Good example of essay on the civil war: why it was fought so fiercely by the warring sides

This essay explores in detail the reasons that fueled the civil war. It attempts to explain why the war continued for as long as it did and why both the North and the South poured all its resources to facilitate it. The American civil war was a turning point in history for the United States of America. Fought between 1861 and 1865, it took place in the North American territory. Warring parties were 24 northern states and they were taking on the newly formed Confederate states of America, which comprised of 11 Southern states that had seceded from the union in 1860-1861 by declaring their own independence. The war claimed about 3% of the existing total population with the death toll rising up to 560, 300 (The World Encyclopedia). This has been by far the largest number of American lives lost during any conflict in history. Perhaps one of the key reasons that fuelled this war is that both sides had strong charismatic leadership. Abraham Lincoln led the north while the south was under the leadership of Robert E. Lee. Both men were of outstanding temperament and are among the most talked about figures in American history.
The main reason behind this war still remains elusive even in current debates. Some of the issues included abolition of cheap slave labor, imposition of tariffs that negatively affected the South, the industrial revolution which the North was undergoing that put it at odds with an agriculture dependent South, the exorbitant export tariffs imposed by the federal Northern government that left the South with no choice than to export their cotton to the North, which bought it at ridiculous low prices. To satisfy this demand, the south greatly depended on the plentiful and cheap labor provided by the slave population.
History indicates that the root cause was indeed slave trade. The newly formed American Republic whose foundation was democracy failed to address the issue due to the ratification of the United States constitution. Another key issue was the balance of states’ and federal rights, an integral issue to the founding fathers of the union. The secession of the south was unconstitutional. Secession was only possible via a constitutional amendment or if the succeeding states garnered 75% support from its fellow states. Yet, the main issue that stood out was the unaddressed enslavement of the Africans.
In a bid to prevent this catastrophic war, Abraham Lincoln stated that he was prepared to tolerate slavery though in doing so he contradicted his personal views. He would later publicly apologize for taking this stand. In his address in March 1865, he stated that the bloody war was a divine consequence of enslavement which would only end if the blood drawn from the slaves by lashing was equaled drop for drop by the blood shed by the soldiers in the battlefield. In 1863, President Truman ended segregation through the publication of Executive order 9981 which was yet another significant step in the Civil Rights movement. The order brought to an end segregation in the army, the public school system and allowed interracial marriage.
The civil war was preceded by various compromises which only served to dupe the citizens that an imminent war had been averted. These terms later proved to be detrimental. Manhunts for runaway slaves became a daily affair due to the fugitive slave act. The suffering of the slaves angered many Northerners who came together to form the abolitionist movement, which served to sensitize people to the suffering of the slaves at the hands of the Southerners. The movement grew tenfold after the publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book ‘ uncle Tom’s Cabin’ in which she graphically recounted the tribulations of slaves. The peak of this movement was when John Brown captured the armory in Maryland.
An enraged South saw this movement as a threat to their livelihood. Due to the oppressive tariffs imposed by the federal government, the South depended on slave labor to produce enough cotton to supply to the Northern states. Abolitionists threatened their way of life.
This difference in opinion consequently led to a bloody and lethal war in which anyone who could bear arms was coerced into. The reasons that protracted this war continue to spark fierce debate. McPherson (1995) saw the war as a holy cause. He states that the war, animated by passion and hatred against invaders, was fought for independence and that nothing else would excite people more.
On the eve of the civil war, the union was characterized by divisions. These regions all carried different views on society and the visions of an ideal society which, needless to say, widened the rift. Some of these views include democracy, which was wildly popular in the North and less so in the South. Each side was taking an increasingly hostile stand therefore making it impossible to reach compromises which single handedly held the union together and prevented conflict since its establishment. New immigrants preferred the North because of the anti-slave stance. The population in the North was therefore steadily increasing thus leading to dominance in congress and presidential elections. The South was not going to take this sitting down.
The election of Abraham Lincoln to Office also perpetuated this war. He was anti-slavery. His election triggered the secession of several states. They adopted their own constitution and seized several military forts within their boundaries. No military response was triggered, yet. During his inauguration ceremony, he reiterated that the North had no intention to invade the South but vowed to use force to protect federal property. He called for the restoration of the union but his plea landed on deaf ears.
Delegations were sent by the South to pay for federal properties, only to be turned down. Troops were sent to reclaim the seized ports. A quick victory was expected so the war was fought by volunteers. More states seceded and strengthened the now intimidating rebellion.
All the above reasons protracted the war and fuelled the rage of the opposing sides. A ridiculous amount of resources was invested by each side and the battlefield was filled with soldiers who stood firm in their conviction and considered the war as just. The war dragged on and came to a dramatic end after scores of lives had been lost. The strong belief in the contrasting views of both the rebels and the Yankees was the main reason why this war was fought so fiercely, and rightly dubbed the bloodiest war in American history.