The American Civil War was not the last battle of the American Revolution. If one defines battle in the sense of violence between organized armed forces, then this statement could possibly be true. However, when considering a “battle” as a struggle to resist a force or to achieve a goal, the Civil War was merely the start of a figurative world-wide brawl. There was a battle of union versus scission before the civil war, the battle of slavery (for reasons of industry on top of racism), of anti-slavery as well as the battle of politics, of the meaning of independence for the Confederates, for the Africans, for the French and many others. Metaphorical shots were fired across oceans in the form of books and articles, which influenced members of every nation just as much as literal shots from the enemy musket. The Civil War was a stepping stone in the American Revolution, but America wasn’t safely across the river yet. …show more content…
The Northern states, who did not rely on slavery for their economy, were anti-slavery and hence wanted all the nation to be such. The Southern states vehemently opposed this view, as their flow of money relied almost entirely on the use of slave labor. This extreme divide among the people roused talk of division in America. Stephens argues that “slavery and white supremacy were not only the cause for secession, but also the “cornerstone” of the Confederate nation.” He also states, quoting Jefferson: “(this is the) rock upon which the old Union would split”, referring to the existence of African slavery. The well-known past president, Thomas Jefferson, was a blatant racist and pro-slavery