Civil Rights Movement Vs Civil War

The history of the United States has been shaped by many things throughout the years. Things ranging from the expedition of Louis and Clark to the attack on the twin towers on September 11th have all left its mark on American History. There has been two events/time periods that has unified the country and has provided colored Americans with more freedom and rights. The Civil War and Reconstruction period from 1861 to 1877, and the civil rights movement during the 1960s are the two events that have been the most beneficial to African-Americans and their rights. I believe these two events were the most significant incidents to take place during their respective centuries and the impact they had on the United States is tremendous. Even though

It is America’s bloodiest clash that forced the Union against the Confederate States of America. The result of this gruesome war was the death of more than 620,000 people and it also left millions more injured. This war was so deadly due to the massive armies being equipped with deadly weapons created during the industrial revolution. The war started as army versus army, and then it quickly changed to society versus society. This change in the war is one of the reasons the death toll is so high; the two armies quickly lost the distinction between military and civilian targets. This allowed everything and everybody to become a target in the eyes of the enemy. Both sides, the North and South, had more volunteers in the first year than they could train and equip. After the initial enthusiastic period passed; both sides had trouble recruiting new members. The North and South both initiated the draft to meet their respective quotas. The Confederacy fired artillery on Fort Sumter located in Charleston, South Carolina after President Lincoln ordered a fleet to resupply Sumter. These were the first shots fired of the Civil War. Thomas F. Drayton, a South Carolina plantation owner that supported the secession, wrote his brother, Percival, who was an officer in the United States Navy a letter shortly after the firing on Fort Sumter. In the letter Drayton was explaining the cause of the Confederacy by saying “they are fighting for home and liberty.” He also stated the North was facing the threat of enslaved whites by fighting towards consolidation and the abrogation of state rights. Drayton later went on to serve as a brigadier general in the Confederate army. The Civil War was fought on two fronts; the Eastern the theater and the Western theater. On July 21, 1861, 35,000 Confederate soldiers led by Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson forced a giant number of Union forces to retreat toward Washington D.C. in what is