Write a 2-page (600 words) essay on the topic "The American Civil War 1861-1865" explaining

-why the development of a strong central national government was so important after the Civil War;

-why it was so necessary for the development of the nation

-what were the reasons and outcomes.

Cite outside information. Two scholarly sources should be incorporated in the body of the paper and
included in the Works Cited page. A failure to cite outside information equals to plagiarism that results
in a failed assignment.

A. The nation was reunited and the southern states were not allowed to secede.

B. The South was placed under military rule and divided into military districts. Southern states then had to
apply for readmission to the Union.

C. The Federal government proved itself supreme over the states. Essentially this was a war over states
rights and federalism and the victor was the power of the national government.

D. Slavery was effectivly ended. While slavery was not officially outlawed until the passage of the 13th
amendment, the slaves were set free upon the end of the war

The American Civil War was fought between 1861 and 1865 when a total of eleven states seceded to
form the Confederate States of America. At the heart of the conflict were the interconnected issues of
slavery, territorial and sectional political control. Tensions over these concerns had been present from
the start the American nation. After four protracted years of bloody conflict, the Union eventually forced
the surrender of the Confederacy on 9 April 1865, though victory celebrations were marred by Lincoln’s
assassination several days later. While the Civil War did give the country, as Lincoln said, a 'new birth of
freedom', it cast a long shadow on the history of the South and its legacy shaped much of the
subsequent development of the American nation.

It was important to develop a strong central national government after the civil war because the war
was the real American Revolution. It was also important for America to design and establish a strong
national government because they wanted to prevent anymore states from seceding the country and
create a more stabilized and secure country. The Thirteenth Amendment (1865) abolished slavery, the
Fourteenth Amendment

Three key amendments to the Constitution adopted shortly after the war — abolishing slavery,
guaranteeing equal protection and giving African Americans the right to vote — further cemented
federal power

It is approximated that over 620,000 United States soldiers died with even a higher undetermined
number of civilian casualties. The War was essential in the abolishment of slavery and the shaping of the
Reconstruction Era.

The American civil war 1861 – 1865, also known as the War Between the States, had an estimate over
620,000 United States soldiers who died and an approximate higher number of civilian casualties.
 The American Civil War 1861-1865

            The American Civil War 1861 – 1865 had a significant impact on the nation's politics.

The war shaped the US into what it is today. The development of a strong central national

government was necessary after the Civil War because America needed strong leadership to help

rebuild the nation as a united republic rather than a fragmented union of different states.

            A stable central national government after the war was crucial in ensuring the US adhered

to its constitution which affirmed America as one nation. The war resulted in thousands of

casualties, and despite the Northerners winning, bitterness remained among the Southerners

(Neff 145). A strong central national government was necessary for ensuring talks of secession

did not arise again by having control of the entire nation. Additionally, a stable central federal

government would prevent insurrections from occurring since power would be centralized at the

top, denying states the opportunity of growing too dominant and seeking autonomy.

Furthermore, a strong central national government would unite all the states by making them

dependent on it for resources and ultimate governance. All states would be forced to seek funds,

consent, and pay taxes to the central government hence ensuring cooperation and allegiance of

all states in the country. Therefore, a strong central national government was vital in fostering

unity among the states by maintaining control and governance.

            Additionally, the establishment of a stable central national government after the war was

important since the nation was torn and needed to be rebuilt. The American Civil War took a

negative toll on the Southern region, destroying most of its infrastructure and farmlands (Neff

137). At the end of the war, the Southern part was destroyed economically and socially.

Additionally, slave labor which had been the source of labor on their large plantations had been

abolished (Hallwood 6). A stable central national government was needed to help reform the

region. For example, such a government was required to provide the necessary resources to

rebuild the South economically since Northerners destroyed it. Moreover, it had to ensure an

atmosphere of peace prevailed so that social reform and further developments could occur. The

presence of a strong central national government would also ensure that the law was observed.
Only in an environment where the rule of law is upheld, and order exists can reformation occur.

Hence, the presence of a strong central national government was essential in ensuring the nation

develops.

            The American Civil War was waged over several reasons and had several outcomes. The

first reason for going to war was due to the Northern and Southern state's disagreement over

secession (Reid 260). The Southern states were determined to form their separate nation and

govern themselves. However, the Northern states refused to recognize the sovereignty of the

newly formed Confederacy of Southern states leading to war. Additionally, the war was further

waged based on slavery (Reid 377). Southern states wanted to expand the practice of slavery,

whereas Northern states wanted to abolish the slave trade. The two warring factions went to war

for their beliefs with the North eventually emerging victorious. The outcome of the war was a

death toll of approximately 630,000 Americans (Neff 204). The Northern and Southern states

united under one national federal government.

            Summarily, the development of a strong central national government was necessary after

the Civil War because America needed strong leadership to help rebuild the nation as a united

republic rather than a fragmented union of different states. A stable central national government

was needed to help reform and reunite the country, rebuild the South, create stability, and

enforce the law.

Works Cited

Hallwood, Paul. "The Confederacy and the American Civil War, 1861-1865: Greed or

Grievance?" Journal of Economic Literature, vol. 41, 2018, pp. 1-23.

Neff, John R. Honoring the Civil War dead: Commemoration and the problem of reconciliation.

University Press of Kansas, 2016.

Reid, Brian Holden. The Origins of the American Civil War. Routledge, 2014.
Use MLA formatting style.

NOTES

How did the Civil War Affect Government in the US

In Politics

The American Civil War that raged from 1861 to 1865 was the worst catastrophe in the history of the
United States. It tore the nation apart and led it to massive destruction of life and property (Chambers,
1999). Nevertheless, the war had several important consequences for the government of the United
States. The war, therefore, helped shape the governance of the United States. The thesis of this paper,
therefore, states that the Civil War impacted positively on the government of the United States.

First, the Civil War made it possible for the government of the United States to reunite the nation. Prior
to the war, the north and the southern parts of the nation were in constant disputes with each other
and all efforts to reconcile them were doomed to fail. However, after the Civil War, the government was
in a position to rein in the south and put it under military control. This effectively reunited the nation
after long years of conflict. After the Civil War, the south was no longer able to secede (Olsen, 2002),
and, therefore, had to surrender to the central government for administration.

Secondly, the Civil War enabled the government of the United States to abolish slavery, to which the
south had been holding for centuries (Chambers, 1999). The impact of the Civil War was so devastating
that in its wake, it was no longer easy to hold on to slaves. The end of the war brought unexpected
freedom to the slaves, long before their freedom was formalized by the passage of legislation in the
13th amendment. It had been a long and bloody struggle: ending the cruel slavery had been no easy task
for the government. This is because the plantation owners, most occupying the southern states, were in
no position to lose a cheap labor. The Civil War, with its massive loss of lives and destruction of
property, effectively weakened their resolve, leading to the abolition of slavery.

Most importantly, the Civil War brought victory to the federal government, which unarguably was the
greatest beneficiary of the war. This was because the war weakened the states, and, thus, at the end of
it all, the federal government emerged supreme. The war required new administrative skills and
structures which were naturally limited at the state level. Consequently, the central government was
able to take a commanding role and eventually thrashed state rights. The under-developed
infrastructure in the southern states worked to the advantage of the federal government. Another
related consequence of the supremacy of the federal government was the dramatic increase in both size
and expenditure of the government in Washington. However, they relied on market mechanisms to
acquire their supplies and meet their needs without having to coerce anybody.

The American Civil War had devastating impact on the nation as a whole, as it led to the massive
destruction of life and property. However, it had positive impact on the government of the United
States. This is because it enabled the government to accomplish historical feats. These feats included
the abolition of slave trade, reuniting the north and the southern states, and the supremacy of the
federal government. Therefore, the great American Civil War of 1861-1865 had important consequences
to the government of the United States, although it brought about the worst catastrophe which the
nation had ever encountered.

Summary

The American Civil War (1861-1865) was one of the most catastrophic events in the history of the US.
However, the legacy which it left behind is rather complex and ambiguous. Nevertheless, the war had
affected the US government in various ways. To begin with, the government was able to reunite the
north and the southern states, as the latter were placed under military rule and were not longer able to
secede. Secondly, the war effectively brought an end to slavery. Most importantly, the federal
government was able to assert its supremacy over the states, as the war put an end to state rights.

International Trade

Foreign Affairs i.e. Trade Agreements and Treaties

Protection of our Constitutional Rights

Protect States Rights and Sovereignty

Other than that I don’t see how a Central Government is important. The structure of the US Government
has not changed since the Constitution came into effect. What has changed is interpretation of the
powers of the Federal Government by all political parties involved in Government.

The Civil War is the central event in America's historical consciousness. While the
Revolution of 1776-1783 created the United States, the Civil War of 1861-1865
determined what kind of nation it would be. The war resolved two fundamental
questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the United States was to be a
dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign
national government; and whether this nation, born of a declaration that all men were
created with an equal right to liberty, would continue to exist as the largest slaveholding
country in the world.

Northern victory in the war preserved the United States as one nation and ended the
institution of slavery that had divided the country from its beginning. But these
achievements came at the cost of 625,000 lives--nearly as many American soldiers as
died in all the other wars in which this country has fought combined. The American Civil
War was the largest and most destructive conflict in the Western world between the end
of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and the onset of World War I in 1914.
The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and
slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the
territories that had not yet become states. When Abraham Lincoln won election in 1860
as the first Republican president on a platform pledging to keep slavery out of the
territories, seven slave states in the deep South seceded and formed a new nation, the
Confederate States of America. The incoming Lincoln administration and most of the
Northern people refused to recognize the legitimacy of secession. They feared that it
would discredit democracy and create a fatal precedent that would eventually fragment
the no-longer United States into several small, squabbling countries.