The Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages In fact, some scholars would estimate that without the Civil War the United States might never have become the country that it became. More so, if it were not for two definitive battles of the Civil War, the Battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg, then the United States we built would be very different from the one we have today; if we survived at all as a nation. That said understanding the importance of these battles will help us to comprehend why these battles are so significant and if they were such definitive “turning points” in the war, then why did the war continue on, nearly, another 2 years? By finding the answers to these questions will grant us a greater, broader, picture of how the United States became the country we are today. History . The definitive battles of Vicksburg and Gettysburg did not occur until 1863, the Civil War began 2 years earlier. The causes of the Civil War can be summarized in 5 specific contributory elements. In fact, these tensions had been growing since the founding of this country in 1776. 1. The Economic & Social Differences between North and South. By the late 1700s cotton crops were incredibly valuable and profitable. The South developed an agricultural, one crop economy. They were exclusively dependent on the success and sail of their cotton crops and on the inexpensive slave labor that tended them. The North was focused on city life and industrialization. They could already compete with the South’s ability to clean, process, and manufacturer cotton goods. 2. State vs. Federal Rights. Many in America pushed for the supremacy of state’s individual rights and that they should have the right to determine what federal involvement they would accept. While others pushed for greater federal government to unify and force the hand of states. 3. Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents. The argument over whether new states formed would be slave states, free states, or would have the right to choose for themselves was a heated one. This created serious division between supporters and opposers of slavery in the United States. 4. Growth of the Abolition Movement. The Abolitionist movement, further inspired by the publishing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, fueled Northern disdain and hatred for Southern slave-owners. 5. The Election of Abraham Lincoln. Although tensions were already high, Lincoln’s election inspired South Carolina to submit its intention to secede from the United States because Lincoln favored northern interests, and was opposed to slavery. Even before Lincoln took the office, Florida, Mississippi, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia, also, intended to join South Carolina (Kelly 2013). By 1861 Fort Sumter, in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor, contained the last federal holding within the Southern seceding states. Cut off from supplies and reinforcements, the men of Fort Sumter were suffering. On April 11, 1863 Confederate soldiers led by Jefferson C, Davis, no relation to the Confederate President, ordered the evacuation of Fort Sumter, delivered personally to Union Major Robert Anderson. Although Anderson thanked the envoy for the courteous and respectfully presented request, he declined to obey the order. As the Confederate envoy left the Fort, it would be only a few short hours before, at 4:30 in the morning; the first battle of Civil War would be fought. Confederate General Pierre Gustavo Beauregard ordered his men to open fire ...Download file to see next pagesRead More