American Civil War
Give a brief overview of the causes of the Civil War.
From April 12, 1861 to April 9, 1865; America became engrossed in a bloody civil war. It was fought for many reasons, which came together to create increased hostilities and carnage. First, the influx of immigration in the 1850s brought a new labor force to the Northern states. This offered them with an alternative pool of cheap labor. While the South still believed, that slavery was an ethical practice and did not want to end it. (Kennedy, 2012)
A second cause was the Supreme Court case Dred Scott vs. Stanford. Dred Scott was a slave who wanted to seek citizenship through the American legal system. His case was denied in 1857. It was based the legal interpretation that anyone who descended from Africa could not become American citizens. It also overturned the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This did not allow slavery in all U.S. territories, with runaway slaves seeking refuge in Free states. The result is that bounty hunters and federal marshals began capturing and returning slaves to their masters. This created a sense of outrage among abolitionists in the North. (Graber, 2006)
Discuss what life was like for the selected group before the Civil War.
The American Civil War was a harsh time for all Americans. In many cases, brothers fought against brothers....
Women were the most influential, but had to go through tremendous amounts of hardship to prove themselves. This occurred on both sides, with them filling the void left behind by the men. In the South, they moved forward with planting and running the
family business while they were fighting. To make matters worse, their lives were turned upside down by the advancing Union armies and massive slave desertions. The situation became worse, after the Emancipation of Proclamation. This allowed slaves to leave the
plantations and move to locations that were under the control of the Northern states. (Massey,1966)
In the North,
women became
nurses and watched their families go off to war. This was the first time in history that women played a major part in a war. The term true womanhood was coined for those, who served during the civil war. As nurses, it brought about a new way of thinking surrounding their roles in
society. (Kennedy, 2012)
On both sides, many volunteered in Rotary clubs and Christian Commissions. Their job was to make uniforms and organize supplies…
