War within America

The Civil war resulted because of differences within America that were not resolved after
the ratification of the constitution. The confederacy was defeated, slavery was abolished, but
what remained was a weak, United States of America. This is the Civil war, how it happened,
how it started, and how it ended.
Like most wars, this war began on a smaller scale with little fights that nobody thought
anything of, but the shootouts in border states started to resemble something more serious. One
of the first strikes of the civil war was the battle at fort sumter. Fort Sumter was a union fort
established in what is now South Carolina, and General Beauregard fired some of the first shots
of the civil war on the Union soldiers at the fort. Union Major Robert Anderson surrendered on
April 13th and the Fort was evacuated the next day. Soon after in 1862, Stonewall jackson
captured 6,000 union soldiers and led an army of 16,000 into West Virginia. The Union
responded with a Northern Draft, but the worst of the war was yet to come. Robert E Lee
launched an invasion in Maryland, a huge one at that, but Union commander George McClellan
discovered the invasion place. With no element of surprise, Lee still charged ahead, and got a
stalemate with the Union in 1862, which was one of the bloodiest battles in all of history. The
stalemate lasted until the Union gained positions on a stone bridge, crossed the bridge and chased
Lees army back to Potomac. Reinforcements for the confederacy came and General Hill pushed
the Union back to the bridge and back to Union territory. Robert E Lee declared retreat and left,
defeated, with the confederate army.
No side remained unscathed from one of the bloodiest battles in the civil war. Upwards of
25,000 people were killed or injured that day and nearly 13,500 were union soldiers. This Battle,
later known as the Battle of Antietam, would be known as one of the most gruesome fights in the
Civil War. This same year, later, there was a battle at Fredericksburg in Virginia that resulted in
the loss of a total of 12,653 men. Regardless of the heavy Battle, Lincoln still chose to release
the emancipation proclamation on the first day of 1863. This gave all slaves their freedom, but
ultimately changed the reason for war. This was no longer a war about America and its people,
but for slavery, and for freedom. America finally recognized that the same independence and
freedom that it wanted from Britain is now wanted by black people from whites. Just 2 years
after the emancipation proclamation, General Robert Lee surrenders the confederate army to
Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, and the civil war ends.

Resources
The Constitution of The United States of America . "We, the People". Retrieved May 28,
2014, from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/usconstitution.html

This is the constitution of the United States of America. Some blame the instability of the
constitution for the Civil War.

This is Jefferson Davis First inaugural Address. Text.. (2014). In Civil War and its History.
Retrieved May 26, 2014, from
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/davisinaugural1.html

In Jefferson Davis First Inaugural Address, he declared the purpose of the compact of Union,
which these states have withdrawn from, to establish justice. I picked this document so that it
would illustrate the view of the people the Union was fighting against.

Abraham Lincolns House Divided Speech. Text. (2014). In Civil War and its History.
Retrieved May 26, 2014, from http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/the-
house-divided-speech.html

In Abrahams speech, he directly identifies slavery as the cause of the war. He states, I dont
believe this government can endure half slave, and half free

Emancipation Proclamation. (n.d.). Abraham lincolns Emancipation Proclamation.
Retrieved May 26, 2014, from
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/primarysources/emancipation.html

The Emancipation Proclamation, despite a still raging war, was released in the beginning of
1863. All slaves were to be released.