Ahmet Saim YILMAZ

Samet KIVANC
Sibel Aybike CAN
Mihral APAYDIN
Isna UNSAL

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR

Slavery has existed in various countries for centuries and still exists. And as it
is known, for centuries, blacks constitute the slave class . This also shows us that
slavery is a kind of racism.We can evaluate slavery and supporting it as a historical
stain. The most important factor in the adoption and use of slavery is the so-called
contribution to economy. The biggest factor in the spread of slavery is to employ
workers without paying any money for them. In this way, people improve their
economies and made more profits. Nowadays, even the past of the American, which is
one of the most important powers in the world and which has an important place in the
world, had a conception of slavery which is regarded as a historic stain. In America
the conception of slavery dates back to the 1500s. there was even a civil war due to
this sense of slavery and the desire to abolish slavery. The American civil war that
emerged as a result of slavery and slavery-ending movements, is the comprehensive
war of north and south in America. This war, happened between the south that have
industry power and north that have agriculture power. This war took place between
1860 and 1865, although the name of the war is known as an American civil war
between the people . Another name of the war is between the interstate war or the
north-south war. The war began with the desires of the eleven states to declare their
autonomy and on April 12, 1861, the ball thrown from the castle of sumter in south
Carolina. This war was a far-reaching civil war that determined the century’s history
of america. This written paper is going to focus on reasons and results of American
civil war.

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 In 1850’s economy of United States Of America mostly relied on farming. This
type of economy required massive labor force which was provided by slaves. Many
people in north believed that slavery was unjust and evil so in 1804 all of northern
states abolished slavery system. As time passes southern States moved away their
economy from farming to industry while Southern States stayed as it was. The
industrialization had huge impact on both urbanization and immigration. northern
states attracted vast majority of European immigrants because north had better
railroad equipment and food-processing factories which meant better living
conditions. As a result northern states had about 23 million population while southern
states was around 9 million. Even though both south and north belonged to the same
country, it is crystal clear that they were different in terms of economy, culture and
social rights. Those differences blocked their way in to unite their country as one and
caused friction between northern and southern.

After having industry, slavery system did not mean much for Northern states
but it was a different story for southern states because at the meantime they were
producing two-thirds of world’s cotton supply with labor force of black slaves1. No
slave means no cotton. This matter caused collision between south and north. The real
turning point for this whole situation is when Abraham Lincoln won election in 1860.
Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, he was an extraordinary guy, he earned his
keep at farms but in the meantime he tried his best to attain knowledge. He self
educated himself and became a lawyer. He was a member of anti-slavery Republican
Party. Southern states felt that Abraham Lincoln was against both slavery and south,
so southern states decided that they did not want to be a part of United States
anymore.

After Abraham Lincoln was elected president, the legislature of South Carolina
has decided to make a state convention to consider separating. Before the civil war,
South Carolina made most of the effort to invalidate the laws of a federal state and

1
Retrieved from:
https://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm%3Fid%3D251

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even to secede from the USA. On 20 December 1860, the congress accepted the
"Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of
South Carolina from the Federal Union". It defended the rights of States for slave
owners in the South, however it made a complaint about rights opposition to the
Fugitive Slave Act in the North. After that, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana, and Texas seceded in 1861(Harris, 2007).
South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, and Texas, Texas openly said the reasons
for leaving were the abolition of slavery. The Southern states argued that slavery was
their own right because of the fugitive slave clause of the Constitution. The Southern
states decided to establish a new federal government, the Confederate States of
America, in 1861. After that, the Texas garrison, which accounts for a quarter of the
American army was delivered in 1861 to states that joined the Confederacy.

On 18 December 1860, The Crittenden Compromise was offered to reconstruct

the Missouri Compromise line by forbidding slavery. The approbation of this
compromise would probably avoid the separation of every southern state except South
Carolina, but Lincoln and Republicans refused it. After this rejection, a national
referendum was suggested for reconciliation. The Republicans again rejected the idea,
although a majority of votes was in favor of it. In 1861, Peace Conference met in
Washington and presented an offer a similar proposal to Crittenden compromise but it
was rejected by Congress(Oates,2011).

On 1st September 1861, the civil war breaks out with a cannon ball from
Sumter Castle in South Carolina. The proposal for the abolition of slavery,
implemented by a decision taken on 1 January 1863, was enacted on 31 January 1965
after it had been voted in parliament(Robinson, 1997). However, Abraham Lincoln
was assassinated five days after this victory.

In the first years of the American war, the parties did not excel at each other.
Although the two sides suffer heavy losses, there are occasional retreats and attacks,
but there is no obvious advantage on either side. However, “The Battle of Gettysburg”

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which occurred on July, 1863 became a turning point. Both sides suffered heavy
losses in this battle, where 72,000 soldiers from southern and 82,000 soldiers from
northern came across(Carroll, 2005). But the war has resulted in obvious superiority
of northern troops. north troops who understand the end of the war came defeated
famous southern commander Robert Edward Lee’s armies by attacking to southern
troops and they forced the southern troops to surrender. The remaining troops of the
south troops under the heavy defeat took away weapons and they have surrendered to
northern administration unconditionally. President Abraham Lincoln even offered to
lend them to develop instead of exploiting their southern provinces. Conversely, the
parties and interest groups in the northern union advocated the invasion of the
southern territories. After all agreements, John Wilkes Booth who is actually actor
killed Abraham Lincoln with a gun to his head with a plotter which is prepared by
Senator Wallace and the secret service. Abraham Lincoln who demanded the abolition
of slavery and gave black people some rights, first of all attracted great reaction by the
people and then by the popular masses. John Wilkes Booth, though he was originally
an actor, smuggled into the southern states with a military potty and enjoyed great
sympathy for these states. Booth, who plans to kidnap the president before the
assassination attempt, has not achieved its goal with a slight change in the president's
plan. Booth, who then puts his mind at the forefront of killing the president, heard on
14 April 1865 that the President and his family were going to the Ford Theater to
watch the play "Our American Cousin." Booth, who entered the theater hall after the
start of the game, approached the chairman with a gunshot in the head. The murder of
Abraham Lincoln is the first president assassination in American history. The people
who supported Abraham Lincoln deplored with his death. Although his killer is
certain and supported by assassination witnesses, secret service and the aristocratic
segment have a hand in his death. The biggest games of the states whose interests
have been damaged and want to be the focus of power are to intimidate the important
people within their own. Abraham Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery and give the
blacks some rights, in fact he opposed all racist groups in the country and risked death
for his ideals.

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 American Civil War is so important for American history because of its results.
The results of Civil War was exact defeat of the Southern of America and they
maintained their status in the United States. Time period that is after the Civil War,
this period is known as Reconstruction in between 1965 to 1977. Reconstruction can
be named as reborn. Reconstruction caused of violence, chaos and a lot of conflict
and controversy in America. This period is not peaceful period because there were
many people who tried to take advantage of defeated southern part of America.
During the period of Reconstruction, the congress put some amendments on the
constitution. They gave more power to the national government of the states and the
main amendment is end of the slavery and it was thirteenth amendment. But, they still
have limited rights so, it was passed fourteenth amendment which Congress wanted
to protect rights of blacks that’s why they gave full citizenship to black people.
southern states had to approve this amendments to rejoin the Union and lastly,
fifteenth amendment recognized rights of African American men to vote (Coins, 1998).
The reason why the rich people in southern America forcibly accepted these laws was
that the trade in the south would end and that their wealth would end. At the end of the
Reconstruction period, the slaughter-based production in agricultural lands was
abolished in southern States. When we look at whole picture, The United States
overcame the danger of division and reunited as one country after the Reconstruction
period. Before the American Civil War, the south states of America was economically
superior from the north; After the war, the agricultural economy collapsed and the
south lost its economic superiority to the northern states.

In conclusion, American Civil War had started because of the friction between
north and south due to understanding of slavery. The civil war that occurred when
Abraham Lincoln got elected had huge impacts on the United States of America. The
war had started when confederate army opened fire on federal garizon. over the course
of civil war millions of armed men confronted each other. Almost 620,000 individuals
passed away. The United States came through as one united country.

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 References
● Arrington, B. (n.d.). Industry and Economy during the Civil War. [online] National Park
Service. Available at: https://www.nps.gov/resources/story.htm%3Fid%3D251 [Accessed 3

May 2019].

● Bancroft, G. (1890). History of the United States of America. Boston: Little, Brown and

Company, pp.283-300.

● Coins, M. (1998). Results of the Civil War | Monaco Rare Coins. Retrieved from

https://www.monacorarecoins.com/civil-war-results-civil-war/

● Robinson, C. (1997). American Civil War. History Ireland, 5(1), 15-15. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27724423
● Carroll, F. (2005). BELFAST and the AMERICAN CIVIL WAR. In The American
Presence in Ulster: A diplomatic history, 1796-1996(pp. 62-84). Washington, D.C.:
Catholic University of America Press. doi:10.2307/j.ctt28540h.7
● Abraham Lincoln and Secession. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/abraham-lincoln-in-depth/abraham-lincoln-
and-secession/