American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 between the northern states loyal to the Union and the 7 southern states that had seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America.

The American Civil War was a result of disputes between the northern and southern states over slavery, westward expansion and rights of the state.

Causes of the American Civil War

1.Economic Disparity between Northern and Southern States:
  •Northern states were industrialized while southern states where primarily agricultural.
Northern states wanted a tax on imports from Britain while southern states wanted tax-free trade with Britain.

3. Movement for the abolition of slavery:
  •A strong movement for the abolition of slavery began in the north. It called for the repeal of the controversial Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 (this act had mandated the return of runaway slaves to their masters).

3. The issue with the attitude towards slavery:
   •Industrialized northern states preferred paid labourers while agricultural southern states which had large plantations were dependent on slave labour.
Slavery was abolished in northern states in 1804 and they became ‘free states’.

4. The fear of reforms by Abraham Lincoln and the Republican party:
   •The immediate cause of the civil war was the American Presidential election in which the Republican Party candidate, Abraham Lincoln, won (1860).
While Abraham Lincoln stood for freedom of slaves, the Democratic candidate Stephan Arnold Douglas wanted slavery to continue.

The course of the American Civil War:-

•The Confederacy adopted its own Constitution.

•Jefferson Davis was its President.

•War broke out in April 1861 when the Confederates attacked a U.S. fortress (Fort Sumter) at South Carolina.

•4 more states joined the Confederacy, making the total number of states 11.

•In September 1862, Lincoln issued the Proclamation of Emancipation, which freed millions of slaves.
•In the Gettysburg battle, almost 50,000 soldiers were killed.

•The war ended with the surrender of all the Confederate armies and the collapse of the Confederate government in 1865. General Lee surrendered his Confederate army to General Ulysses SGrant.

•Seven southern states declared their secession from the Union and established a Southern government – the Confederate States of America on February 9, 1861.

Significance of the American Civil War

•The war put an end to the institution of slavery.
The war abolished the secession of states for all times to come.

• In the economic sphere, the war led to the growth of large scale manufacturing industries.

•More area came under cultivation – particularly in the western regions on North America.

•Use of more machines – which enhanced production.
Regulation of banking system ((National Banking Act) and use of paper currency contributed to the growth of the nationwide business.

•New weapons were used.
Improvement in transport and communication
Inspiration to other countries – to abolish slavery.

•While the Revolution of 1776-1783 created the United States, the Civil War of 1861-1865 determined what kind of nation it would be.

BY : - RohitStudyIQ

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