The civil war was fought between the southern and the northern states of American due to differences in ideologies. Historical materials and confessions through the letters of individuals in that period assert that slavery resulted from slavery and the policies surrounding slavery.
The union comprised the soldiers representing the north states that rejected slavery due to its effects on the people and society. The northern states believed individuals should be given equal rights to ensure the slaves were not mistreated by the whites in the south. Marcus Spiegel’s letter to his wife identifies the effects of slavery as an institution. The conditions of the slaves convinced Spiegel he was fighting for the right course to abolish the institution. The southern states supported slavery because it was necessary for their economic prosperity. The southern soldiers engaged in the war to defend their way of life because they believed it was immoral to destroy their economy’s backbone. The desire for a union to end slavery and the south’s need to protect their economic interests influenced the civil war’s emergence.
Civil war aimed at ensuring the black man gained citizenship through which they would participate in national activities. Frederick Douglass’s efforts to ensure the inclusion of the black men in the military reflected that the blacks had received full citizenship to become American soldiers. Frederick sought to influence President Lincoln to allow the black men to fight for the north to prove that they would receive full citizenship. The letter sent to Lincoln by Hannah Johnson shows the United States’ changes through the Civil War. Mrs. Johnson’s son was part of the soldiers that fought in the south, but she pleads that the black soldiers captured to be treated fairly. The letter indicates that the northern soldiers were fighting the cowardly act of slavery. Fair treatment of the blacks, whether as soldiers or prisoners, would show equality in the United States and difference with southern states.
References
Foner, E. (2013). Give Me Liberty! An American History: Seagull Fourth Edition (Vol. 1). WW Norton & Company.
Foner, E. (2008). Voices of Freedom. WW Norton.