The American Civil War By Harriet Beecher Stowe - 1193 Words

The American Civil War Following the victory against Mexico, the U.S had gained a vast amount of land in the southwest. However conflict arose again when the debate on whether these new lands should allow slavery or not became a matter in question. This caused trouble between the northern states and southern states leaving the nation divided. One factor that led to the Civil War was that the North was so different from the South. In 1860, the North’s population was largely white, only two percent were African American. In comparison, thirty-five percent of the South’s population was African American. This was advantageous considering most of the South’s labor force was dependant on slaves, while the North’s labor force used paid†¦show more content†¦Beecher Stowe’s). The next step leading to Civil War was the secession of the South. The Southern states used the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 as a way to justify seceding. They believed that with Lincoln as president, slavery would be abolished. A mere 4 days after Lincoln won the election, South Carolina began taking steps toward seceding from the Union (Goldfield 399). On April 12th, a month after the presidential inauguration of Lincoln, â€Å"...at 4:30 A.M., a shell was fired from the beach, or east, battery, commanded by Captain James† (Lebby 145). After a day of shelling, a Major Anderson surrendered Fort Sumter. There were no casualties. President Lincoln called for the southern states still in the Union to aid in putting down the rebellion. The states responded with them seceding from the Union into the Confederacy (Goldfield 404). Following the attack on Fort Sumter, the American Civil War had begun. The Union and the Confederacy had very different strategies when approaching how they thought the war should be won. The North knew it had to invade the Confederacy in order to win the war. The South, on the other hand, used a defensive approach. They did not have to invade the North to win the war. They hoped if they dragged the war on long enough, the Union would give up. No matter the circumstances, men were ready to fight for their country, Union or Confederacy. As written by an Union