Less known facts about the American Civil War!

The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States of America, fought between 1861 and 1865. In the end, the Union emerged victorious and confederacy came to an end.

Union is often referred to as “the North”, whereas the confederacy is referred to as “the South”. This nomenclature is mostly based on geographical location of the states, though not all southern states were part of confederacy. Delaware, Kentucky, Maryland, and Missouri did not join the Confederacy, though they supported slavery.

The roots of American civil war goes way back in history. Despite adopting the principle of freedom at the time of making of the US Constitution, the issue of slavery was not taken into account.

Causes of American Civil War of 1861-1865

There were numerous reason for the civil war, but the most important issue was the question of slavery.

The immediate trigger was the election of Abraham Lincoln as the President of the USA.

The causes are discussed as follows:

1. Slavery: At the time of adopting the constitution, there were two factions. One in support of slavery, whereas the other wanted to put an end to it. The controversy at that time ended with a compromise between these two factions that resulted in several features being adopted that were regarding slavery. The slave trade, at that time, brought thousands of slaves to the United States of America. The climatic condition of north and south was different and the need of slaves was also much different in these two areas. The north had moved toward industry, whereas the south was still very much agricultural and depended upon slaves. Whether this nature of economies caused conflict or not is a matter of debate. The southern economy had grown to be too dependent on slavery and the South was fighting to protect a society of which slavery had become an integral part. The United States of that time was an expansionist state and was rapidly acquiring new areas, especially in the west. The territorial expansion of the United States in the west caused conflict between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery faction of the United States. Pro-slavery faction wanted to spread slavery to the newly acquired western territories, whereas anti-slavery faction wanted to stop the spread of slavery to these areas. The pro-slavery faction widely believed that if the spread of slavery is stopped in these western areas, it would put the slavery, as a whole, on the path of extinction even in the southern states. There were also a few compromises were held between these two factions such as Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850, but it only postponed the conflict and did not resolve it.
2. Abolitionists: There were a group of people who held that slavery was morally wrong and should be put to an end. Several novels such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin became bestsellers in the United States which introduced and made people aware about the ill-conditions of slaves.
3. States’ rights: Though this notion has long been dismissed as a cause of civil war, it is only appropriate to mention it. Several confederates’ leaders held that as each state had joined the United States at its own will, it also had the right to secede from it. The leaders from the north, including the then President of the United States Buchanan who himself was pro-slavery, rejected this notion.
4. Lincoln’s election: It was the immediate trigger that caused the civil war. Abraham Lincoln was believed to be anti-slavery and it was widely believed that he would put an end to it. The leaders from the South feared that Lincoln would stop the spread of slavery in the western territories and thus put slavery on the path of extinction. They had earlier threatened to secede from the Union if Lincoln was elected president. In 1860 Presidential election, Lincoln emerged victorious and in the next year i.e. 1861, several southern states seceded from the Union which triggered the US Civil War.

Result of the civil war are as follows:

1. Union victory and end of confederacy: At the end, the Union emerged victorious and the confederacy came to an end.
2. Emancipation Proclamation: This proclamation resulted in the end of slavery which freed more than 3.5 to 4 million slaves in the area of confederacy.
3. Economic destruction of the south: The economy of the south was severely affected and faced economic crisis.
4. Beginning of the Reconstruction Era: Reconstruction Era began.
5. Amendment of the US constitution: The United States constitution was amended.
6. Casualty: More than 1 million died as per some estimates.