"I'am a slow walker, but I never walk back" -President Abraham Lincoln

"The art of war is simple, find out where your enemy is, get at him as soon as you can and strike him as hard as you can, and keep it moving on."-General Ulysses S. Grant


The Civil War was by no means civil. This war brought about a change in America's history that I'am forever grateful for. There is a saying: "United we stand, divided we fall." We will explore the reasons for the division of the states, also why this was war was so important for the millions of African-American people and lastly the after effects this had on America as a whole. I think that war should be avoided if at all possible, but as I read on further in history, I realize sometimes, there is no other way.

The summer of 1861 was the start of a war that would forever change the lives of the American people. The rising tensions of the Northern and Southern states could no longer be ignored. The Southerners were feeling that their livelihood was being threatened. Slaves were an integral part of the lives of the Southern people and the thought of the possible loss of their economic status was not to be born. The North wanted more land and the freedoms that come with it. A few were also angered by the injustices that the slaves suffered. The Civil War was about to become a clash of the Titans, each side secure of victory, past compromises and laws were long forgotten. This was disheartening to President Abraham Lincoln and he is quoted as saying:
"Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let that nations survive, and the other would accept war than let it perish." It was a conundrum, there was not an easy way out.

For the millions of black people who were in enslaved, the Civil War meant freedom; and because of this they took risks to enlist and fight. The slaves escaped by the thousands from the southern plantations, some with just the clothes on their backs. By 1862, the smell of emancipation was in the air. On July 17, the congress adopted the second Confiscation Act, "Under the act, Confederates who did not surrender within 60 days of the acts passage were to be punished by having their slaves freed." (Source: "Historical Times Encyclopedia of the Civil War" Edited by Patricia L. Faust) By September 22, the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation promised freedom to slaves in the areas that were still in rebellion. This was a great victory for the slaves; no matter which way you look at it, the Civil War was about racism, and looking back in history, this seemed to be the underlying cause of some of our most horrific wars.

The Civil War was a blood bath of horror. Harsh weather, lack of food and clean water, unskilled surgeons with their bloody, unsanitary scalpels and needles hastened the spread of infection and disease. All of this culminated to the death of about 620,000 soldiers. On April 9, 1865, Lee surrendered, the North had won. The end of The Civil War paved the way for the rise of industrial capitalism and most importantly the end of slavery. Was it worth it? Yes. Was it unfortunate? Yes. For America, the pro's out weigh the cons, and you know why? This wasn't any ole war-this war was about FREEDOM.