Essay on the Election of Lincoln: A Turning Point in the American Civil War

Introduction

Before the American civil war, Abraham Lincoln and other leaders who were against slavery did not want to abolish the practice entirely but to prevent its spread into new states and territories in the American West. For most southern politicians, the policy was not feasible. The Southern politicians claimed that the increasing growth of the Free states would irrevocably turn the power structure in the country against them. The election of Lincoln into office in 1860 November marked the secession of seven states from the South and the establishment of the Confederate States of America (Chapt. 12). The slaves' liberation weakened the Confederacy by denying it its major labour force, and this strengthened the Union through producing an influx of workforce. The Reconstruction Era followed the Civil War, and attempts were directed towards redressing the slavery inequities and the social, economic, and political legacy of slavery. Reconstruction marked significant changes to the political lives of Americans. Nationally, there were constitutional amendments and new laws that completely changed the federal system and definitions of American citizenship. In the South, the politically mobilized African American community partnered with the white allies to ensure the Republican Party assumed power, which redefined the government's responsibilities.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Definition of Freedom

Freedom refers to having the ability to act or changing without restraint. Something is considered free if it changes easily and cannot be restricted in its present state. In religion and philosophy, it is linked with the presence of free will and being without unjust or undue enslavement or constraints, and the aspect is closely linked to the idea of liberty. One has the freedom to do things that, in practice or theory, cannot be hindered by other forces. Beyond the human realm, freedom lacks these psychological or political aspects. Freedom is described in the context of self-determination and free will, and it strikes a balance with moral responsibility. Freedom is also associated with autonomy and liberty, and the sense of giving people their civil liberties and rights that they exercise without the interferences of the state. The types of political freedoms include the freedom of association, choice, speech, and assembly.

Ways Americans Were Not Free Before and After the American Civil War

Before and after the American civil war, African Americans were not free because of the institution of slavery. From 1848 to 1860, the societal changes established by industrialization, growth of slavery, immigration, and western expansion resulted in more confrontations between the ordinary citizens and political leaders (Chapt. 9). People were not free because of the introduced ordinances in the form of political compromises. These included the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Compromise of 1850 that tried resolving most of the issues at the time to no avail. After the South was defeated by the North, there was a solution to the issue of slavery, and the surety of the development of the U.S. under industrial capitalism. Americans were not free because, before the civil war, they were under British rule and did not have any independence or autonomy. At the time, their rights were exclusively controlled by the British, including policies such as the Stamp Act. The African American laborers suffered from harsh conditions, whether they were enslaved legally or free.

The strict discipline measures, high temperatures, and brutal working conditions affected the increasing numbers of enslaved black communities. The division of labour by age or sex was minimal, with everybody required to pull stumps, cut cane, dig ditches, and build houses, roads, slave quarters, and barns. In the Southwest, more African American slaves were captured and killed during raids by Indian groups and Comanches, who were trying to curtail the increasing numbers of Indian settlers (Chapt. 10). The slaves who escaped were still captured by the Indians. At the frontier, life was hard for isolated slave women. At the same time, there was no freedom because the participation of some communities in the political process was curtailed. For example, African Americans had no freedom to participate in the electoral process. Voting and standing for elections were treated as a preserve of the white communities before the civil war. Even after the civil battle, many states passed laws that prohibited African Americans from participating in the electoral process either as a candidate or as a voter. This hurt their political sovereignty and prevented them from holding significant political positions.

Ways Americans Were Free Before and After the Civil War

The second revolution led to emancipation and also the important expansions of the legal guarantees of political equality and citizenship. It was parallel to the first American Revolution at a time when the colonialists gained both liberties from the Bill of Rights and Independence from Great Britain. From the end of the Mexican War in 1848 up to the 1870s, men and women, including Mexican Americans, African Americans, European immigrants, and the native whites, continued expanding the American territory (Chapt. 11). They formed towns and railroads, extracted minerals, and even managed farms. The members of the labour classes also took part in the debates of the era about immigration, women's rights, and westward expansion as they called for political and social causes' advancements. Their freedom of association was shown when Americans joined both ant-abolitionist and antislavery groups, forming unions and staging strikes, alongside taking part in political rallies, electoral campaigns and also forming the Republican Party. After the civil war, the Americans were free to marry any person regardless of race. There was no major barrier to marriages. People were also free to pursue economic, social, and political opportunities and to realize the American dream. The reconstruction era marked an important period where the rights of the enslaved African Americans were recognized, and they were treated with equal dignity and respect.

Conclusion

The Civil War and its aftermath showed that the differences of race, sex, and class still restricted the practical execution of the constitutional calls for equality. Freedom in the context of self-determination and free will, and it strikes a balance with moral responsibility. The element of freedom lacked among the Americans before and during the Civil War, especially the people of colour. African Americans were not free because of the institution of slavery. People were not free because of the introduced ordinances in the form of political compromises. on the same note, Americans were not free because, before the civil war, they were under the British rule and did not have any independence or autonomy. In the Southwest, more African American slaves were captured and killed during raids. However, the reconstruction era marked significant changes in the political lives of Americans. The main change was that Americans were also free to pursue economic, social, and political opportunities and to realize the American dream.