Why Did They Fight?
Part II: Ideals in Conflict
If you could have asked the Confederate or Yankee volunteers, before
the
start of the Civil War in 1861, why they fight, most of them would have talked
about hanging (CSA President) Jefferson Davis from a sour apple tree or
running Abe Lincoln and his Republicans out of Washington, as though the war
would be one big adventure. In time, however, as the months dragged into years
and as the dying seemed without end, each side began to see the struggle in
much larger terms.
As America grew westward, adding new states and territories, the
balance of power that existed between the North and South became unstable due
to an unequal number of slaves and free states. More and more, the South saw
the solution to these problems in secession (breaking away and forming their
own country). The North saw the Union either with slavery or without it, but
it could not be broken in two.
Southern Soldiers
Southern soldiers generally believed in the causes for which they
fought: states' rights, slavery & liberty.
1) States' rights: Southern soldiers believed the Union to be a group
of
"independent" states, in which each state could join or leave depending upon
the will of the people. They felt the North's use of force to keep the
southern states part of the Union as an act of conquest similar to an invasion
by another country. For the Southerners, the Civil War was a war just like the
American Revolution. The South was attempting to "gain independence" from the
Union. Many southerners called the Civil War the Second American Revolution.
2) Slavery: Although, not all southerners felt slavery was a "good
thing"
(in fact, only a small number of people owned slaves) most planters and small
farmers felt certain that freeing the South's four million slaves would cause
social & economic chaos (whites would no longer be superior & the Southern
economy would collapse). Other's were concerned that freed Blacks would
undermine the place of Whites in their society and dreaded the thought of
political equality (being able to vote) for the former slaves.
3) Liberty: By 1860, many White southerners did not trust the U. S.
government to protect their property and thought the South was becoming
dominated by the anti-slavery, industrial North that threatened their way of
life. Better to leave the Union, they felt, with their freedom intact.
Northern Soldiers
Northern soldiers fought for equally important reasons: the Union,
anti-slavery and democracy.
1) The Union: For Northerners, secession amounted to treason or a
crime
against the government. Since all the states had formed the Union, they
argued, no single state had the right to secede and break it up. Northern
soldiers would fight to the death to preserve (save) the Union.
2) Anti-slavery: The majority of northern soldiers were NOT
abolitionists. Abolitionists believed that slavery was a sin and wanted
immediate or gradual emancipation (freedom) of the Blacks. Most northern
soldiers, however, were anti-slavery; that is, they opposed slavery's
expansion into the western territories. Some were also against the federal
enforcement of fugitive slave laws; many more supported the creation of slave
colonies in Cuba and Central America. They strongly believed that slave labor
threatened free institutions and independent family farmers. At first, they
fought more to keep the West free of slavery rather than to stop slavery where
it already existed (in the South).
3) Democracy: Many northern soldiers thought secession (breaking away
and
forming a new country) was a plot by the South's arrogant planter class (slave
holders) to win by war what they had lost in the election of 1860 when Abraham
Lincoln was elected president. Secession violated their sense of "fair play"
and the idea that all Americans must accept the outcome of free elections. A
minority could not change the principles/outcome of the majority rule.
Both the blue and the gray believed they marched in support of an honorable
cause.
Why Did They Fight?
Part II: Ideals in Conflict
The Civil War was not only about the issue of slavery or states
rights, there
were many reasons why the North and South were fighting. In order to gain a
better understanding of these different reasons answer the following
questions.
1) Describe the 3 Southern reasons for fighting in the Civil War.
* State’s rights --->
* Slavery --->
* Liberty --->
2) Describe the 3 Northern reasons for fighting in the Civil War.
* The Union --->
* Anti-slavery --->
* Democracy --->
3) How were their reasons similar?
4) How were their reasons different?
5) In your opinion, was one cause more honorable than the other? Explain your
thinking.
6) What do you feel are “honorable” causes for war? Explain your thinking.
7) What causes would you personally fight for today?
