The American Civil War is one of the most known wars in history. Lasting from 1861-1865, a lot was going on at this time. This war was between northern US states and Southern US states.
There was a lot of tension between the governments and the country. To know more, you can get your history answer solution from Tophomeworkhelper.com in detail. Today, we will explore the key changes and the consequences in brief:
- Secession and the Formation of the Confederacy
The seeds of the Civil War were sowed after Abraham Lincoln was chosen as the 16th President of the United States. Eleven Southern states seceded from the Union. These states felt the danger emerging because of Lincoln’s Republican Party’s opposition to the spread of slavery.
In February 1861, they founded the Confederate States of America and appointed Jefferson Davis as their President. This incident prepared the North and the South for a bloody war. To know more, get history homework help from Tophomeworkhelper.com.
Consequence: The Southern states’ decision to secede from the Union caused the Union to break apart and paved the way for the Civil War.
- The Impact on Slavery and Civil Rights
The United States legally outlawed slavery by passing the 13th and 14th Amendments. The African Americans were freed. There was also a 15th amendment later, which denied voting rights based on color or race.
This was one step forward toward racial equality. This also guaranteed citizenship and equal protection to anybody born or naturalized there.
Consequence: This ignited the ongoing fight for racial equality. The abolition of slavery laws was also followed during the reconstruction of southern states.
3) Battle of Fort Sumter
The Civil War officially began when Confederate forces assaulted Fort Sumter. This fort was controlled by the Union in Charleston, South Carolina. After this, fuel and rations were small in the winter, which enraged people.
Consequence: The result was that the Confederacy won the battle and took the fort.
- Emancipation Proclamation
On January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation was issued by President Lincoln. All enslaved people residing in the Confederate were to be freed. This changed the Union’s focus from defending the Union to abolishing slavery. This was, again, unexpected and shocking for many.
Consequence: Many enslaved individuals were enlisted in the Union armies by the Emancipation Proclamation. This seemed like a step towards freedom. This altered the morality of the conflict.
- Battle of Gettysburg
The Confederate loss at Gettysburg marked was another cause of this war. This 3-day battle was one of the largest and bloodiest in history. This ended the hopes of an independent nation of the Confederate after having 50,000 causalities.
Consequence: The Battle of Gettysburg gave the Union a much-needed victory. President Lincoln used this opportunity to honor the fallen Union soldiers.
- Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
John Wilkes Booth was a Confederate sympathizer. He killed President Lincoln a few days after the Confederate surrender. This passing stunned the entire country.
Consequence: The assassination of Abraham Lincoln resulted in the turbulent and divisive Reconstruction era of Andrew Johnson’s presidency. It also permanently altered the course of American history and memory.
- Reconstruction
This era lasted from 1865-1877. This was right after the Civil War to take care of the damage. The goal was to reconstruct the Southern states after the war. They wanted to convert the Confederate states into the Union. This meant that whites and blacks could live together.
Also, it gave equal citizenship and voting rights to all the people.
Consequence: This gave African Americans equal legal protection under the law. This allowed them to vote. But it also saw the emergence of the Ku Klux Klan and the imposition of Black Codes. This led to racial unrest and civil rights movements.
- The Union’s Preservation
In the end, the American Civil War made sure that the US remained a single country. The Union’s victory over the Confederacy strengthened the notion. This helped the federal government have the authority to keep the Union together so that states could not secede.
Consequence: The American people’s resilience throughout difficult times was demonstrated by the Civil War.
This war was the pillar for many changes that needed to be addressed. This gave the enslaved people an opportunity to live on their terms. The war remains a critical period for understanding the complexities of the United States’ past and its ongoing journey towards a more perfect union.