Civil War Argumentative Analysis

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On the eve of the Civil War, the South was determined to protect what they considered their way of life. This way of life included their right to slaves, which they felt the North was threatening (OpenStax, 2016). The South generally felt that the North was attacking them, and this belief only strengthened after Lincoln’s election. The Northerners, specifically the Republican Northerners, were determined to stop the expansion of slavery. When the South seceded, Lincoln declared that they could not secede, and fought to bring them back to the Union (OpenStax, 2016). The circumstances that led to the Civil War (the issue of slavery, the secession of the South, etc.) made the Civil War inevitable. The Missouri Compromise had attempted to resolve …show more content…

Given these unsuccessful attempts at compromise, it does seem that the Civil War was inevitable. Lincoln’s action in declaring the war on the South were justified given that he did leave the decision of whether or not to go to war up to the South. Lincoln did try to compromise with the South with the Corwin amendment, but still, they refused to rejoin the Union (OpenStax, 2016). Lincoln made it clear that should the Union take Fort Sumter war would be declared (OpenStax, 2016). When the Confederacy took Fort Sumter, Lincoln had no choice but to retaliate. True to his word, after the Confederacy took the fort, Lincoln called upon the loyal states to provide support and take back Fort Sumter (OpenStax, …show more content…

This awakening rejected the Calvinist concepts that had once been popular, and instead emphasized that anyone could be saved if they turned away from their sins and worked to live a Christ-centered life (OpenStax, 2016). The Second Great Awakening had a deep impact on many Americans who were struggling with the changes of the day, and continued to have an impact through 1865 and beyond (OpenStax, 2016). Many slave owners began encouraging the slaves towards Christianity, and some African Americans began churches (OpenStax, 2016). Though many were swept up in the Second Great Awakening and found their Christian faith, the animosity towards other religions (particularly Catholicism) persisted. Christianity had huge social effects, as many began striving for a healthier lifestyle for all Americans. This led to the temperance movement as well as other health reforms (OpenStax, 2016). Politically, Christianity also had a huge impact. Christianity affected many politicians, but the temperance movement also had political effects. The temperance movement gained so much momentum that there were laws passed in an effort to stop people from drinking, or at least make it difficult to acquire alcohol. In addition to this, some Christian organization also promoted abolition; such vocal abolitionists were one of the main sources of tension before the Civil War, as they brought the issue