History Project (Essay Sample)

Name Institution Class Date Project About the Civil War Introduction The civil war emerged as the most destructive war ever to have been conducted on the soil of the United States. In this lethal conflict, the northern states fought against the southern states to maintain the harmony of every state's union. The States from the south threatened to disintegrate from the union and create their self-governing States. The warning was acted on after eleven states from the south withdrew from the union and proclaimed themselves independent. The states from the north, administered by Lincoln, countered by taking up weapons to go into combat against the rebels from the south. The civil war started in 1861 and continued for the next four years, throughout which thousands of lives were lost (Weber, Jennifer & Hassler, 1). The conflict had a long-lasting effect on the fate of the United States and its citizens. To date, there is a commemoration of the happenings of the civil war over a matrix of social events suggesting reenactments. In its brutality and geography, the United States civil war remains very distinct from the other disputes encountered by American citizens. Several theoretical answers arise regarding why the Civil War was caused, including the distinct approaches to cultural and social foundations and economic development demonstrated in policies towards political and slavery differences. Causes of the civil war The election of the republican Abraham Lincoln as the president of the United States prompted the civil war. The withdrawing states openly expressed Lincoln's election as why they chose to withdraw from the union at that time. In his rise to eminence, Lincoln had expressed a robust anti-slavery stand. Lincoln's ideals and convictions caused him to pledge to halt the westward extension of slavery that the southern states were pushing for and enthusiastically funding. In his presidency, Lincoln marked a revolutionary break that was viewed as a break from the dominion of slavers in state affairs. Therefore, the election of Lincoln to the highest office was perceived as a danger by the southerners who remained steadfast in their resolve to maintain slavery and the standards of the white culture reliant upon the institution (Weber, Jennifer & Hassler, 1). Upon his inauguration, there was a subsequent withdrawal of several southern states and the establishment of a union of confederate states of America. The matter of how much power was bestowed in the federal government and the amount of power maintained by the states was another cause of the conflict. The confederacy needed greater power to remain with the states because, in their view, united societies had the right to be free and independent states. Alternately, the union endorsed a solid central administration with extra power compared to the constituent states. The division caused the southern states to move towards withdrawal since they believed that the independent states must act individually on matters that concerned them. The colonialist politics advocated by the United States helped in the war breakout. Americans participated in spreading out into the west, dominating territories till they got to the pacific ocean. There were disagreements over which rules would apply to the newfound territories. As the northern states showed interest in abolishing slavery in the newfound colonies, the southern states ensured that the slavery institution was protected in the newfound lands. To produce a resolution to the matter, politicians, in 1850, developed the Henry clay Compromise (Fisher, 17). The Compromise included solutions that guaranteed that the northerners' and the southerners' interests were safeguarded in the expansion. Southerners continued pushing for slavery in the newfound states and ultimately succeeded, causing the civil war. The matter of slavery was quite disruptive because the communities in both the southern and the northern states had distinct social and economic structures. Given the cultural and economic backgrounds of the States from the north, the populace took a strong position against slavery. Safeguarding the institution of slavery was a needed move to protect the material concerns of the confederate white supremacists (Fisher, 17). Intrinsically, the confederate armed forces joined the military services to protect the white people's supremacy and their property. On the other hand, according to the union, slavery abolition was essential in maintaining the state union. As the war ended, more battles were fought, and thousands of soldiers lost their lives. The fight to end slavery was gruesome and horrific as President Lincoln died in 1865 through assassination. Andrew Jackson then took over as the country's president for the remaining time during the war. Eventually, in May 1865, the confederates ultimately surrendered after more than 620,000 citizens lost their lives, most by illness and disease (Fis...