Civil War Dbq

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Slavery was common in America. Especially, African Americans were targeted and were forced to work hard under harsh environment. When they did not obey their owners, or did not work hard, they received violence. However, industries in the North began to develop, while the South still depended on slavery. This led to the conflict between the North and the South, which is known as the Civil War. The North was protectionism and supported anti-slavery. On the other hand, the South had free trade and supported slavery. Because of the war, the country faced a crisis of splitting into two nations, but it was prevented by President Lincoln. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation and opened the way to peace in America. After the declaration, all slaves …show more content…

To achieve his goal, he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation and get more citizens’ supports. As a result, it carried his second victory of the presidential election and led to the end of the Civil War. Thus, Lincoln’s announcement might not be his most desirable solution, but it was necessary to achieve his goal and protect the peace in his country. The Emancipation Proclamation had given an impact on the country and was supported by Northerners, but many people in the South opposed Lincoln’s decision. Slaves used to be considered as property, so when the president Lincoln announced the proclamation, Southerners argued that it violated the right of property. According to the article written by Pinsker, James Rumley, who was slaveholder in North Carolina said, …Officers employ them in various capacities and pay them for their services, ignoring the rights of the owners and violating the law of the state. They get information from them as to the political opinions and conduct of the owners, and in some instances arrests of citizens have been made and property been seized upon negro …show more content…

The North still continued the slavery after Lincoln’s announcement, so this incurred Southerners’ antipathy and they criticized the president. “Confederate newspapers labeled Abraham Lincoln a devil, and accused him of trying to destroy the South's way of life.” Since the South was boomed economically by cotton industry where most slaves worked, they knew if their slaves were freed, they would suffer. However, there was a way that the South could have retained their slaves. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, the goal of the president Lincoln was to unite the North and the South. His main goal was not to abolish slavery. According to the Emancipation Proclamation, he stated, “…all persons held as slaves within any state, or designated part of a state, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free…” This statement indicates that if the South had not been against the North, they could have retained their slaves. The decision that Lincoln issued might be a compulsive way to suppress the South, but if Southerners wanted to retain slavery, they should have followed the North rather than fighting. As Northerners and Southerners never agreed with each other, and it was a priority issue for the president to protect from the division of the nation, his decision was important as the most effective way to unite