It’s been recorded that no one died during the artillery battle before Fort Sumter surrendered, but the Civil War would claim the lives of more than 600,000 Americans during its four year span. To date, the American Civil War remains one the bloodiest American conflicts of all time.
During this week, all across America, there will be many re-enactments of famous battles of the Civil War. These re-enactments have become the norm during this time of year. Over the last few decades it has become a tradition. We are reminded of the heroes of the war and the roles they played. We will be reminded of Sherman’s March to the Sea, the sacrifice of David O. Dodd, the professionalism of Robert E. Lee, and the strategy of Ulysses S. Grant. In a few instances, we may even be reminded of the services of black soldiers and slaves in the Civil War. More than 170,000 black soldiers fought on behalf of the Union. And there is information that support black soldiers served in the Confederate army, as well.
Another tradition within the remembrance of the Civil War is the debate over why the war was fought in the first place. As I’ve read about and studied wars throughout school and the many documentaries I’ve seen, I have always concluded that wars were fought over the following reasons: (1) territory and (2) economics. I would guess that the American Civil War is no different. Territory was an issue, as evidenced by the secession of 11 states. Economics can also be seen as a reason, as the South was primarily agricultural and the industrial revolution was slowly coming over the horizon.
The debate for the Civil War usually hinges on slavery. There are some that completely place the reason as slavery and others that base the reason as states’ rights. With the rise of revisionist history, political conservatives make the claim that the Civil War is only about the interference of big government. Not to be outdone, there is a liberal who will state that the use of humans as personal property tugged at the heartstrings of elected officials. As I did my own search, via the Internet, I couldn’t help but notice that slavery was an ever present theme. Without slavery there would have been no Civil War. Slavery may not have been THE issue, but it drove the debate on every issue.
The following are also mentioned as causes of the Civil War:
(1) Economic and social differences between the North and the South
The cotton gin was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton. However, at the same time the increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton meant the greater need for a large amount of slave labor. As a result, the southern economy became a one crop economy, depending on cotton and therefore on slavery.
(2) States Rights versus Federal Rights
This is essentially a battle that has been waged since the founding of the United States. States believed that they had the right to decide if they wanted to accept certain federal acts. The federal government denied the states the right of nullification, in which the states would rule certain federal acts as unconstitutional. States felt that since they could not nullify federal acts, they were not respected. In a nutshell, the states wanted to act independently and exercise their right to continue owning slaves. The federal government didn’t agree.
(3) The Election of Abraham Lincoln
When Lincoln was elected in 1860, South Carolina issued its Declaration of the Causes of Secession. Many southern states believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of Northern interests. Before Lincoln moved into the White House, seven states had seceded from the Union.
And if these reasons don’t convince you that slavery was the central cause of the Civil War, ask yourself this question…what was the almost immediate result of the Union’s victory? The immediate result was the emancipation of almost 4 million slaves. Additionally, as the war neared its end, the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments were added to the United States constitution.
The common ground that we have to reach with this discussion depends on each of us having an open mind and reviewing the root cause of this great conflict. But the happy ending is that this “peculiar institution” no longer exists and many of us share many freedoms.
I think Jon Meacham said it best with this quote: “At such a charged moment, we must remember our nation’s history fully, and not selectively. If we truly want to be faithful stewards of the past, we must recall what the Civil War was about – slavery and the definition of human liberty.”
The Civil War was fought so that we could do away with what is one of the darkest chapters in American history. But as that chapter ended, it helped us write new chapters in which the future is not always determined by your skin color or your gender. We now have the chance to write chapters that place everyone on a level playing field. These new chapters involve finding the common ground that allows us to participate in a civil discourse which will determine our brightest futures.
No comments:
Post a Comment