Ak Mcclure Civil War Address Analysis

In “What They Fought For 1861-1865,” prize winning author James M. McPherson writes a conflicting non-subjected book that explores the major motivations of the men who enlisted and fought the Civil War. McPherson examines in a non-biased tone the reason why the men in gray and blue fought in the bloodiest war in American history. James M. McPherson discusses the significant characteristics of the theme and ideas of the book that explores ideology. Within the conflicting book, McPherson analyzes the major theme and idea of ideology or “what Civil War soldiers believed they were fighting for” (McPherson pg. 1). McPherson encounters the quarrel that many historians disagree upon: whether or not the soldiers during this war knew their intentions of fighting the war.

In this paper there has been a discussion of the legislation and the tensions preceding the southern Secession. Based on this discussing it can be concluded that the tensions, which culminated with the Civil War, were present many decades before the secession itself. Even threats of Civil war and secession were present much prior to this particular conflict. 
This paper has also concluded that the threat of Lincoln was real to the South, because of the Republican party’s very distinct foundation as an anti-slavery party. Slavery was a soft spot in the South because of the substantial value slaves had.

Henry Steele Commager’s main topic is historical causation-- moreover, why we need need to know the cause of history. “Though it is not given to us to know the causes of things, we cannot conclude therefrom that history is chaos, or that it is wholly without meaning” (13). Commager says the South should have won because they had “trump cards,” such as “grand strategy” and “foreign intervention” (Commager 16). He also goes into detail about the reasons for the Confederacy’s collapse, giving reasons such as the South being hopelessly outnumbered, not having decent transportation, a blockade of all their waterways, having a political leader who didn’t account for anything (Jefferson Davis), and the way they ran their political system (Commager 18-19). After going into much detail about the possible reasons for the Confederacy’s defeat, Commager explains what he means by saying things such as “...Or perhaps it was all of these things combined, something which, for want of a better term, historians call loss of nerves” (Commager 20).

The award-winning 2011 book titled Lincoln and The Triumph of Nations by author Mark E. Neely Jr. is an insightful piece of literature that seeks to explore the constitutional wartime experiences of both the Union and the Confederacy alike. The author also depicts the constitutional dilemmas that President Lincoln was presented with throughout the American Civil War. In addition to the wartime experiences of both the Union and Confederacy, the issue of slavery, and the struggle for central power, Neely puts into play a nationalistic interpretation of Civil War constitutionalism in the United States. Neely’s argument seeks to help the reader understand how the intricacies of constitutionalism helped create and fuel the ideas of American nationalism

We established this this country in the first place with strong state government just for that reason, to avoid a central tyranny.” (p. 65). The South looked at the North as a tyrannical government. The North on the other hand looked at the South as trying to tear the country into two. The Union army fought to keep the country together as one, because if the South would win the war it would have split the country into two for good.

The United States Civil War is possible one of the most meaningful, bloodstained and controversial war fought in American history. Northern Americans against Southern Americans fought against one another for a variety of motives. These motives aroused from a wide range of ideologies that stirred around the states. In James M. McPherson’s What they fought for: 1861-1865, he analyzes the Union and Confederate soldier’s morale and ideological components through the letters they wrote to love ones while at war. While, John WhiteClay Chambers and G. Kurt Piehler depict Civil War soldiers through their letters detailing the agonizing battles of war in Major Problems in American Military History.

In the early to mid 1800s, there were debates between political parties, social groups, people with different ways of life, and more. The goal of these debates varied from wanting to get laws passed, wanting certain taboos to be eliminated, or just wanting to be left alone. However, these debates always sought to get the other side to agree, which almost never happened. In the 1830 to 1860 era, debates over slavery weren’t the most important factors that led to the Civil War. The most significant factors that led to the American Civil War were political, economic, and social issues of the time; the debates over slavery, at this time, were not the most important things that people of that era had to worry about.

The 1850’s to 1860’s was a crucial decade that had detrimental effects on the unity of the country. Many events agitated and aroused secession of the South from the North and divided the country in two. The country’s highly divided views between the Northerners and Southerners could no longer be mended, and Southern states could only see secession as the most viable option. The greatest controversy that ruptured the unity of the country were the opposing views on slavery; the events that occurred in this decade, as well as the fear that the Southerners had toward the potential abolition of slavery in America was enough for them to leave the union and is what lead to the bloody battle of the Civil War. As America continued to advance and flourish geographically and economically, the country began dividing itself between Southern states that supported and relied heavily on slave labor, and Northern states that were more opposed to slavery.

When Congress issued tariffs on foreign goods, Southerners believed that Congress favored the North since this tariff would benefit them. John Randolph spoke of this issue, arguing that Congress was being unfair since the South was not benefiting from the actions of Congress at all while the North benefited (Doc A). As for political conflict, there was a clear case of factionalism and political rivalry in 1824 (Doc I). With these conflicts amongst the varying factions and political parties, the political tension and sectionalism within America continued to grow. Accusations and anger from the South further separated them from the North, which did not contribute “good feelings” to the country at

‘Slavery was the root cause of secession’. ‘November 6 1860, Lincoln was elected president of America which resulted in panic emerging in the South’ . The election of Lincoln as president who was a Republican leader meant that ideologies, movements and values from the North would be implemented in the South which meant the abolition of slavery. Slavery was a huge characteristic of the South as the economy; politics; social status and psychological mind-sets were influenced by the process of slavery. The southern white population then derived the idea of secession which meant the South would gain independence from Northern aggression .

The fate of their country by Michael Holt is a book made up of 3 to 4 sections, titled  Pandora's Box, The Wilmot Proviso, The Compromise of 1850, The Kansas-Nebraska Act. Author Michael Holt examines what caused the Civil War and the Pandora’s Box of sectional dissent territorial slavery issue over slavery into all current and future western territories also the Missouri crisis debate. It wasn’t slavery per the book but the debates about the extension of slavery into new territories and states that sent the nation careening into civil war, argues writer Michael Holt. He gives his readers an analysis of the partisan political forces, on the great debate over the extension of slavery into the American West.

After the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the rise of the Republican party, Southerners feared the tipping of the balance of political power against them; their need for self-determination parallel the colonists’ belief of rebelling against the oppressive government of Great Britain. However, the Civil War represented something more: the clash of the feudalistic, agrarian South with the industrialized, capitalistic North. These two powers differed socially, politically, and economically, and were especially conflicted over slavery. These two sections of the United States were divided against one another, and could not survive this way. Therefore, it is more accurate to state that though the Civil War resembled some aspects of the American Revolution, it was a clash between two forces who could not exist with one another in their current state, leading inevitably to conflict between the

It is eerily personal, as we complete this course reading about the civil war and living through today’s adversarial climate of protesters, division of social, economic and political parties. As Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address “and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from this earth” (Lincoln 428). The Civil War, while largely believed to be largely about slavery it appears to me that state’s right played just as an important role in the actual cause and continuance of the war. The division of the states and their prosperity, industry, education and representation in Congress divided this country, much as it is today.

The living legacy of the United States Civil War is a complicated time in American history one finds difficult to describe. The ramification of the war prior, during and after still haunt the current citizens who call The States their home. Tony Horwitz’s book Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War looks at the wide gap of discontent that still looms in the late 1990s. For some southerners, the Confederacy still lives on through reenactments, stories and beliefs. For others in the South, reminders the land was dedicated to the Confederacy spark hatred and spite.

However, these differences show that the North and South were actually two distinct countries held together by one constitution. The North felt that decisions regarding slavery and its legality were entrenched in the central government while the South felt that such decision belonged to the individual states. In the times preceding the war, both sides could not reach a compromise. Bonner mentions, “Because secession and war were permitted to come, warned Russel, "We are not entitled to lay the flattering unction to our souls that the Civil War was an inevitable conflict (Bonner, 195).” Hence, these differences could only be addressed through war.