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What They Fought For The Causes Of War Essay

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Throughout the years the United States of America has been an established nation, the
The United States has taken part in multiple different wars. Some of these wars included World War I and III, the Gulf War, the Korean War, and the Civil War. The Civil War was a war which started in 1861. This specific war was fought in the United States, between southern and northern states. The southern states (The Confederacy) were fighting for independence from the United States (the Union), because of the Union's political policies. The Civil War ultimately lasted four years, and cost over 650,000 lives. James M. McPherson is an American author who wrote an analysis of multiple different letters and accounts from the Civil War. Said book being titled, …show more content…

In the book, ‘What They Fought for’ the idea of soldiers being dedicated to their cause is stated many times, an example of this being: “The wealthy Alabama planter who married one of Mary Todd Lincoln’s half sisters and who as a captain in the 4th Alabama declared that “I am willing to fall for the cause of Liberty and Independence.” (McPherson 10) and “My country, glorious country, if we have only made it truly the land of the free…I count not my life dear unto me if only I can help that glorious cause along.” (McPherson 34) This theme of dedication is not only found in the Civil War, but also in other american wars. An example of this is written in by a man nicknamed ‘Happy’ Neil, who served in World War II: “The American flag means a whole lot to me. I am glad that when I do come home I can say I have a share in it. That is more than some people can say. “ (Neil 1944) A major in the marines also wrote something along similar lines during the Gulf War about soldiers' overall willingness to fight against tyrants, “Everyone wants to kill Hussen, because of this creep a lot of people are dying.” (Tony 1991) It can be easily determined that not only dedication to a cause was demonstrated in the Civil War, but also a recurring theme in other American

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Although Longstreet did focus on the cause of the Civil War, slavery, he was a “professional” and a strong soldier. He was motivated to fight with the south because at first he believed that the Confederate Army was going to win. That is why he was fighting, to win. Another man named Joshua Chamberlain was a Union Colonel. He was a college professor and an excellent soldier.

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In chapter one of What They Fought For, I learned about the letters and diaries of the Confederate soldiers. The themes of the letters were home-sickness, lack of peace, and the defense of home against their invading enemy. The thought of soldiers fighting for their homes and being threatened by invaders, made them stronger when facing adversity. Many men expressed that they would rather die fighting for a cause, than dying without trying and this commitment showed patriotism. Throughout the letters, soldiers claimed their reason for fighting, was for the principles of Constitutional liberty and self-government.

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The United States Civil War is possible one of the most meaningful, bloodstained and controversial war fought in American history. Northern Americans against Southern Americans fought against one another for a variety of motives. These motives aroused from a wide range of ideologies that stirred around the states. In James M. McPherson’s What they fought for: 1861-1865, he analyzes the Union and Confederate soldier’s morale and ideological components through the letters they wrote to love ones while at war. While, John WhiteClay Chambers and G. Kurt Piehler depict Civil War soldiers through their letters detailing the agonizing battles of war in Major Problems in American Military History.

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