Cause And Effect Of The Civil War Essay

The American Civil War, a defining point in United States history resonates even up to modern times. What began as a dispute over government powers and the expansion of slavery soon metamorphosed into an impassioned war over Southern honor and the abolition of slavery. The broadened purpose of the Civil War was by far an effect of the inundation of African American participation in Union war efforts. Free black men volunteered in large numbers at the start of the war, but President Abraham Lincoln feared that their enlistment may lose the Union support of border states such as Maryland, Missouri, and Kentucky and lead to secession of those states (Escott). Consequently, African Americans were not permitted to join the Union army until late in 1862, subsequent to the passing of the Second Confiscation and Militia Act, freeing slaves that had masters in the Confederate army, and Lincoln’s signature and approval of the Emancipation Proclamation which freed african american slaves in rebellious states, which were all of the Confederate states at war with the Union. For instance, Frederick Douglass zealously encouraged

Although they were known for their ferocity and valor in battle, prejudiced sentiment certainly was present in their treatment compared to their white soldier counterparts (Kennedy). An example of this was the wage disparity between the white soldiers and African American soldiers in the colored regiments. African American soldiers were paid $10 a month, from which $3 were deducted automatically for clothing. By contrast, white soldiers were paid $13 a month, from which there was no deduction ("Black Soldiers in the U.S. Military during the Civil War.”). This only changed in June, 1864 when Congress retroactively passed a legislation for equal wages for African American soldiers ("Black Soldiers in the U.S. Military during the Civil