Fort Sumter Essay

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The events leading to the outbreak of the Civil War quickly snowballed and became much more severe than the previous ones. Leading up to the attack on Fort Sumter, the North and the South already had contrasting views on several issues not only on slavery, but also what the center of the economy should be based on and the limits of power the government ought to have. The Election of 1860 proved to be a breaking point for the South after Abraham Lincoln was elected. First and foremost, Lincoln was not even on any Southern ballots. In addition, the newly elected president was a Republican and having him lead the country would nearly destroy the Southern economy and ideals. Shortly following the election, the lower Southern states seceded, including …show more content…
including Arkansas, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. to secede from the Union and join the Confederate States of America. Davis’ primary reason for taking Fort Sumter was to encourage the border states to secede because it would provoke the North into accepting that there could no longer be unity in the United States of America. It was well-known fact that until blood was shed and men were injured, no other states would join the effort and it will unquestionably determine the future of the country (Document E). Likewise, the portrayal of the Confederates’ determination and spirit to free themselves from the Union was necessary as well to prompt the border southern states to concede (Document C). The South undoubtedly needed as much support as they could because they were against a region where industrialism and railroads were booming. Moreover, Davis’ intelligence is heightened even further because infiltrating the fort pulled the southern states together, which leaves the North to figure out how to …show more content…
Jefferson Davis decision to take the fort showed his strength and devotion to the Confederate States, and efficiently coerced other states to join his cause. However, President Lincoln displayed his brilliant tactics by holding his ground in regards to the Constitution and by entrapping the Confederate soldiers to be the aggressors or to be seen as weak. Without a doubt, both the Union and the Confederates were led by ingenious

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