The American Civil War, waged from 1861 to 1865, is remembered on this date.
Before and during this military conflict, the American North and South differed greatly on economic issues. The war was about slavery, (but primarily about its economic consequence)s. The northern elite wanted economic expansion that would change the southern (slave-holding) way of life.
The southern states saw Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party making enormous changes to their way of life using free slave labor. Southerners believed that Abraham Lincoln, if elected, would restrict their rights to own slaves. When Lincoln became president 11 southern states seceded rather than to give up their economic system and their way of life. Lincoln and the North opposed the South's withdrawal.
The president steadfastly maintained throughout the war that the secession was illegal and that the newly formed Confederate States of America was not valid as a new nation. Both sides knew that the financial advantages of slavery (not the moral position) were in conflict between them. Slavery translated into money for the southern region. Lincoln had hoped that the secession would end without conflict. Immediate sparks that set off the conflict included John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859, which Brown, a white abolitionist undertook as part of his mission to free slaves. The Union Army trying to repossess the federal base at Fort Sumter fired the first shots of the Civil War.
The North held many advantages over the South during the Civil War. Its population was several times that of the South, a potential source for military enlistees and civilian manpower. The South lacked the substantial number of factories and industries of the North that produced needed war materials. The North had a better transportation network, mainly highways, canals, and railroads, which could be easily used to re-supply military forces in the field. At sea, the Union navy was more capable and dominant, while the army was better trained and better supplied. The rest of the world also recognized the United States as a legitimate government, allowing U.S. diplomats to obtain loans and other trade concessions.
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