Free Paper Example: The Civil War and Reconstruction

Introduction

The American Civil War was between the Southerners and America, which mainly consisted of the northern territories. Southern economy relied primarily on large plantations of cotton. They thus required a prominent labor force to run these plantations. As a result, these plantations’ owners encouraged the use of slaves in the farms as a source of labor. The above was in contrast to what the northerner’s territories practiced. The people from the North relied on industrialization and therefore did not need slaves, as was the South’s practice where slaves were required to work in firms. Besides, the people from the north observed morality. To most of the northerners, slavery was immoral, and this is what made most of the leaders like Lincoln advocate for antislavery campaigns (Randall 521). So, when Lincoln was elected as the United States president, it was imminent that he would oppose slavery and the use of slaves in the plantations. Thus, the people from the South, realizing that Lincoln had been elected president, realized that their economy, which relied on slaves, was at risk, fearing that the newly elected president would abolish slavery. Thus they decided to secede since they were not ready to use slave labor in their plantations.

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

Save 25%

What were the reasons that the Confederacy seceded from the United States?

Somebody can explain the reasons why the Confederacy seceded from the United States can be described below. The main reason is that contrary to the North, the Southerner’s economy depended on large plantations, mostly cotton. These massive plantations depended on slaves as the sources of labor. Instead of investing in railroads and factories like their counterparts in the North, the people from the Southern territory invested a lot in slaves (Randall 523). Here in the South, people preferred investing in slaves more than even land. While this business was considered not morally right among northerners who supported mostly on earth, the southerners, as late as the 1860s, made it a sound business idea. Besides, by the 1850s, the cotton price being grown in the South increased significantly, and the money for purchasing slaves were an essential commodity also increased significantly. As a result, the southerners amassed great wealth and imagined giving up on this critical commodity of trade, and they decided better to secede.

Another reason for the South’s secession is that it was influenced by the Mexican-American War of 1848. And because more northerners were driven by the interest of protecting slaves, called for the eradication of forced labor. Therefore, in summary, secession was due to white southerners owning large plantations that required forced labor, a thing the United Territories abhorred and called for its eradication. Another reason is that slaves were an essential commodity of trade in the South. Therefore abolishing the slave trade would lead to a collapse in business (Randall 510). Also, the election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States advocated for the eradication of slavery meant a problem with their business and even their farming as it would mean less labor in the plantations. Thus, when Lincoln won the 1860 elections and became the United States president through the Republican Party, which was an antislavery movement, some states seceded and formed the Confederate States as a form of anarchy. These seven states included Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Texas, Georgia, and Louisiana.

How can you account for the chronological order in which the Deep South and the Upper South seceded?

According to graphs and pictures, the higher the slaveholder and slaves in the South, the higher the secession sentiments. Chronologically, secession started between 1860-1861 (Randall 500). The states that seceded included Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Texas, and Louisiana. Later, other countries from the upper South seceded and provided for Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina. Following the attack of Sumpter, the upper South realized that the military in the deep South equally matched that of the Union, and being compromisers of slave labor, it was an easy choice for them to join the states from the deeper South (Randall 516). Besides, also with the Union’s blockade, meant that cotton from their plantations could again not go to England as exports. It, therefore, meant to hurt their economy. To facilitate this, it was apparent that they had to join the war on the Confederates’ side, which they shared a common interest. Also, by entering on the side of the Confederates they provided the much-required industrial might that the deep South lacked, thus enabling them to fight and match the Union. Further, joining the Deep South meant more military to fight in the war. Lastly, residents of some of these four states were not ready to join the Confederates, for example, in Virginia.

What prevented the Union border states from seceding?

Even though the states formed the Union border accepting slavery, some refused to join the Confederate States of America. Some of the conditions that declined to join the Confederacy are Kentucky, Delaware, Missouri, and Maryland. The reason why these states did not secede is that they had divided loyalties. Meaning, they were unable to decide on which side to join. Secondly, combinations of the Union’s military pressure and political maneuver prevented them from seceding. Therefore, somebody can associate the border states refusing to secede by divided loyalty, combining the Union’s military pressure and a political ploy.

References

Randall, James Garfield, and David Donald. The civil war and reconstruction. Pickle Partners Publishing, 2016.