Many issues surrounding the Constitution of the United States divided the nation prior to the Civil War. Following are some of these issues and how they relate to the coming of the Civil War, how the document relates to the Constitution as of 1861, and how the Constitution relates to the issue today.
The letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes relates to the coming of the Civil War by Jefferson explaining to Holmes that there is tension in the states that cannot be easily dealt with. He warns Holmes that they are in danger of a major conflict. The content of the document relates to the Constitution by relating to the rights of each state to allow slavery or not but also questions the federal government’s stance on whether a man considered …show more content…
South Carolina interpreted the Constitution as though states had the right to govern themselves and even go so far as removing themselves from the Union if they thought the Union would be destructive to the state. Prior to the Civil War, the Constitution still left lots of room for interpretation that some states tried to take advantage of. The Amendments that have been added since then have much more clearly defined the laws that govern the nation and the states.
Lincolns inaugural address tried to point out that the Southern states who had decided to secede from the Union did not have a legal right to do so. Also, these states were committing an act of violence against the Union and would be considered as acts of revolutionary war. As of 1861, the Constitution made no reference to slavery and whether it was legal or illegal. Of course, the 13th Amendment after the Civil War outlawed slavery.
Many issues surrounding the Constitution of the United States divided the nation prior to the Civil War. These issues eventually contributed to the start of the Civil War. However, the outcome of the war and the amendments added to the Constitution afterwards helped re-establish the foundation of the United States central government and those of the states of the
The letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes relates to the coming of the Civil War by Jefferson explaining to Holmes that there is tension in the states that cannot be easily dealt with. He warns Holmes that they are in danger of a major conflict. The content of the document relates to the Constitution by relating to the rights of each state to allow slavery or not but also questions the federal government’s stance on whether a man considered …show more content…
South Carolina interpreted the Constitution as though states had the right to govern themselves and even go so far as removing themselves from the Union if they thought the Union would be destructive to the state. Prior to the Civil War, the Constitution still left lots of room for interpretation that some states tried to take advantage of. The Amendments that have been added since then have much more clearly defined the laws that govern the nation and the states.
Lincolns inaugural address tried to point out that the Southern states who had decided to secede from the Union did not have a legal right to do so. Also, these states were committing an act of violence against the Union and would be considered as acts of revolutionary war. As of 1861, the Constitution made no reference to slavery and whether it was legal or illegal. Of course, the 13th Amendment after the Civil War outlawed slavery.
Many issues surrounding the Constitution of the United States divided the nation prior to the Civil War. These issues eventually contributed to the start of the Civil War. However, the outcome of the war and the amendments added to the Constitution afterwards helped re-establish the foundation of the United States central government and those of the states of the