Civil War Dbq

With millions of casualties, including more than 620,000 deaths, the Civil War is regarded as the bloodiest war in American history. The beginning of the war started with the anti-slavery Abraham Lincoln becoming the president, leading to 11 states seceding from the Union and forming the Confederacy. However, although one of the major reasons of conflict was the growing feelings of abolitionism in the North, factors such as major economic differences and the western expansion all led to the clash between the North and the South. On April 12th, 1861, the first shots of the war were fired at Fort Sumter. In the beginning, the Union had believed the war would be a short and decisive victory. However, the Confederates soon proved them wrong with

He asked for Preston Blair’s help to convince all the Conservative Republicans to vote in favor of the amendment. Blair agreed, but in exchange, he asked for permission to go to South to negotiate for peace. After arriving in the South, Jefferson Davis agreed to a peace discussion and sent representatives on their way to Washington. William Seward, the Secretary of State, repeatedly urged Lincoln to drop the amendment because it was very unlikely to be passed. In fact, with the impending arrival of the Southern representatives, their peace terms would definitely be based on keeping their slaves. Therefore, Lincoln could either end the war, or pass the 13th amendment. He could not have both. Realizing that if the Southern representatives arrived in Washington before the amendment was passed, it was very unlikely that anyone would vote in favor of the amendment, Lincoln hurriedly worked on securing votes and stalled the Southern

Lincoln’s youngest son, Willie’s death, did leave a shadow over Lincoln’s heart. It was also true that he was very close to his second son, Tad. Often, Tad would fall asleep within Lincoln’s office, until Lincoln carried him off to bed. Such a scene was also reenacted within the movie (slate.com). In regards to Robert, his eldest son, Lincoln indeed was not as close to him. (barry). The movie portrayed Robert as a law student who actually wished to enlist in the war. This was indeed true, just as is Mary’s opposition to him becoming a soldier. In the end, Robert did in fact join up with the army and was présent in the Appomattox Court House surrender, as shown in the movie. (slate). In the movie, Mary Todd Lincoln claimed that she would be remembered as a crazy woman who was by the side of the beloved president. In an argument that occurred after Robert joined the army, it was revealed that she spent long hours in depression and hysteria after Willie’s death. In history, Mary indeed suffered extreme grief after the death of Willie, and the state of her mental health was heavily impacted