History/civil war

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The American Civil War

Introduction to the Civil War

The American Civil War , which took place from 1861 to 1865 , was an armed conflict that highlighted the battle between the Union and the Confederacy . Also known as the War of the States , the Civil War was triggered with the open firing of General

.G .T . Beauregard of the Confederacy on Fort Sunter located in Charleston Harbor , South Carolina (Gallagher , American Civil War

The roots of the US Civil War focused on the issue of

slavery . The states of the Southern territory , along with the eleven states that make up the Confederacy , relied on slaves for economic growth . The slaves had a role in crop production , particularly cotton . Although this practice was prohibited in the Northern territories , only a handful of its population is against slavery . The main issue of contention between the Northerners and Southerners was whether or not acquisition of slaves would be allowed in the Western states which were obtained during the Mexican War (Gallagher , American Civil War

Aside from slavery , political , economic , and social factors likewise had a role in the outbreak of the Civil War . By 1860 , the Northern and Southern territories had become two distinct and separate regions with varying social , political , and economic issues , which traced its roots from the colonial period . These issues were the driving force that led to the further split up of the two regions . Each territory attempted to insist their will on the entire country . While compromises maintained the unity of the Union for several years , this was not the case in 1860 The situation worsened with the assumption of Abraham Lincoln as president . For the Southerners , he was regarded as a threat to the slavery movement (Gallagher , American Civil War

The first fifty years of the 19th century was marked by an increase in economic differences between the regions . The Southern territory relied on cotton as its main crop . It comprised 57 percent of the of the United States . The plantation system was the main economic activity in the South with slaves serving as the workers (Gallagher American Civil War

On the other hand , the Northern region turned on industries for its economy . Slave labor was not required . European immigrants became factory workers , constructed railroads , and occupied the West . There were only few inhabitants in the Southern region (Gallagher , American Civil War

In addition , the political condition that pervaded during the early years of the United States was geared towards loyalty . As the patterns of life in the two regions became differentiated , the political beliefs differed considerably as well . In the North , the central government guided the construction of railways and roads safeguard its complicated trading and monetary interests , as well as to handle the national currency . The Southern territory for their part did not depend much on the Federal government compared to other territories so they did not require any strengthening (Gallagher , American Civil War

States ' Rights vs . the idea of Union...