The Civil War

The Civil War of America was perhaps one of the most defining wars to have ever been fought on these lands. Not only did it change the future of the African Americans that resided within the country, but it also brought about much deeper repercussions. At the time when the country had been created and the Declaration of Independence had been signed and the Constitution had been drafted and put in to place, many people were flustered. The Constitution of the United States declared that all men are created equal. If that was the case, why were African Americans bought and sold on the markets? Why were their families broken up and treated inhumanely in most cases, just for the purpose of being treated like animals on a farm? Why weren’t the African Americans given the right to vote? Were they regarded as men?

In order to circumvent all of these questions, a great number of the white citizens, especially those that resided in the South, declared that the African Americans were not human at all, but in fact, were subhuman. Until 1787, the African American population of America was not even counted in the censuses that took place, and even afterwards, only three- fifths of all the population of the African Americans within a given area would be counted. While the primary causes of the Civil War, or rather the War over State’s Rights, can be regarded as much more than just focused on slavery, the primary result that everyone was looking for was the sustenance or the abolition of slavery from the country, and this was what all of the politicians fought for, some against, some in favor.

There has not been another time when the nation was so massively polarized over a single matter. Perhaps fighting over these two divided opinions was the best possible way to resolve matters; a compromise was unlikely to last a longer period of time, especially not forever. A great number of experts on the war were quick to call this the first ever ‘modern war’. This wasn’t due to the Gatling gun that was put to use for the first time, but primarily due to the Minie ball and the musket rifling. The death toll? 600,000 Americans lost their lives in the Civil War. It was as bloody and as gruesome as they come. No American, since that day, has seen such tragedies on such a massive scale. A great number of the common soldiers that fought the war were only there for the money, as well as the promise of three square meals per day.

This was a proper job, they thought, and the promise of adventure was rivaled with the prospect of death or injury. By the time that the Civil War came to its end, Richmond had been leveled due to the excessive bombing, Atlanta had been burned to a crisp by the then General Sherman, and the President of the United States had been killed. At the end, however, slavery was outlawed of any kind, achieving the wish of President Lincoln.