To what extent did political events influence the American Civil War?

Introduction

The U.S. Civil War was fought between the Union of the North and the Confederate of the South from 1861 to 1865.  The Union of the North consisted of 20 states, many in which had large and successful cities such as New York City.[1]  The Confederate of the South was made up 11 states, with most states ideal for large scale farming.[2] The North had a population of 18.5 million people, where as the South had a total population of 9 million people, 3.5 of these people were enslaved. “The Union forces outnumbered the Confederates roughly two to one”[3]

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Following the election of Abraham Lincoln, the first state to succeed from the Union was South Carolina. The Civil War was the bloodiest battle in American history with around 620,000 deaths. Existing factors that put the United States into the Civil War were, major differences between the North and South, including the major abolition debate as well as the State vs Federal rights. 

Deeply rooted within each of these causes were the Politics revolving around Slavery.  Politics influenced a lot of the events of the Civil War with some examples being the Lincoln Douglas Debates, The Emancipation Proclamation, and the many new Amendments.  These political events divided the population as well as created much aggression through the Civil War.  Although tough fighting from the Confederates and their leader, Robert E. Lee along with the Union leader Ulysses S. Grant with the help of Abraham Lincoln were able to lead the North to victory, beating the South. The War officially ended on April 9th, 1865. 

Background

There was a lot of tension forming between the North and South prior to the actual start of the Civil War. In addition to the fundamental differences in values and beliefs, there were very visible, and clear differences between the North and South. The North had booming growth in their industry and economy[4], creating a wide gap in the economy between the North and the South.

  While the North was experiencing growth in industry and manufacturing, the South’s economy was still based almost entirely on slavery through agriculture and farming, 2 of the main exports being Tobacco and Cotton.[5]  Doing the intense labor of this large-scale farming, was black slaves. Since slavery/slave farming was at the root of their economy, the South was incredibly against the growing abolition movement being pushed by the North. 

Causing Southerners more anger were acts passed in the years prior to the Civil War, one that was the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  This act was made by Democrats. This act states that “the people who lived in a region should determine for themselves the nature of their government.” [6]  This set forth the idea that the settlers of a new land would be able to decide upon. With the admittance to their Union, they would become a free or a slave state. 

While they were facing much backlash from the newly implemented Act, the North established the Republican party. This new party was established on the belief of “opposing slavery’s extension into the western territories.”[7]  Today the Republican party is more similar to the Democrat party of these times and vise versa.

Edging closer to the brink of war -in 1859- John Brown raided Harper’s Ferry with the intention to start slave revolts, and destroy the “Peculiar Institution”[8] of slavery.  Through this act of violence, Southern citizens became increasingly fearful of the North’s intentions to do with the existence of, and the root of their economy, slavery. 

The last straw that launched the North and South into a Civil War was tAbraham Lincoln’s election. Abraham Lincoln was a representative from the Republican party. His campaign stated that  “slavery would not spread any farther than it already had.”[9]  Shprtly after Lincoln’s victory, South Carolina seceded the Union,[10] resulting in the beginning of the American Civil War. 

Course of events

         Before Abraham Lincoln’s election into presidency, he was involved in 7 debates with Stephen A. Douglas, who was a member of Congress since 1843.[11]  They fought for the open seat on the senate, Lincoln and Douglas not only discussed the important issues of Slave Rights and Sectional conflict, but also further political conflicts that would influence the future politics to come.

  Douglas was a democrat, and wanted re-election into his position on the senate. Fighting against him was Lincoln, running for senate representing the newly formed Republican Party. These debates were especially significant because it was believed that the outcome of the debates would “determine the ability of the Democratic party to maintain unity in the face of the divisive sectional and slavery issues.”[12]

Uncertainty amongst the Democratic and Republican parties further made citizens have anticipation for these debates. However in the end, Lincoln did lose the debates and Douglas was elected into senate. Abraham Lincoln had managed to win the popular vote,[13] demonstrating a significant shift of political views. The result of these 7 debates was the beginning of a large divide in the political parties. 

Further dividing political parties, was the Emancipation Proclamation.  Elected in 1860, the current president of the time, Abraham Lincoln, issued the Emancipation Proclamation 3 years into the Civil War.  The Proclamation stated that “all persons held as slaves within the rebellious states are, and henceforward shall be free.”[14]However this did not completely end slavery in the nation. The Emancipation Proclamation was a huge turning point of the war and created the shift of fundamental morals and values. This proclamation freeing and recognizing black men -only men, no women- also allowed for men of color to now fight for the military in the war. By the beginning of October 1864, “approximately 180,000 African-Americans, comprising of 163 units, served in the U.S. Army, and 18,000 in the Navy.”[15] The Emancipation Proclamation created a lot of controversy on the topic of the future of Slavery, as well as sparked conversations amongst political leaders over black rights.[16]  Additionally shifting political views, this document reinforces Abraham Lincoln’s pchange of his previous statements about the war being about preserving the confederacy, to a war ending slavery. 

Influence/Significance

After the Civil War it continued to leave a continuing impact on the United States. Following the Civil War, the United States entered a period of reconstruction. During this time, the divide in politics was stronger than ever and the issues of slavery and black rights were still there with strong tensions amongst both parties. On top of the issues of Slavery and Black rights, new issues occured of how the nation was to be reunited, what system of labor should replace slavery, and what would be the status of the former slaves.[17]  

In the beginning of the reconstruction period, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. To take Lincoln’s position, was vice president Andrew Johnson. Jackson was not popular with the Republican Party, with the quick rejection of his new reconstruction plan, the Republican congress adopted new laws and constitutional amendments.  The new Amendments passed were the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments, each of these forever changing United States history.

The 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States.[18]  The 14th amendment granted citizenship to “all persons born or naturalized in the United States”[19] including slaves that had just been freed following the Civil War.  The 15th amendment established “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” 

Each of these new amendments guided the United States to what it is today.  Through the passing of the 13th Amendment, slavery was almost completely abolished. Freed slaves were allowed citizenship due to the 14th Amendment. The 15th Amendment, gave a wider variety of people a right to vote, more voices were able to be represented, this also paved the road to women’s right to vote.[20]

Conclusion

The extent in which political events influenced the Civil War is significant. Some of the events influencing the course of the Civil War were, the Lincoln Douglas Debates, the election of Lincoln, and the Emancipation Proclamation. 

The Lincoln Douglas Debates evoked the Civil War by laying a foundation of newer ideas, challenging the old ideals of slavery. The 7 debates created shift of political views as well as a large divide of political parties and citizens. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Abraham Lincoln played a crucial role in the Civil War.  Although it did not completely abolishing Slavery, the Emancipation Proclamation freed many slaves and allowed new morals and values. Colored men were now able to enlist in the war creating stronger forces on both sides. This document also signals Lincoln’s perspective change of the war being fought for preserving the confederacy, to a war for freedom for all. 

Additionally, the adaptation of these 3 new amendments determined the overallxoutcome of the Civil War. With the passing of the 13th Amendment, slavery was almost fully effectively abolished. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to previous slaves, allowing them to be a true member of society. The 15th Amendment gave more people the right to vote making more of a democracy. The extent of Political involvement regarding the Civil War was immense. 

Sources

“Civil War .” Civil War: Election of 1860. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~newdow/Politics%20116/electionof1860-2.html.

“Civil War Timeline.” HistoryNet. Accessed December 15, 2017. http://www.historynet.com/civil-war-timeline.

Conrado Fontanilla. “Political and Economic Causes of the American Civil War.” Owlcation. June 28, 2016. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Consolidated-Political-End-Economic-Causes-of-the-American-Civil-War.

“Facts.” National Parks Service. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/facts.htm.

Gienapp, William E. “Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War” Oxford University Press, 2002

“Learn.” Civil War Trust. Accessed December 11, 2017. http://www.civilwar.org/learn/acticles/civil-war-facts.

“List of Political Factors During the Civil War.” Synonym. Accessed December 15, 2017. http://classroom.synonym.com/list-political-factors-during-civil-war-5337.html.

Martyris, Nina. “Slavery, Famine And The Politics Of Pie: What Civil War Recipes Reveal.” NPR. June 02, 2015. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/06/02/411518221/slavery-famine-and-the-politics-of-pie-what-civil-war-recipes-reveal.

“Politicians.” National Parks Service. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/politicians.htm.

Shmoop Editorial Team. “Politics in The Civil War.” Shmoop. November 11, 2008. Accessed December 15, 2017. https://www.shmoop.com/civil-war/politics.html.

“The Emancipation Proclamation.” National Archives and Records Administration. Accessed December 15, 2017. ttps://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/emancipation-proclamation.