How Did The American Civil War Contribute To The Rise And Fall Of Slavery

The American Civil War was intended to preserve the Union but ended in a war for emancipation for slaves. This process was a gradual one used for military tactics and ultimately to ensure a vision of free man was accomplished. April 12th, 1861 was the start of a four year long battle that would revolutionize the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln played a huge role in this war that began and ended with different motives. In the first couple year of this war author David Davis, in his book Inhuman Bondage: Rise and Fall of Slavery talked about many violent attacks from white men to black men. Davis talks about the notorious draft riots in New York that mutilated eleven black men and destroyed a Colored Orphan Asylum. The white men

Lincoln pushed for the freedom of slaves throughout the rest of the war. The Civil War becomes a fight for emancipation of slaves, when the abolitionist realized war would not be won until all slaves were free. Fredrick Douglas, a black man and abolitionist expressed the same idea about the war, “War for the destruction of Liberty, must be met with the war for destruction of Slavery.” This became an important concept when the Emancipation Proclamation was established 1863. Abraham knew that if the Union lost it would be a loss at government and slavery which he quotes, “This government cannot much longer play a game in which it stakes all, and its enemies stake nothing. Those enemies must understand that they cannot experiment for ten years trying to destroy the government, and if they fail still come back into the Union unhurt.” He remained focused in a war that we were fighting both against his people and the Confederate. In 1865, Davis depicts a scene that Abraham had a black man in front of him fall to his knees such as one would warship God. Abraham told the black man to thank god for the liberty you will enjoy hereafter. The Civil War had begun with the fight against a government of slave holders but as Fredrick Douglas stated, “To fight against slaveholders, without fighting against slavery, is but a half-hearted business.” These thoughts were crucial when knowing that if slavery was