The significance of the Civil War and how it changed American history

The significance of the Civil War and how it changed American history

The significance of the Civil War

Civil War was initiated by the differences that were present between the United States of America (Northerners) and the Confederate States of America (Southerners). The main difference that propagated this War was the conflicting opinions between the two states on the concept of slavery (Reid, 2014). As a result, it has a vast significance in America, and it also changed American history significantly.

Civil War brought about a drastic change in technology. This resulted from the many inventions that came to life, especially the development of new and modern weapons. Some of the designs included the development of the machine gun, the use of a submarine that could capsize a warship, and the employment of aerial observation through the use of balloons (Grant & Parish, (Eds.), 2003). Also, the Civil War resulted in the expansion of democracy in America. Due to the disagreement between the Northerners and Southerners on the fate of slavery in America, Congress initiated the thirteenth amendment to ensure that all states followed Abraham Lincoln’s directive to free slaves.

Ways in which the Civil War changed American History

Slavery had been practiced centuries before; however, the Civil War led to the drop of all slavery activities in America and brought forth the dawn of free-labor capitalism in slavery. This was officiated through the thirteenth amendment that banned slavery, and as a result, this laid down the framework of the modern structure (Lader, 2017). Additionally, some of the previously stated laws were changed, including the fourteenth amendment of the Constitution and the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. These laws led to the change in the overall nature of American citizenship.

References

Grant, S. M., & Parish, P. J. (Eds.). (2003). Legacy of Disunion: The Enduring Significance of the American Civil War. LSU Press.

Lader, L. (2017). Civil War and Reconstruction 1861-1877. In A Social History of Racial Violence (pp. 37-42). Routledge.

Reid, B. H. (2014). The Origins of the American Civil War. Routledge.