American Civil War
By Joy J. Fine
The American Civil War, which last from 1861 to 1865, ranks as the worst war for casualties in the history of the United States. It is estimated that six hundred and twenty thousand soldiers died. The civilian casualties are impossible to calculate though it is believed to be a high number. This war, which tore the country apart, was fought over the issues of secession, nullification and ending slavery once and for all. Though many of the attitudes which first caused this war remain today with racial and economic tensions a sad commentary on how some Americans would have liked to see the war end.
It was slavery and the right to keep slaves that was a big dividing factor amongst the Northern and Southern states. It was the primary factor in the cause of the American Civil War. Oddly most of the Southern farmers had small farms and the labor they used was that of themselves and their children. They could not afford to own slaves. Most Northerners had never seen a slave including those who owned their own small farms. Yet this issue divided the country. In the South the biggest farms, the cotton plantations, had an economy that was based on not having to pay the kind of wages that white workers would get. They feared the collapse of their economy if their slaves were taken away from them. The Northerners disagreed with the keeping of slaves as a moral issue. No person should be the property of another.
The states that had slaves wanted slavery to spread to strengthen their representation in the government. The more states who joined who had slaves the better for the South, The North wanted to limit slavery because of the moral issues but also to control the power the South held in the government. Certain Acts were passed that made the issue of slavery more than just a disagreement between the North and South. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created problems when it allowed slavery to be allowed in any new territories that joined the Union. It called for the decision to allow slavery to be one of popular vote; let the people decide for themselves. The Southerners feared that no slaves would mean racial equality and they feared that as well. They believed that those of color were inferior to them. This act brought the issue of slavery even more to the forefront of the North and was the reason more politicians became embroiled in the issue. It was this act that brought Abraham Lincoln deeper into politics.
The issues were big enough that the United States split into two sides. The Union side consisted of the Northern States, the free states as they referred to themselves plus five states that had slaves. President Abraham Lincoln and his Republicans led the government of these people. It was their strong opposition to slavery that originally caused seven states to leave the Union. They became the Confederate States led by President Buchanan. The Union refused to allow this, calling it a rebellion, and so began the American Civil War.
