THE CIVIL WAR USA

No. 667 Thursday, March, 23rd, 2023 Mina & Ayah

The USA has always had a very

The American Civil complex and interesting history.
Their story is marked by many
War, also called events. But one of the main events
“War between the is probably the civil war1.
Therefore it is primordial to know
states” the major points of this episode.

On the left :
Abraham Lincoln
In the middle :
General Robert Lee
On the right:
George McClellan
See annex :
bibliography for
sources

What is the American Civil War and what were its causes and its
consequences on the American people ?
The American Civil War went on for
four years, from the 12th April 1861 to
the 9th April 1865. Throughout this
article, you will learn why the Civil
war occurred, who were its main
actors, what were its consequences
and how it ended.
Pre-war :
Before talking about the actual war, we
must talk about what caused it and
when.
At this time, opinions on the slavery
differed, creating a tense climate
between different states and people. It
is important to know that the USA
(1815-1870s) was separated into two
big categories, the South (later called
the Confederacy) and the North (later
called the Union). Since the whole
country’s economy
was developing, there was a difference
between the southern economy and the
northern economy. While the North
was being more and more affected by
the industrialization : they invested in
transportation system (canals, roads,
steamboats, …), in financial industries
(insurances and banks) and a bigger
communication network (newspaper,
books, …), the South’s economy was
based on farms and plantations (in
other terms : agriculture). Their
plantations were mostly composed of
cotton, therefore creating a need in
workers. They used (mostly) African
American slaves to harvest the plants.
More and more people of the north
were against forced labor and slavery
because of their high
sense of morality and then slowly
created an antislavery movement
since the 1830s.2
As we are approaching the war’s
time, it is essential to mention
Abraham Lincoln's election in
1860. He was completely against
slavery and didn't hide it.
Because of this, some southern
states threatened him and
organized the Confederate states.
At 4:30 AM on the 12th April
1861, Confederate rebels opened
fire on a national monument in
South Carolina, thus signing the
beginning of the war.

1
Civil war is one of the leading events to what the USA is now according to the Library of Congress (BHADRAJEE, S. Herwage, 2021. The Lingering
Influence of Revolutionary Political Discourse From the Civil War and Reconstruction Era. INQUIRIES [online]. [Consulted on the ] Available at :
https://www-inquiriesjournal-com [Consulted on the 04.04.2023])
2
The antislavery movement began in 1830 according: (KUIPER, Kathleen. Abolitionism. [online] Britannica. Available at :
https://www.britannica.com/topic/abolitionism-European-and-American-social-movement [Consulted on the 06.04.2023] )
 Civil War USA Page 2

Then the war began :

After the war started, many generals were called to supervise each of the two opposed sides. For example, in the
East, Robert Lee, a confederate general during the war, took over the Army of the Union ; Army of Potomac.
McClellan, a Union commandant who was called to Washington to replace Winfield Scott 1, was the commander of
the Army of Potomac. He made it change to an effective and powerful army.
The Decline of the South :
Many battles took place between the Union and the Confederate. The most impactful battle was Gettysburg battle, during
which, in 1863,
the Union proved its superiority. This discouraged Robert Lee, who earlier on had an objective ; win a battle near the
boundary between the south and the north (called the Mason-Dixon line) to invade the north and to force the end of the
war.
The end of the war :
The South accumulated many defeats, becoming more and more unstable throughout the time. Robert Lee decided it was
time to surrender to prevent unnecessary destruction within the South. The 9 th April 1865, war was over and no one dared
to celebrate2.
The consequences :
As you may imagine, this war, which was the deadliest war in the US, had many consequences on the USA.
To begin with, the 14th April 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the president at this time, was brutally assassinated while he was
watch a Theatre piece with his wife.3
Slavery was abolished by a Congress in January 1865 and was officially stopped on the 6 th December 1865.
The Confederate states were gradually allowed back into the USA.
4 millions of black slaves were freed and of course many lands were destroyed, many soldiers died. (number of death
estimated at 620,000)

What about this source ?

Visual source
Visual source

This image is a photograph belongings4. The man’s face

of the “Photographic in the middle is turned to the
Sketchbook of the War” observer, giving a gloomier
taken by Timothy ambiance. The landscape is
O’Sullivan in july 1863 after foggy and the perspective
the battle of Gettysburg in makes the field appear wider.
Pennsylvania. In the This picture stayed a famous
foreground we can see representation of the
cadavers of soldiers with American civil war (it was
their shoes missing, the the deadliest battle) and got
soldiers from the other side very famous after Lincoln’s
used to steal the dead’s Gettysburg speech.

" Such a picture conveys a useful moral: It shows the blank horror
and reality of war, in opposition to its pageantry. Let them aid in
preventing such another calamity falling upon the nation."
Alexander
Gardner

1
Winfield Scott was the adviser of the president before the war but he had to leave his responsibilities due to his inability to participate in the war. (His obesity prevented him from
riding on a horse, this is why he couldn’t fight.) (Source : Winfield Scott, Wikipedia. (Last edited on the 29 March 2023) Available at : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winfield_Scott
[Consulted on the 06.04.2023])
2
Some northern soldiers could not resist to letting out a victory cry, but the general stopped them and said “The war is over, the rebels are again our compatriots.” (LACOUR-GAYET, Robert, 1976.
Histoire des Etats-Unis : Des origines jusqu'à la fin de la guerre civile. Fayard. p.429)
3
His assassin is a very well-known actor who was a vigorous supporter of the Confederate cause : John Wilkes Booth. He was shot by an American Union soldier. John Wilkes Booth, Wikipedia.
(Last edited on the 26 February 2023) Available at : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes_Booth [Consulted on the 06.04.2023]
4
Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, 2020. Looking Closely : A Harvest of Death (1863), a Civil War photograph [youtube] https://youtu.be/eZRj3R3lnC4 [Consulted on the
06.04.2023]
 Civil war USA Page 3

Written source
Written source In 1864, President Lincoln sent a letter to Lydia Bixby that
still remains one of his best written work. Mrs. Bixby was a
widow living in Boston, Massachusetts. She lost five sons in
the Union army during the civil war. In the letter Lincoln
gives condolences as well as a proudful speech. Although
she had only one son left alive, the honorable mother always
kept faith in the Union. If we take a look at the letter we’re
startled by the notion of sacrifice. Miss Bixby is told by
Lincoln that her sons didn’t die in vain, that the battles they
fought weren't going to be forgotten.

"the solemn pride that must be yours

to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon
the altar
This patriotic feeling of freedom"
was common among the population
and the letter only describes how people view the
consequences of the civil war, they did it for Freedom, a
concept that still hasn’t changed in the American philosophy.
Which answers a part of our question.

Conclusion
Throughout this article we’ve seen that the civil war was caused by the build up of tensions between the
Confederate State of the South and the Union State of the North on the subject of slavery, the
Confederation ended up losing, affecting its economy which was principally farming. As the consequences
were bad, lots of soldiers died, Abraham Lincoln got assassinated. Those sacrifices were necessary as they
permitted the abolition of slavery at the end of the war. The notion of liberty itself became very anchored
in the American culture and the civil war was the beginning of a new era leading to modern America, thus
today’s society itself.

1
Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, 2020. Looking Closely : A Harvest of Death (1863), a Civil War photograph [youtube]
https://youtu.be/eZRj3R3lnC4 [Consulted on the 06.04.2023]
 Civil war USA Page 4

Bibliography
BHADRAJEE, S. Herwage, 2021. The Lingering Influence of Revolutionary Political Discourse From the Civil War and Reconstruction
Era. INQUIRIES [online]. [Consulted on the ] Available at : https://www-inquiriesjournal-com [Consulted on the 23.03.2023]

GARDNER, Alexander, Abraham Lincoln, 8 November 1863. Available at :

https://www.whitehouse.gov/about-the-white-house/presidents/abraham-lincoln/ [Consulted on the 23.03.2023]

LACOUR-GAYET, Robert, 1976. Histoire des Etats-Unis : Des origines jusqu'à la fin de la guerre civile. Fayard. Histoire. 2-213-00315-
7 ( p.406-408, 411-412, 427-428, 429-430) [Consulted on 24.03.2023]

WILSON, Jackson, GIBLER, James, NISSENBAUM, Stephen, KUPPERMAN, Karen Ordahl, SCOTT, Donald, 1996. The pursuit of
liberty : A History of the American people. 978-0394334769. (p.525-530) [Consulted on 30.03.2023]

Unknown. Portrait of Gen. Robert E. Lee, officer of the Confederate Army. Available at : https://www.loc.gov/item/2018666540/
[Consulted on the 30.03.2023]

Robert E. Lee, Wikipedia. (Last edited on the 24 March 2023) Available at : Robert E. Lee [Consulted on the ]

John Wilkes Booth, Wikipedia. (Last edited on the 26 February 2023) Available at : https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wilkes_Booth
[Consulted on the 06.04.2023]

Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, 2020. Looking Closely : A Harvest of Death (1863), a Civil War photograph
[youtube] https://youtu.be/eZRj3R3lnC4 [Consulted on the 06.04.2023]

TIKKANEN, Amy. American Civil War : The land war. [online] (Last edited on 05.04.2023) Britannica. Available at :
https://www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War/The-land-war [Consulted on the 06.04.2023]

KUIPER, Kathleen. Abolitionism. [online] Britannica. Available at :

https://www.britannica.com/topic/abolitionism-European-and-American-social-movement [Consulted on the 06.04.2023]

Abolitionism. [online] Britannica. Available at : https://www.britannica.com/topic/abolitionism-European-and-American-social-movement

[Consulted on the 06.04.2023]

Unknown. Portrait of George B. McClellan. Available at : https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/george-b-mcclellan [Consulted

on the 06.04.2023]

Unknown. United States American Civil War png. Available at: https://www.pngwing.com/en/free-png-zshdk/download [Consulted on
the 06.04.2023]

TIMOTHY, H. O’Sullivan. July 1863. A Harvest of Death. Available at :

www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/285644#:~:text=This%20photograph%20of%20the%20rotting,nation% [Consulted on
05.04.2023]

Bixby Letter [online] Wikipedia. Available at : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bixby_letter [Consulted on 06.04.2023]

Unknown. Flags of The Confederate State of America Modern Display png. Available at:
https://www.pngwing.com/en/free-png-djvyw/download
[Consulted on 06.04.2023]