Soldiers' Perspective on the Cause of the American Civil War (Essay Sample)

Soldiers' Perspective on the Cause of the American Civil War Student’s Name Institutional Affiliation Course Number Professor’s Name Date Soldiers' Perspective on the Cause of the American Civil War American soldiers who fought in the Civil War battle penned many letters that reported the war's actual accounts. The letters were the only way soldiers on the battlefields could communicate with their loved ones back home. The fighters shared greetings, love messages, condolences, concerns, last wills, encouragements, news of current affairs back at home, and, most importantly, beliefs about the war. One soldier, Ely Parker (1863), who fought in the Union army, shared with his sister in a letter how fighting brought an end to racial inequality and economic segregation, which he believed to be the cause of the war. This paper discusses the reasons for fighting in the civil war from Ely Parker's point of view. Ely Parker decided to fight against the Confederate army because of their discriminative policies, which encouraged racial inequality, segregation, and slavery. He sounds happy to recount to his sister that people of color in the South who once were enslaved people are fighting beside them as free men and labor for pay just like fellow Americans (Parker, 1863). Being an Indian who had been aware of Indian segregation in America, having been denied entry to the army twice because of his race, Parker believes this to be a fighting chance not only against the Confederates but against an unjust system. According to Gunderson (1974), the American Civil War stemmed from the strong opposition of North American states to slavery and the will of Southern states to preserve the practice, among other causes of the Civil War. During that period, racial segregation was rampant, and enslaved people, the majority of people of color, never enjoyed fundamental human rights like wages for labor; hence, they lived in poor economic conditions. While the Union army soldiers like Parker aspired to fight honorably for a democratic society, the Confederates fought fiercely back as they wished to maintain their way of practices, which was their economic lifeblood. Like other soldiers, Parker joined the war for the adventure and thrill it brought. Parker enjoyed the adventures and participated in dangerous battle missions for the sake of it. They decide to visit Hermitage, his Major's home place infested with guerrilla forces of Confederates. Against the advice, they visit the beautiful place and discover old relics (Parker, 1883). He also gets overjoyed at discovering Indians adopting a new way of life. He also tells her sister that Southern Indians can now build better houses, have better clothing, and live comfortably, unlike in the old times. Despite confessing that cannons fire projectiles of death everywhere, he asserts being ready to fight every time. Howell (2012) confesses that adventure and excitement were reasons soldiers dec...