Cesar Bedolla-Hurtado U.S. History Mrs. Paus 8 September 2017 Civil War Essay The American Civil War was a war fought domestically between 1861-1865; the war involved the North (Union) and the South (The Confederate States of America). The Civil War is the most catastrophic event in American history, claiming over 600,000 lives, leaving countless men and even women injured with minimal to extensive injuries that would forever change their lives. The Civil War would forever change American history, leaving an impact that is still in effect today. The war was fought for a variety of reasons, differing for each side. The North fought for unity, believing in fighting against Southern rebellion. The South fought for their freedom, believing the …show more content…
The North was liberal in their ways while the South was conservative, both of which is still occurring today. The South, the slave states, was a slave based society depending on the slaves for everything they could possibly be depended for. Many were accustomed to this way of life just as their family had for generations, a difficult and abruptly change to make; however, because of the cost of slaves, “only one in four Southern households owned slaves” requiring family members to help out on the farm (Pursuing American Ideals, 108). Due to the influx of German and Irish immigrants and even people from the South, the North possessed an abundance of laborers, laborers that were not slaves. With a high demand of jobs and an abundance of laborers, the North started to become more Urban, requiring the industrialization of cities and states. As a result, the North based itself on Urban Industrialization. The Northerners as a result opposed slavery, angering the Southerners who feared their way of life would come to an …show more content…
Both sides did not like each other’s plans for future expansion. While both sides did want to expand westwards to help socially and economically, they did not want the opposite side to expand. If one side acquired a state through popular sovereignty, that side would have more representation in congress, tipping the balance towards that side’s favor. If there were more free states, congressional rulings would favor towards the Union, and if the South had more slave states, they would have rulings favored towards them. As a result of this, both sides fought in every new state in order to tipping the balance towards Union or Confederation. After Abraham Lincoln’s victory in the 1860 presidential election, the South feared Lincoln would abolish slavery, and as a result threatened to secede. Over the course of a few months, seven states seceded, forming the Confederate States of America and electing Jefferson Davis as their