Civil War Reconstruction Essay

Spanning from 1861 to 1870, the American Civil War and the resulting Reconstruction period were a time of great change for the United States. In 1861, the southern states of the US seceded from the union due to conflicts in regards to the status of slavery in the US. This newly formed Confederacy waged war upon the remaining Union in order to reaffirm slavery. During this civil war, there were amendmendments to the constitution that abolished Slavery. In 1865, the Confederacy surrendered and the Union won the war. In the aftermath, the US began an era of “reconstruction” in which the conflicts from the Civil War were resolved. Former confederate states were admitted into the Union and services were provided to newly freed African Americans. Although these events came after the establishment of the US, the American Civil War and early Reconstruction period, between 1861-1870, was akin to a second American Revolution because of the ideological and political changes caused by the inception and aftermath of the war. These changes included the

This was caused by the recurring conflict of the status of slavery within the US. The Northern states were against slavery as it went against the Constitution while Southern states favored slavery as they used slave labor for their crop production. Slavery was prohibited in the Northern states, while many Southern states practiced slavery. When various aspects including the election of Abraham Lincoln threaten the status of slavery, South Carolina seceded from the union. This led to the secession of the remaining Southern states and the formation of the Confederacy. This was a politically revolutionary event because the American union was split into factions. In addition, the radical division of factions led to a Civil War which in itself is revolutionary. The sanctity of the American union was destroyed by the institution of