History of slavery - Research Paper Example

The civil war was one of the bloodiest war fought that continues to leave a dark impression throughout the of the US History. It is impossibleto point just one factor that justified the actions of the Civil War Soldiers. First and foremost was the fact that the Soldiers in North wanted to keep the nation united. The notion of South’s separation from the Union was an idea that the North clearly could not digest. In addition, Lincoln’s pursuit to free the slaves from the South was also an additional point that justified the morale of the soldiers in the north.

One cannot ignore the fact that if the South did not declare succession, Lincoln would have not declared war in the south. James McPherson, an expert in this subject, and the author of The Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era insists, “ In July 1861, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution, by a nearly unanimous vote, that affirmed that the North was not waging the war to overthrow slavery but to preserve the Union.” (McPherson 66). Clearly, the focal point of the war was to keep the unity of nation for the sake of peace and security.

The events that lead to civil war was the Mexican war, the dependence of the North on the South, the slavery issue, and the Dred Scott decision.Post Mexican War, America was segmented into many territories. This posed a problem as both the North and the South had to manage the issue of slavery. A Band-Aid issue was delivers as Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 which California became a free state. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 also did facilitate the cause as the South despised this form their Northern Counterparts (Jordan 36).

From the South’s perspective, it is clear that that nation was interested in its own political and economic pursuits. Clearly, the soldiers understood that the North had little or no interest in South’s domestic affairs. Slavery was vital towards the success of South’s economy. The failure for the North to acknowledge the idea motivated the Southern soldiers to pursue their own version of the “American Dream.” The major political and economic interests between North and South continued to reflect the justification for separation for the Southern soldiers.

In midst of this chaos, states such as: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas had already declared to be seceded soon after during 1855 (Stanchak 26).After this, the major cause that triggered civil war according to historians was also because of Dred Scott decision. The Dred Scott decision was a slave that desired citizenship and was ruled in 1857. His issue caused flares as this issue eventually reached the Supreme case. However, it was apparent that that no person with African blood could become a U.S. citizen.

This decision also conflicted with the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which eliminated slavery in some parts of the territories. It almost seemed hypocritical that all the statutory policies that were outlined in the laws were being overturned (Stanchak 32). Another major turning point that lead to the cause of Civil War was Lincoln’s Presidency. It was apparent that the lack of government involvement for the South lead to North reaping the benefits of the national production that occurred throughout the country.

It was a clash that was understood but was not apparent until tensions flared between the two sides. The elections were a clear example of this as Lincoln won the elections without the approval of the South, which was a crucial point as well. This constant struggle of slavery, politics and cultural values finally all lead to the civil war.Works Cited "A Bibliography of Civil War Articles, 1960-1961." Civil War History 7, no. 4 (1961): 438-442.Dubrulle, Hugh. "One War at a Time: The International Dimensions of the American Civil War, and: The Blessed Place of Freedom: Europeans in Civil War America (review).

" Civil War History 51, no. 3 (2005): 325-327.Jordan, Robert Paul. The Civil War. Washington: National Geographic Society, 1969.McPherson, James M.. Battle cry of freedom: the Civil War era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.Stanchak, John E.. Civil War. New York: Dorling Kindersley Pub., 2000.