A Brief Exploration of The U.S. Civil War (Essay Sample)

A Brief Exploration of The U.S. Civil WarStudent’s NameInstitutional AffiliationCourseProfessor’s NameDate A Brief Exploration of The U.S. Civil War The American Civil War is one of the significant events in US history because the revolution brought a different perspective on America’s consciousness. The Civil War of 1861-1865 solved the issue of whether the US was a dissolvable confederation or an indivisible nation of sovereign states (Varon, 2019). Further, the War led to the determination of whether slaveholding could continue to exist in the face of a declaration that all men had an equal right to liberty (Reid, 2014). The American Civil War abolished the practice of slavery, although it was marred with curious incidences of incarceration and torture. The origins of the US Civil War can be traced back to1860 when Abraham Lincoln, an antislavery Republican candidate, was elected the President and the subsequent secession of 11 southern states from the Union between December 1860-April 1861. The representatives of the seceded states then met in Alabama and formed the Confederate States of America (CSA). The states then elected Jefferson Davis as their President. One key aspect of the CSA was the extension of slavery into new states and territories (Reid, 2014). The first military engagement then happened at Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina, on April 13, 1861 (Varon, 2019). Other battles that followed such a military encounter are the first battle of Bull Run, the battle of Ironclad Warships, the battle at Shiloh, and the battle of Antietam, all of which occurred between 1861 and 1862 (Varon, 2019). However, on January 1, 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all persons held as slaves in the rebellious states. General Lee led the confederate forces in fighting the government forces. The battles later led to his surrender in Virginia in April 1865 (Varon, 2019). However, when President Lincoln was shot in Washington and died from a gunshot wound, reconciling the North, and the South became an uphill task. The American Civil War was instrumental in ending slavery because it led to the adoption of the Emancipation Declaration and the passage of the 13th Amendment. Notably, before the War started, the North and South had been divided on the matter of slavery. Even previous actions taken, such as the Missouri Compromise and the Comprise of 1850, had not settled the issue of slavery (Varon, 2019). The Emancipation Proclamation of January 1863 was instrumental in providing the moral ground for the North to fight against slavery and discouraged the European countries from supporting the South. Further, African Americans could now be enlisted for the Union army (Reid, 2014). Initially, the Proclamation only freed slaves in the rebellious states and not the Union states. However, in 1865, the US Congress passed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which effectively abolished slavery throughout all states in the US (Varon, 2019). The end of the Civil War saw four million African Americans being set free. Further, former slaves had the freedom to travel to the South, visit and search for loved ones, and unite with families, which had been separated by slavery. Therefore, the Civil War was crucial in abolishing slavery, which had adversely affected the African Americans. One key curiosity surrounding the American Civil War was the history and documentation of the Civil War prisons and modes of incarceration. Notably, the Civil War was filled with episodes of horror and despondency, especially in the prison camps (Varon, 2019). Whereas the carnage brought by the military engagements, especially the bullets smashing limbs, the experiences of the prisoners of War presented a story of heinous acts (Reid, 2014). According to Barr et al. (2017), the history of Civil War incarceration may be filled with inaccuracies because “ former prisoners might dramatize events or lie about pain in suffering, as memoir publication might result in more royalties for both Yankee and Confederate”(297). Therefore, it is hard to get an accurate account of the correct positio...