How Did The Civil War Affected Life Today?
There is no question in my mind that the ideology of slavery, the fight for abolition, and the ensuing Civil War had the most profound effect on the America we know today. In order to answer how these areas affected life today, some background is important.
The Civil War came about due to ideological differences regarding slavery between the north and the south that had been brewing since the founding of America. White southerners believed that slaves were property and their existence was necessary in order for whites to have freedom. They used slaves for every labor job that was needed but in particular, the grueling hard labor of working the plantation fields.
Slavery was far less of an economic influence in the north. There were fewer slaves in the north and the whites felt no threat to their existence. Slaves were provided more rights in the north than in the south. Unlike the south, Slaves were allowed to own property, had certain rights in the legal system, and severe punishment of slaves was prohibited.
The contrast between the north and the south was extreme. In the years preceding the Civil War, abolitionist movements started in the north while the south fought for western territorial expansion of slaves. A quiet uprising of sorts was brewing. In 1829, David Walker a free black, appealed to all blacks to stand up and fight for …show more content…
Slavery was unlawful in half of the states and lawful in the other half. Abraham Lincoln knew the country could not survive half free and half slave and that a “house divided against itself cannot stand." He knew the country would become either all slave, or all free. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was viewed as a “fundamental shift of power” (Forner 504). His election caused fear in the south that slavery and their entire way of southern life was at risk. Seven southern states, from South Carolina to Texas, seceded from the Union. The Civil War began at Fort Sumter in
The Civil War came about due to ideological differences regarding slavery between the north and the south that had been brewing since the founding of America. White southerners believed that slaves were property and their existence was necessary in order for whites to have freedom. They used slaves for every labor job that was needed but in particular, the grueling hard labor of working the plantation fields.
Slavery was far less of an economic influence in the north. There were fewer slaves in the north and the whites felt no threat to their existence. Slaves were provided more rights in the north than in the south. Unlike the south, Slaves were allowed to own property, had certain rights in the legal system, and severe punishment of slaves was prohibited.
The contrast between the north and the south was extreme. In the years preceding the Civil War, abolitionist movements started in the north while the south fought for western territorial expansion of slaves. A quiet uprising of sorts was brewing. In 1829, David Walker a free black, appealed to all blacks to stand up and fight for …show more content…
Slavery was unlawful in half of the states and lawful in the other half. Abraham Lincoln knew the country could not survive half free and half slave and that a “house divided against itself cannot stand." He knew the country would become either all slave, or all free. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was viewed as a “fundamental shift of power” (Forner 504). His election caused fear in the south that slavery and their entire way of southern life was at risk. Seven southern states, from South Carolina to Texas, seceded from the Union. The Civil War began at Fort Sumter in