PAD 510
August 13, 2022
The Civil War was the most important development in American history since
Independence as it shaped many aspects of contemporary America. The enslavement of AfricanAmericans was the main cause of the southern states’ secession from the union. People in the
southern states started to worry when Abraham Lincoln became the leader of the Republican
Party and was on his way to becoming the next president of the United States because they knew
he would end slavery for good. They made the decision to secede from the union and form the
Confederate States of America, a separate nation where slavery was permitted. Slavery was
abolished after a protracted and bloody struggle that was won by the unionists under the
leadership of Abraham Lincoln1.
Nevertheless, there were costs associated with the fight. In a span of four years, around
700,000 Americans lost their lives, including 10% of the youth population in the Northern states
and 30% in the South. Reconstruction of the United States is the period that comes to mind when
thinking about the Civil War. The US was on its way to an economic recovery, industrialization,
and progress in science and technology immediately following the war. Even after more than a
century, the actions made during the reconstruction era following the Civil War are still highly
pertinent. President Lincoln was assassinated shortly after the Civil War in Washington.
1
David Shi, ”America: A Narrative History.” (Eleventh ed., Vol. 2). W. W. Norton & Company. (2019).
Despite the Confederacy’s defeat in the war, black people’s suffering in the Deep South
persisted. Another painful chapter in American history for Black people began during the
reconstruction era after the war. “Black codes,” which are racially discriminatory legislation,
were quickly established by Southern states under Presidential Reconstruction (1865–67) in
order to keep strict control over the recently liberated slaves and preserve as many aspects of
slavery as possible2. Despite the fact that the South lost the war and the 13th amendment
declared slavery to be abolished, these laws once again made African Americans second-class
citizens.
Due to the assassination of President Lincoln, there was less resistance from the North to
this discriminatory legislation, and the southern States continued to practice racism and
segregation until 1964. This demonstrates that the South never truly recognized its defeat in the
Civil War and that the confederacy could only be dissolved because the Unionist army was
stronger and could not be contained by the South. It is still common to see this ingrained bigotry
and hatred for others simply because of their skin color. The American south contains some of
the nation’s most racist states, and black people there continued to experience discrimination
long after President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act. During the Civil War, the evil concept
of racism was vanquished on the battlefield, but it did not put an end to white Americans’ hate of
people of color.
The main drivers of the Civil Rights Movement and the rise of figures like Malcolm X
and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were segregation and Jim Crow laws. They toiled and sacrificed
2
David Shi, ”America: A Narrative History.” (Eleventh ed., Vol. 2). W. W. Norton & Company. (2019).
their life to improve not only the world for Black Americans but also for all Americans.
However, the Civil War and the Reconstruction also had a number of benefits that still have an
impact on our lives today. For instance, the United States was once again reclaimed as the land
of opportunity for people of all races, creeds, and colors. African-Americans observed that their
Northern counterparts enlisted in the military to fight for their equal rights to those of white men.
The American Civil War also gave rise to several contemporary practices, such as the ambulance
service. The Civil War led to the formation of the first ambulance corps in the country, which
was designed to transport injured soldiers quickly to hospitals near the front lines. America
started to take the lead in the development of large-scale infrastructure projects and technological
innovations, such as the Pacific Railroad, the first transcontinental railroad built between 1863
and 18673.
The land grant college system was established, giving rise to institutions like Texas A&M
that made significant contributions to agricultural and mechanical research and development.
The Civil War directly led to the passage of three significant constitutional amendments by the
US Congress. Slavery was permanently outlawed in the United States according to the 13th
amendment. Even if they were former slaves, the 14th amendment granted citizenship to
everyone born in the US, and the 15th amendment granted African American men the right to
vote. After these amendments to the US constitution were ratified, enslaving black people was
declared unconstitutional, making it simpler in the future for African-Americans to struggle for
their civil rights. “ Congress approved the Thirteenth Amendment in the early months of 1865,
knowing that the Union would win the Civil War. It swiftly abolished slavery and “involuntary
3
David Shi, ”America: A Narrative History.” (Eleventh ed., Vol. 2). W. W. Norton & Company. (2019).
servitude” and was approved by the Union states that had won the war. It gave Congress the
power to enact legislation enforcing the amendment, enabling it to abolish slavery4.
Word Count – 878
Work Cited
Shi, David. E. America: A Narrative History. (Eleventh ed., Vol. 2). W. W. Norton & Company.
(2019).
4
David Shi, ”America: A Narrative History.” (Eleventh ed., Vol. 2). W. W. Norton & Company. (2019).
1
Brandi White
Strayer University
PAD 510
Professor Timothy Smith
July 24, 2022
2