In what ways were the challenges American society leading up to the Civil War similar to those in American society today?

The Civil War paved the way for Americans to live, learn and move about in ways that ... Before Lincoln's day, letters and speeches were often long-winded. The Civil War created a tradition of intimate war reportage that is still with us today.  They become the focus of myth and the anchor of meaning for a whole society.".

b) that he was not a free man