Analysis of the American Civil War and its Societal Impact

This essay examines the American Civil War as a pivotal historical event that significantly altered the United States' societal landscape. It highlights slavery as the primary cause, alongside political tensions between Northern and Southern states, leading to a conflict from 1861-1865. The war's outcomes are discussed in terms of social transformations including changes in racial, ethnic, and gender relations influenced by the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. Additionally, the essay addresses how the Civil War expedited the abolition of slavery through legislative measures like the Thirteenth Amendment and shifts in Union policies against acts such as the Fugitive Slave Act.

Running head: THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
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1THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
The American Civil War is, without a doubt, one of the most important events that have
shaped the course of history for the country as well as the world in general. A number of factors
contributed to the events that ultimately culminated in the Civil War that engulfed the entire
nation from 1861 to 1865.
Answer 1: Cause of the Civil War
Despite there being many reasons for the war to break out across the country, the most
prominent and immediate reason that has been universally accepted as the direct reason for the
war is slavery. The southern states refused to pay heed to the Union’s laws that called for slavery
to be abolished from the country and some Southern states even voiced their opinions tor legal
rights and laws that would preserve the “Southern Rights” and would allow them to get on with
their lives as they have always done: by continuing to use the slaves (Henretta et al., 2010). The
Fugitive Slave Act was one of the major points of conflict among the Union and the Confederate
parliaments. The northern tactics of limited war had to be changed to a strategy of total war by
1862 and a full-fledged war had ensued that resulted in the death of more than six hundred
thousand Americans. However, it must be acknowledged that the desire for political control over
the other territories acted just as much as the cause of slavery to fuel the war.
Answer 2: Effects of the Civil War on the American society
The American Civil War impacted every aspect of life and radically changed the
American society from how it used to be before the war. Racial, ethnic and gender
discriminations were rampant in the nation before the war. However, growing numbers of people
from the northern territories had begun to believe that slavery is a social malice that should be
eradicated, which created the foreground for the war in the first place (Henretta et al., 2010). The

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Civil war had been started to establish the fundamentals of the declaration that was adopted
during the freedom struggle of the country. The Declaration of Independence mentioned that all
men are equal and Abraham Lincoln sought to create a nation based on this very logic. Any form
of discrimination was also rejected along with slavery, however, these took much longer to come
into effect.
Answer 3: The Civil War as a key reason for the abolishment of slavery
The Thirteenth Amendment was adopted on 18th December, 1865 as declared by the
secretary of the State William H. Seward. The abolition of slavery was much more hastened by
the Union laws and the stand of the northern states on their resolution to stop slavery (Henretta
et al., 2010). The northern states opposed the Fugitive Slave Act and this was one of the major
issues that made the southern states to disapprove of the northern laws, which indirectly did
result in the war. The war was also one of the major reasons for the Confederate Army to
surrender as they were beaten in a complete fashion by the Union Armies across the different
battlefields, most notably in Missouri, Arkansas and deeper into the south. The Civil War was
the foremost reason for the slavery to be ended and the nation to be built on the ideologies of the
Founding Fathers.

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Reference
Henretta, Hinderaker, Edwards, & Self. (2010). America's History (8th ed.). Boston.