Civil War Dbq Essay

The Civil War Era was a period of great division for the United States of America. Growing Sectionalism between the North and South about politics, economics and ethics culminated in one of the most devastating wars in American history. During the time period from the early 1860s till Restoration, while the changes to the country’s legislature illustrated the growing power of the Republican Party’s ideals on government and democracy, the opinion of the southern white population remained the static; however, marginally new wide-spread ideals about freedom in politics drastically changed the country’s legal standards of democracy. Consequently, these laws created groups of citizens that were adamant about maintaining the pre-war status quo of

Before the Civil War the Pro-slavery Argument stated that slavery should be preserved because it was beneficial to slaves, their masters and the economy of the country. Southerners argued that the country’s economy could not survive without” King Cotton”. This is depicted in the political cartoon, Cotton is King! The cartoon depicts a man worshipping cotton while kneeling on the back of a slave (Doc C). The document was intended to show the value of Cotton to the British economy, while England seemed to be a great world power, their economy was still reliant on slavery. Preservation of slavery was also supported by Chief Justice Taney’s ruling in the Dred Scott v. Sanford case (Doc A). Since Justice Taney was pro-slavery his point of view is reflected in his racist decision, he argued that African Americans had no claim to citizenship and Constitutional rights. Since slaves were merely property, Dred Scott could not sue the court for his freedom and the Missouri Compromise of 1850 was unconstitutional; any state in America could potentially be a slave state. After the war the Republican Party rose to power in Congress and made drastic strides for the expansion of democracy by passing new Amendments that reflect these

The growing power of government, especially the Republican Party is evidenced by Lincoln creation of war powers during the Civil War. Lincoln’s message to Congress addressed his suspension of habeas corpus to counter the opposition to the war by the DemocraticParty; Lincoln’s arrest and suspension of their right to be released allowed him to focus on gaining support for the war (Doc D). The message was intended for Congress ,they originally questioned the President’s growing authority and his right to suspend the rights of United States citizens, however, his strong stance on this issue allowed him to quiet the opposition and pass the Emancipation Proclamation... While this bill only freed slaves in Confederate territories that were not under the control of the Union, it paved the way for the Thirteenth amendment, a document that completely abolished slavery. In Lincoln’s speech given at the Republican state Convention in Springfield, Illinois, he expresses his belief that unification would be achieved if slavery is preserved or abolished in all parts of the country (Doc B).The abolishment of slavery expanded the rights that African Americans had on paper, however, African American rights remained very limited in many parts of the country, especially the