
Foner believes that the main cause of the Civil War was the south’s opposition to freeing slaves. He believes that slavery was the big reason why the Civil War was started and that all of the other issues stemmed off of it. He then uses logos by explaining how the Declaration of the Immediate Causes of Secession shows evidence of this in its causes of secession. “To understand what the flag now flying in Columbia represents, one need only read the Declaration of Immediate Causes of Secession, adopted by South Carolina secession convention in December 1860”(Foner par. 2). Foner gives some examples of the declaration being about slavery by quoting some things it stated, and one quotation out of the Declaration of Immediate Causes of Secession is about Lincoln being a man “whose opinions and purposes are hostile to slavery.” This quote proves that South Carolina was seceding because of Lincoln’s negative ideas about slavery. He adds also the
In my paper I will be discussing the Confederate Flag and its controversy in history and in todays views. The Confederate flag has been a negative symbol in American society since the 1800’s. It has been only recently that the Confederate flag has been brought back to life as a contemporary issue. In recent times the flag has been used as a motivation for racial strikes and other rebellious acts bring the issues of the flag and the controversy behind it back to life. The major questions I seek to answer in this essay it why the controversy of the Confederate flag only been brought back up recently and why the confederate flag was created the way it was. And the overall motivation behind its creation. The Confederate flag has only recently been brought back as an issue because of the recent racial attacks and an overall rebellious acts that swear under the confederate flag, back in the early 1860’s the confederate flag was first used to represent the southern states because the south was wanting to secede from the northern states. Because of the major shooting in Charleston controversy behind the confederate flag sparked back up. Major retailers like Walmart and Amazon and stopping the sale of the Confederate flag because of its growing symbol of racism. The Confederate flag has shifted from being viewed as the southern states to viewed as a symbol of racism. what does the future hold for the confederate flag and will it become a rare item?
The challenges that the Union and the Confederacy faced during the Civil War were very different. Critical weaknesses that seemed unfit for war, plagued the opposing American forces, and would serve to be a continuous obstacle that would need to be conquered by patriotism of the people, for their opposing views. To allow for both sides to be competitive, the efforts put forth had to mold to the varied needs of the armies by both the civilian population and their militaries. To the people in the south the similarity to the colonists in the Revolutionary War, was assimilated to their separatist cause in the Civil War and would be their drive to compete with the dominating Northern states. This mindset started the Confederacy in the Civil
This viewpoint can be found in Eric Foner’s article “Rebel Yell” which is published in a well-known liberal magazine The Nation. Foner who is a historian believes that the main cause of the Civil War was the South’s opposition to freeing slaves. He states that slavery was the big reason why the Civil War was started and that all of the other issues stemmed off of it. This view is shared among the anti-flag supporters as seen in this quotation from another anti-flag article. “Try as we may to pretend that slavery wasn’t a big issue as any other, the truth is, had the South been agreeable to the idea of ending slavery, then the civil war may very well have never happened”(Amy par. 2). Foner then uses logos by explaining how the Declaration of the Immediate Causes of Secession shows evidence of this in its causes of secession. “To understand what the flag now flying in Columbia represents, one need only read the Declaration of Immediate Causes of Secession, adopted by South Carolina secession convention in December 1860”(Foner par. 2). Foner gives some examples of the declaration being about slavery by quoting some things it stated, and one quotation out of the Declaration of Immediate Causes of Secession is about Lincoln being a man “whose
Within the United States of America, arguments, involving the Confederate Flag, are solved every sngle day. However, some controversies have managed to carry on from the 1800’s until present day without any solution. The text and symbolic meaning behind the “Confederate Flag” is a perfect example. The Confederate Flag is one of America’s most embattled symbolic controversies. Created in 1861in a battle between the South, Confederates, and the North, Union, two men by the name P.G.T. Beauregard and Congressman William P. Miles designed and created a flag that would represent the true southern pride and demands that would not only bring about conflict with one half of the nation but also with our American society today.
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.
Confederate States of America, the name adopted by the federation of 11 slave holding Southern states of the United States that seceded from the Union and were arrayed against the national government during the American Civil War.
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.
Throughout American history, the south and the north have consistently held different beliefs on how to handle some subjects. Whether it ranged from slavery, to taxing, or to business, southerners and northerners often seemed to be on opposite sides of the spectrum. It was not any different back in the 1800’s. Though intensely different, they were still part of the same country. One of the biggest issues that made the north and the south so distinct from one another was their view and perspective on slavery. The north, who was considered mostly republican, saw slavery as something that needed to be abolished for it was a great sin committed by mankind; while the south, who were mostly considered democrats, viewed it as a necessity for they considered African-Americans a race that needed to be controlled because they were less intelligent than the white man but very violent and because they were “built” for the hard labor. Over the 1800’s they had been a tension built between the two sides of the country. The tension rose to a boiling point when the 1860 election rolled around. After the elections occurred, a chain of events followed which would leave a lasting impact on the current United States. In the heart of these events was the civil war. To this day, it is very debatable that the war started because of the unsure future of slavery under new leadership.
The Civil War was a war between the union, and confederate states in the United States that occurred from 1861-1865. Many people believed that the Civil War was about slavery and southern states right to defend their states’ rights. The confederates were fighting for their liberty and independence under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, who they felt was a tyrant. However, the union, was fighting to preserve their territory, that was created by their founding fathers from chaos and dismemberment. President Jefferson Davis believed that the civil war was based on the confederate rights to secede from the union. Jefferson also felt that Abraham Lincoln was to blamed for the start of the civil war, since he was against slavery. Lincoln’s intended goal was to preserve the union, he claimed slavery was not the reason. “If I could save the union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all slaves I would do it, and if I could slave it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that (Shi &Tindall, 2015, pg.465)”. Lincoln told everyone that if the southern states were to return to the union that slavery would still exist. However, many people believed that Lincoln wasn’t being truthful.