Why was the civil war significant - Essay Example

Why was the Civil War significant? “Why was the Civil War significant?” may appear too broad aquery in neglecting to indicate the specific areas for which it seeks responses of signification yet, since the meaning of the Civil War varies among Americans, of southern or northern roots, and of democratic or republican upbringing, the answer should deserve a flexible expression of views according to how each responder interprets the aftermath of war. Other than the cause or the objective which originally motivated the pursuit and concretization of the Civil War, one could also look into matters of consequence from which to judge the grounds it is signified by. Pondering on the significance of U.S. Civil War bears the equivalent work of recounting the occurrences which essentially depict the post-war impact and which may be put together and labelled into what has since been known in U.S. History as ‘Reconstruction’ at the height of which could be found the tumultuous state of political affairs which not merely distinguished the philosophy of the Radical Republicans from that of the Democrats but even shaped the fate of the ‘freedmen’, in the process. During the period of Reconstruction (1865 - 1877) particularly with respect to the early years of its commencement by the persistent rule of Congress that was then chiefly composed of the Radicals, the federal government experienced yet another severe case of division between the two dominant political parties. On one hand, the Radical Republicans who had become accustomed to dealing with the issue of slavery conveyed the desire for implementing Reconstruction policies in a manner that would materialize a vision in which “Equality of opportunity created a more fluid social structure” as exemplified via “the model of free individuals, competing equally in the labor market and enjoying equal political rights” (Faragher et al, 464). On the contrary, however, Pres. Andrew Johnson who belonged to the Democratic Party contested such visionary scheme by augmenting the powers of civil governments in the South as well as replacing certain military officials with a commanding staff that seemed less likely persuaded in advancing the cause of the blacks especially in matters concerning suffrage (Wheeler et al, 310). Before the Civil War broke out and by the time it took place, factions generally existed between the federal North and the confederate South but after the test of martial skills, bloodshed, and the taste of several deaths came another era that would eventually justify whether or not the Civil War deserved to be treated with significance. Apparently, through these factions narrowed within the political domains of the federal government, Reconstruction served as a projection of Civil War or the rebirth of a principle which resembled a test by fire designed to refine and determine whose spirits remained driven and sincere in defending the great original cause. This became evident the moment when the Moderates and the Radicals of Republicans united to form a single huge force in the House of Representatives aimed at impeaching Johnson whom they charged heavily for violating the Tenure of Office Act in spite of the truth that the president’s removal from office was due to his intense opposition toward the policies of Congressional Reconstruction which the Republicans could not afford to take any longer (466). Through the victory of the Radical Republicans, Reconstruction Acts triumphed over those of Restoration which Johnson attempted to promulgate during his effective term. Hence, with zeal kept on continuing to promote the core ideals of the Civil War, the Republicans managed to enable the Congressional Reconstruction to establish the Freedmen’s Bureau which, according to the findings of Wheeler and company, “was given additional federal support to set up schools for African Americans, negotiate labor contracts, and with the military, help monitor elections” (310) besides formal settlement in the Union. Moreover, the Freedmen’s Bureau sought to grant African Americans the civil right to suffrage as well as provide them the chance of fair trial of prosecution in court proceedings especially when disputes with the whites emerged being brought across by physical abuse, inequitable allocation of farm produce, unpaid work or labor waged unfairly (465), and other related issues which occurred to manifest as forms or concrete practices of social injustice and racial discrimination prevailing at the time. Somehow, the black community must have felt the ample degree to which their rights, identity, and dignity were fought for heroically even prior to the wartime itself, noting the key players in the main scene who had not ceased on endeavouring to make emancipation fully concretized for the black slaves. If not for the sake of the oppressed – the colored race – the Civil War would have lived a futile existence in its age or back when the spirit of justice strove to reach out to them through Republican proponents of liberty and equality such as the leaders Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant who, along with fellow Radicals championed the ultimate goal of relieving the non-whites of their inferiority complexes. A society that accounts for balance, freewill, independence, and equal treatment of all upon exercise of socio-political rights, transcending race, color, gender, or belief, was supposedly the thematic end to which the signifying behaviour of the Civil War was bound. Despite the ‘black codes’, land and labor flourished in the era of Reconstruction such that before the Great Depression hit the U.S. by 1873, as Faragher and co-authors put it:- “Most newly emancipated African Americans aspired to quit the plantations and to make new lives for themselves” adding that “Some freed people did find jobs in railroad building, mining, ranching, or construction work – Others raised subsistence crops and tended vegetable gardens as squatters” (472). In other words, such scenario depicted how new hopes had been revived in the light of celebrating the favourable outcomes of the Civil War. Reconstruction, nevertheless, yielded to its unfortunate fate when its stalwart pillars collapsed due to state corruption where, as the signs and symptoms of economic growth spread like an epidemic, affecting almost every American’s view of life and the necessary changes toward optimum progress, human weaknesses in a capitalist society were revealed. The “antebellum ideology of ‘free labor’” disappeared the moment Republicans adopted a liberal perspective and realized an overwhelming interest on monetary gain which then obscured the worth of a not-so-distant turbulent past (484). Perhaps, the short-lived Reconstruction may not be recognized for its failure in that regard but the way it allowed for the victims of oppression to be shed some light and hope in a long journey out of deep and dark struggles, at a point in history, is one considerable achievement that would sensibly respond to ‘why the Civil War was significant.’ Works Cited Wheeler, W.B. et al. Discovering the American Past: A Look at the Evidence. 7th ed. Vol. 1: To 1877. Boston: Houghton, 2012. Faragher, J.M. et al. Out of Many: A History of the American People. 7th ed. Vol. 1: To 1877. Upper Saddle River: Pearson, 2012. Read More