We have now come to the beginning of one of America's bloodiest of all wars - Our American Civil War. The war did not just appear out of thin air but certain events gradually led up to the internal conflict.I believe there were specific milestones established within the past several decades which ultimately contributed to the Civil War. Most historians will attribute the Civil War to the decades of division which culmination in a series of confrontations based upon the moral and legal ethics of slavery. Following the years after the Louisiana Purchase our Congress was tasked to establish guidelines for the expansion of slavery into any new territories on the western side of the country. With the influx of Missouri's application for statehood (pro-slavery) we see a new spark of debates opening up. It was not so much the moral issues posed by the institute of slavery but I contend it was more of a power struggle. Missouri's entry as a slave state would give the slave state faction in congress a larger majority than the north had.With the development of the Missouri Compromisethe state was permitted entry as a slave state whilein an effort to balance the congress, Maine was admitted as a free state. A line was created through the western territories at the 36â°30 parallel which essentially divided the north and south as those states that were free and those that were slave supporting. In my opinion, it would take a clueless legislator to think that an imaginary line could create a successful agreement between the two factions. To me this was merely adding fuel to the fire and ultimately forcing the hands of the northern and southern states to wage an inevitable war to seek a permanent resolution.Nat Turner was a slave and it seems that Mr. Turner had interpreted two solar eclipses as his formal instructions from God to initiate his rebellion. This rebellion spread through several plantations in Virginia instigating the slaves to do battle in the name of freedom. It seems that Turner's eclipses failed to reveal to him that he and seventy of his cohorts would be executed for their actions and the deaths of sixty white people would take place. It took the deployment of the Virginia militia to suppress the rebellion. In an effort to prevent future actions by the slaves the Virginia lawmakers reduced the few civil rights which the slaves had at the time. Education was banned for slaves and the right to assemble was limited.Next we encounter the Compromise of 1850 where slavery was prevented within any of the expanded territories. It also provided support for the FugitiveSlave Act. This agreement again only temporarily postponed the hostilities between the North and South as it also failed to address the prime issues. In fact, it tended to reinforced, the disparity which was dividing the nation more and more.At the same time we see Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional account of slave life being disturbed in both the north and the south. Uncle Tom's Cabin created a vast amount of controversy as many readers from the north viewed the novel with horror as they saw slavery for the first time while the southerners protested that the book was spreading untrue statements. Here we go folks with another bit of trivia, Uncle Tom's Cabin was considered the second best selling book at the time, second in sales to only the Bible.As an all out Civil War was being held at bay by a bare thread, the Dred Scott vs. Sanford decision enters the scene. Here we encounter the unusual situation where a slave is suing for his freedom in a court of law. The case eventually made its way tothe Supreme Court Our American Civil War can be concluded that it was unfortunately the results of events from the two previous decades prior to the first shot being fired at Fort Sumter.There has been an assortment of fictional novels concerning an alternate history where the south had won the war instead of losing it. Such novels include several by Harry Turtledove such as "The Guns of the South" and "How Few Remain". In the novel The Guns of the South, Turtledove provides us with an alternate ending to the American Civil War. The tale begins with a group of time-travelers who supply Robert E. Lee's military with modern day AK-47s which ultimately lead to Southern victory.In 1864 we find the Confederacy losing against thesuperior forces of the Union. The tale relates that men speaking with strange accents approach Lee at his headquarters in Northern Virginia and showhim a demonstration of a rifle which is far superior to anything at that time. They offer to supply the Confederate soldiers with these AK-47 rifles. The team ultimately confides in Lee and reveals that they are from the year 2014. They claim that white supremacy has failed to endure intheir modern era. They explain to Lee how the blacks in the future outnumber the whites. Lee is told that Abraham Lincoln becomes a tyrant during his second term and passes laws to ensure the blacks will become the dominant faction in the country. With the stranger's weapons in hand, the Army of Ulysses S. Grant is forced out of Virginia and the Confederates even manage to capture Washington, D.C. thus ending the Civil War. The book was interesting however; I was totally disappointed in the ending. But it is not my intent to ruin the book for others enjoyment but you may wish to read it.In contrast, I do not feel that a victory on the side ofthe Confederate Armies would have lasted. Had the Confederacy gained its independence it would have begun a successive chain of events where other states would begin squabbling about something minor and decide to quite the union as well. Sort of a monkey see monkey do type of procedure. Such thoughts bring about a myriad ofpossible changes to not only America's history butworld history as well. This is really the ultimate what if scenario for Civil War fans. Being a fan myself, I have often asked this very question. More than likely the issue of slavery would have eventually died out as a result of the world opinionsimilar to the way it did in South Africa years ago.There were many opportunities presented during the war for this turn of events to have taken place. The northern soldiers were severely discouraged many times. Had Lee not been so hasty during the battle of Gettysburg he might have placed a wedgebetween Lincolns and his reelection campaign. If this were to take place it is likely that McClellan may very well have given up and sued for peace.The South may have done very well as a thriving agricultural nation. The wounds resulting from the war would have eventually healed and trade between the north and the south would have eventually begun. The initial years would have been extremely rough for the south as no nation can survive on agriculture alone. Manufacturing and retail would certain be an added benefit to secure success. I also feel that the south would have been ripe for foreign countries to attack. At the beginning of the war the entire South had seceding and openly declaration of war against the central government in power. These states were well armed and had heavy bankrolls compliments of Britain. If you take a tour of West Point and visit an area called Trophy Point you will notice a row of cannons dating back to the Civil War. Inscriptions stamped on the barrels of each cannon state, "Made in Birmingham" or"Made in Manchester." These were British built cannons captured from the Confederate Army. It would seem likely that if the south had won, nations such as Britain would once again attempt to obtain land in North America. We could sit here indefinitely and discuss the merits of what "might have been" however in either case the years would not be kind to the south. In direct response to the question I believe they may have made it but it would have been extremely difficult and dangerous at best.Wars are very strange creations. They frequently start as a result of one thing and end due to another. Wars in our history books have often been fought for far more than what may initially appear on the surface. Since it is difficult to actively recruit people to fight for the causes of the r
No comments:
Post a Comment