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My Civil War Paper

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Due Monday: My paper on the united states civil war.. let me know what you think

After a long time of conflict dating back almost to when the original colonies were formed, it seemed almost inevitable that these differences would be sorted out on a battle field. The date came sooner than anyone could have possibly imagined, as the issue over states rights shook the Union. Some bombshell decisions that also helped the break up were the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Dred Scott decision. These demonstrated a tough time in the Union as the controversy over free and slave territories erupted. Abraham Lincoln soon became president in the year 1860, winning the election with a 40% popular vote. However, it should be noted that 10 southern states didn’t even allow Abraham Lincoln onto their ballot. Also the Republicans did not control the House of Representatives, the Senate, or the Supreme Court. Almost immediately after President Lincoln won the election, South Carolina’s Legislature met and voted unanimously to succeed from the Union. As soon as South Carolina succeeded the six more states followed. Those states were Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. In February 1861, the seceded met in Montgomery Alabama, and created the government known as the Confederate States of America. The Confederate States chose Jefferson Davis, a senator from Mississippi to be their President. The reasons for succeeding were that the fear of a Republican President would threaten their rights to owning slaves. The southerners also felt that their succeeding from the Union would be unopposed by the north. Lincoln was not in favor of the split, as he saw that new controversies would arise, including the national debt, federal territories, and the fugitive-slave issue. Once in office Lincoln felt the need to send provisions to Fort Sumter. He told the Confederates that they were provisions not supplies for reinforcement. Soon after this on, April 12, 1861 the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter. After the attack Virginia, Arkansas, and Tennessee all succeeded from the Union and Lincoln called for the Union to supply militiamen. On April 19, 1861 President Lincoln issues a Proclamation of Blockade against southern ports for the duration of the war. Soon just a day after Robert E. Lee accepts command of military and naval forces of Virginia. Almost three months later on July 21, 1861 the first battle of Bull Run takes place. This battle saw the Union Defeated by General Thomas “Stonewall†Jackson. This humiliating defeat of the Union soon sees George B. McClellan appointed as Commander of the Department of the Potomac. Soon after the wheels start rolling as Ulysses S. Grant captures Fort Henry and ten days later captures Fort Donelson in Tennessee. After the battle of Shiloh which featured 13,000 Union killed and wounded and 10,000 confederates wounded, the battle of the Second Bull Run took place. This battle featured 75,000 Union soldiers pitted against 55,000 Confederate soldiers. Once again the Union army is forced to retreat to Washington. In September of 1862 Lee decides to invade the north with 50,000 soldiers 50 miles northwest of Washington, McClellan gives chase and they eventually meet at Antietam, the bloodiest single day in US Military history. The Union successfully stopped the Confederate advance. There were heavy casualties from both sides as the total by nightfall reached 26,000 men. July 1-3 1863, the biggest and most decisive of the civil war battles breaks out at Gettysburg. Large forces from both the Confederates and the Union met at this small Pennsylvania town for three days in July. Toward the end of day three General Pickett of the Confederates mount his infamous charge “Pickett’s Charge.†This was the “high water†point of the Confederacy and it spelled an end to their army. Soon after the Union gained the major stranglehold on the Confederates, and went on their “march to the sea†which eventually led to the village of Appomattox Court House in Virginia. This is the site of the Confederacy surrender, where Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee meet, and Lee promptly surrenders.
 
and i still have to give my personal opinion or somethin on it.. i donno i like this part the second part is just insanely hard cause i dont know what to talk about
 
oh well i cant read it sorry, cant get past the first line b4 my head hurts.
 
You could talk about a bunch of things, such as was the war really useful in gaining freedom for the blacks? Slavery ended, butt segregation continued until the 60s (I believe). You could also question the north's motives for fighting, did they really need to free the blacks or was there something else to gain from a civil war?
 
yea i was thinkin of the segregation parts, and the other parts like what the real causes of the war seemed to be, not just "states rights" like the south claimed..
 
Well it might be an idea to give your opinion on the various leaders involved on both sides and what sort of legacy they have left on modern US society, you could also discuss the merits of each sides fight and where you would be likely to have stood had you been alive in that period.
 
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