American Civil War

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The American Civil War (alternatively known as the "War of Secession", "The War Between the States," and "The War of Northern Aggression") was a war fought between the Northern and Southern parts of the United States from 1861 to 1865.

The war started when the Southern, slave-owning states, at the election of a Republican to the presidency, seceded. They were fearful that Abraham Lincoln would attempt to outlaw slavery in the territories and would not enforce some of the pro-slavery legislation that had been passed (such as the Fugitive Slave Act). ^[1]

It is important to note the centrality of slavery to the arguments that were put forward by the states at the time they seceded. Since that time, many revisionists have tried to claim that it was states rights, not the possible abolition of slavery, that caused the South to leave. They like to cite the other ongoing disputes, such as tariffs, as just as important as slavery. This is absurd, as every contemporaneous account makes clear. (It should be noted that while Abraham Lincoln's early impetus was to preserve the country as a whole, he was later happy to push legislation that abolished slavery.)

The American Civil War turned out to be one of the most bloody wars the world had ever seen. New technology was teamed up with old tactics, leading to a greatly increased casualty rate. ^[2] Despite the greater lethality of the weapons involved, particularly the artillery, most battles were still fought by lines of men facing each other across a field.

The American Civil War would also prove to be the last American war in which horse cavalry played a significant role. The Southern cavalry in particular were rather effective skirmishers, and would often attempt to disrupt supply lines for the North.

In the end, due to both greater industrial power and better political leadership, the North managed to grind down the Southern forces. Part of the settlement was that the South had to give up slavery and accept military occupation for a length of time. By the end of the war, due to both the hardships of the war and some of the scorched earth tactics practiced by the Southern military, many in the South were willing to accept these conditions, and Reconstruction began.

However, there were many in the South who were aghast at the level of political clout^[3] given to the newly freed slaves, and were determined to put them back in place. This led to a quiet insurrection, which eventually ended with African-Americans subject to Jim Crow laws and back nearly the same levels as before.

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ The fact that New York had already been flouting the Fugitive Slave Act was cited in South Carolina's bill of secession. See Lies My Teacher Told Me,
2. ↑ It is often said that more Americans died in the Civil War than all other American wars put together.
3. ↑ For example, in 1870 the US saw its first African-American Senator, Hiram Revels of Mississippi.