Gettysburg Turning Point

When the Civil War started in America, slavery was a controversial issue throughout the entire nation. Due to big plantations in the south, many African Americans were forced to work early mornings and late nights just to finish one day’s work, without pay. When the Union started to disagree with the act of slavery, the South revolted on April 12th of 1861, and thus began the Civil War, the bloodiest war the United States has ever fought. The events at Gettysburg were turning points for the Union and gave them motivation to go on and win the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg and the Gettysburg Address were monumental acts that created a new meaning of America, as they bind together the ideal that America was founded on, equality, with African Americans’ yearning for liberty. The Civil War itself was fought because the nation did not agree on many topics, but the most prominent of them was the issue of slavery. Of the total population in

After 2 years of constant bloodshed in America, the Battle of Gettysburg took place in the small town, with only about 1.7 square miles of land to cover. This was a small victory that prevented the Confederate army from capturing any land further into the Union territory (Town History). Historians have made statements that if the Confederates would have conquered Gettysburg, they could have either turned around and taken Washington, or even Philadelphia and Baltimore, under the commander General Robert E. Lee. Union General George G. Meade strengthened his army by taking advantage of the South’s hesitation to attack his army, which contributed to the victory and made the Confederates halt and retreat (History Place). This battle was critical because it gave the Union a leg up on the land at a crucial position of the South’s