Introduction to background to the research
The American Civil War was the developmental occasion of American history, where the war that crushed the secessionist challenge and made the current American country occurred. Despite the fact that the war ended in 1865, its effects keep on resonating in present-day America, particularly in the South where the Civil War speaks to a critical piece of their legacy. The war was viewed as a battle between those supporting freedom and those supporting oppression (Harmon, 2014). There have been arguments on what was the main cause of the war. Revisionist school of thought came up in the year 1990 and argued that the main causes of the war were politics and extremism. Conversely, other historians suggest that economic differences were the main cause of the war.
Despite these contentions, however, the genuine reason for the American Civil War was subjection noticeable in the South and to a large extent restricted in the North. Conflict emerged among these two groups because the North accepted that bondage was not right, and the slaves ought to be set free. The South argued that slavery was correct, and ought to proceed. While trying to make the reasons for the war less great versus awful, and more coherent and sensible, the nationalist school of thought was developed. This school of thought felt that the war was unavoidable. However neither the South nor the North was wrong. The South was right in that subjection had lawfully and truly been permitted there, and there was no point of reference for that to be changed since they had a right to guard their lifestyle. The North was right in that they needed to protect the union. They had a right to protect their national government. Both sides were correct, however compromise without war was unrealistic.
This study seeks to find the factors that led to the inevitable American civil war. A careful analysis of the war in both south and north will reveal that there are quantifiable elements that led to the development of the war such as ideological differences and democratic revolution. Through study, the researcher will thus suggest solutions to political issues in the future. Through the democratic revolution, various economies have experienced positive transformation. However, this could not be achieved without solving the challenges preventing the north and south of America from coming into terms with their models of political democracy.
Purpose of the Study
The objective of this research is to establish and define the factors that led to American civil war. The study will achieve this by examining the current political situation in America to identify the main challenges that the north and south are facing from a political democracy perspective. The study will also attempt to suggest solutions that America could adopt to solve the differences by assessing the solutions that have been used in other nations experiencing civil wars.
Objectives of the Study
Research Questions
- What are the actions that could be assumed by America to deal with the challenges caused by the civil war?
Significance of the study
This research is projected to give a clear understanding of the challenges brought about by the civil war. This research will focus on establishing why the civil war is of significance importance to the political and economic sustainability of America. Through this research, the scholars will have a better understanding of the challenges brought by the civil war that limited the expansion strategies of America from different perspectives. This will enable the development of better ways of dealing with political challenges in the future and ultimately boost the growth of nations. In addition, the study is also of great importance to other countries; both developed and underdeveloped that may be intending to venture into political democracy.
Literature review
Causes of the American civil war
First, conceptual gaps were a key component in making war an inescapable occasion. Nonetheless, it was not an ideological part over the view of enslavement being correct or wrong which brought on the fortified clash. While the facts may prove that protester upsetting provoked a negative Southern response and brought about Southerners to end up radical with all due respect of oppression, Northerners were a noticeably unimportant minority. The dominant part of Northerners were conservatives and not so much worried about the ethical part of servitude. In actuality, the North varied slightly to the South in their mentality towards white supremacy. It contrasts in economic philosophy that was the central in the middle of North and South which required each one side turning to equipped clash (Finseth, 2006). Ideological fanatics on both sides served to augment the bay between the North and South.
Secondly, the war is also viewed to be caused by social class conflicts. The decision to arms in 1861 accelerated by Southern secession was only a peripheral for established conflict. The Southerners felt that the war was a social war which would bring a new government that would make changes in the structure of the social classes hence difference in the accumulation of amassing and appropriation of wealth. The secession of the Southerners holds a lot of relevance when put into connection with the contradicting constraints in the civil war. On one side was a democratic government and on the other side was a form of aristocracy. The manner in which the nation had been separated over the issue of subjection permitted the preservationist south to separate itself from the rationalized North, hitherto the possibility of conflict constantly existed because they were governed by one constitution.
Effects of the American civil war.
One most striking outcome of the Civil War was the liberation of slaves. Large portions of them were at first proclaimed free by Abraham Lincoln in his January 1863 Freedom Proclamation, which was pointed just at slaves in territories that were against the United States(Kaczorowski, 1986). In this way in 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment liberated all slaves in the United States. What to do with the liberated slaves was a troublesome issue for the national government in the winding down days and prompt consequence of the war. The federal government did build a Freedmen's Bureau, headed by previous Union general Oliver O. Howard, which served to administer to the needs of the late slaves until they could build themselves in their new lives. However, political differences among leaders made this plan to be a challenge.
Reconstruction is also a notable consequence of the American civil war. The aim of the reconstruction was to incorporate the southern states into the Union while guaranteeing that the states were prepared to comply with the new laws and measures coming about because of the war. Numerous inquiries emerged after the Civil War, and strategies and bills passed with an aim to answer them. The Reconstruction Acts of 1867 and 1868 sheltered ten United States into five military regions (Franklin, 1970). A huge number of United States battalions were positioned in the south to guarantee the principles of reconstruction were regarded. Following the Civil War, three constitutional amendments were conceived. The thirteenth amendment prohibited servitude, while the fourteenth allowed Civil Rights to black Americans and the fifteenth allowed them the right to vote.
The war also led to the loss of lives. As is frequently the case in wars, most of the deaths in the Civil war resulted from disease. Field healing facilities frequently became habitats for disease and malady as mass quantities of injured officers would be housed together in unsanitary conditions. In Union and Confederate jails, detainees regularly passed on from sickness, which spread rapidly in the miserable conditions, or from starvation. The vast majority of the horrendous wounds endured by fighters resulted from being hit with bullets. Soldiers hit in the abdomen or head about constantly died, however those hit in the arms and legs endured notable harm and frequently had the influenced appendages cut away with different sorts of forceps. Such apparatuses were not cleaned properly, and contamination spread rapidly starting with one officer then onto the next, or, from the dirty hands of the physician.
Methodology
Data collection
Information utilized for this research will be acquired using both primary and secondary sources. Primary information will be gathered from the target populace utilizing questionnaires. The questionnaire will involve organized and unstructured inquiries to guarantee adaptability of reactions. To guarantee elucidations to vague inquiries and reactions, the questionnaire will be regulated orally. In addition, this will guarantee a careful discourse of the problem guaranteeing that the point is researched sufficiently. Secondary information will be gotten from books, journal, daily papers, and online sources. Moreover, the researcher will utilize group discussions and analysis of secondary data.
Data analysis
Quantitative information will be summarized utilizing research instruments of analysis. As indicated by Mugenda and Mugenda (1999), the reason for research analytical instruments is to take into consideration significant investigation of an appropriation of scores or estimations utilizing a couple of statistics. Qualitative data will be retrieved from examining the reactions of the open-ended inquiries. Other qualitative information will be gotten from past studies and responses to interviews. The information will be evaluated, summarized and set in classes fitting the examination questions. Both quantifiable and qualitative information will complement one another in answering the survey questions. Conclusions from examined information will be made, and this will help the researcher to answer the examination inquiries identifying with factors that hindered political democracy during the American civil war. The results will be compared with past research discoveries.
References
Finseth, I. F. (2006). The American Civil War: An anthology of essential writings. New York: Routledge.
Franklin, J. H. (1970). Public welfare in the South during the Reconstruction era, 1865-80. The Social Service Review, 379-392.
Harmon, Stanley M. (2014). Irrepressible Conflict: the Cause of the American Civil War: And the Sad, Tragic, Story of It Resulting in Deaths of So Many. Authorhouse.
Kaczorowski, R. J. (1986). Revolutionary Constitutionalism in the Era of the Civil War and Reconstruction. NYUL Rev., 61, 863.
Mugenda, O. M., & Mugenda, A. G. (1999). Research methods: Quantitative and qualitative approaches. Nairobi, Kenya: African Centre for Technology Studies.
