Black Soldiers during the Civil War
Slavery was the peculiar institution of the nineteenth century. It turned a lot of heads, some of them against each other. With the belief of manifest destiny at heart, it raised the question as to what was to become of the newly added territories in the west. The new states, like California, did not want slavery, but the new territories, like Texas, did. This drove a wedge right through the heart of nineteenth century America. The union in the north fought tooth and nail in an attempt to abolish, or rid themselves of slavery. While the south did everything in their power to keep their slaves. In fact, the south viewed the north’s views as a violation of their constitutional rights. The south broke away and …show more content…
The north had become more industrious while the south remained a farming culture. This in turn created a difference in needs. The north would need taxes and tariffs while the south would need slaves, because unlike the north, the south did not have machines to do their work for them. There was not a lot of room for compromise but they managed to get by for a time. As the north began to push harder and harder for the anti-slavery movement all they did was drive the wedge further between the two halves of the country. But perhaps the key factors that really started the war was the decline of the Whig Party, the founding of the Republican Party and the 1860 election that voted in the president Abraham Lincoln. Opposition to slavery grew, politics began to favor the south less and less and the Supreme Court began to favor to North. Regardless, the war was already being put into motion and there was little that anyone could do to stop …show more content…
President Abraham Lincoln feared that allowing the blacks to fight for the union would cause border states like Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri to secede as well. This changed with the passage of the Second Confiscation and Militia Act in 1862. However, the African Americans played an important role in the civil war. They provided valuable information and suitable action to military leaders on the Union side. In a correspondence to General Parke of the Union, it is said that a Negro has learned of Confederate General, Stonewall Jackson’s current lack of troops marching to Richmond. He suggests that they cut them off and take them while they are weak. This demonstrates how the Confederacy did not utilize their citizens to their full potential. The African American soldiers were just as capable as any of the other soldiers were but the south was simply not willing to recognize
Slavery was the peculiar institution of the nineteenth century. It turned a lot of heads, some of them against each other. With the belief of manifest destiny at heart, it raised the question as to what was to become of the newly added territories in the west. The new states, like California, did not want slavery, but the new territories, like Texas, did. This drove a wedge right through the heart of nineteenth century America. The union in the north fought tooth and nail in an attempt to abolish, or rid themselves of slavery. While the south did everything in their power to keep their slaves. In fact, the south viewed the north’s views as a violation of their constitutional rights. The south broke away and …show more content…
The north had become more industrious while the south remained a farming culture. This in turn created a difference in needs. The north would need taxes and tariffs while the south would need slaves, because unlike the north, the south did not have machines to do their work for them. There was not a lot of room for compromise but they managed to get by for a time. As the north began to push harder and harder for the anti-slavery movement all they did was drive the wedge further between the two halves of the country. But perhaps the key factors that really started the war was the decline of the Whig Party, the founding of the Republican Party and the 1860 election that voted in the president Abraham Lincoln. Opposition to slavery grew, politics began to favor the south less and less and the Supreme Court began to favor to North. Regardless, the war was already being put into motion and there was little that anyone could do to stop …show more content…
President Abraham Lincoln feared that allowing the blacks to fight for the union would cause border states like Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri to secede as well. This changed with the passage of the Second Confiscation and Militia Act in 1862. However, the African Americans played an important role in the civil war. They provided valuable information and suitable action to military leaders on the Union side. In a correspondence to General Parke of the Union, it is said that a Negro has learned of Confederate General, Stonewall Jackson’s current lack of troops marching to Richmond. He suggests that they cut them off and take them while they are weak. This demonstrates how the Confederacy did not utilize their citizens to their full potential. The African American soldiers were just as capable as any of the other soldiers were but the south was simply not willing to recognize