The Aims Of The American Civil War: Reconstruction

The American Civil War Name: Institution: Introduction The American war is also referred as the War Between the States. The war lasted from 1861-1865 and it involved the United States of America and the eleven states from the south which had formed the Confederate States after leaving the Union to protect the institution of slavery. The war occurred after years of tension between the Southern and the Northern states over the matters related to states’ rights, industry, and farming, westward expansion, and slavery. The conflict is regarded as the most deadly war ever in America as it left more than six hundred thousand soldiers killed and many more injured. This paper evaluates and discusses the aims of the civil war in the context of reconstruction. The American civil war may be the most consequential occurrence in the American history. The viability and the continuity of the country was at risk and the results of the war relied on the ability of the country to bring to reality the principles and standards of equality, justice, liberty and the human dignity. After Abraham Lincoln was elected as the president of the United States in 1860, the discussions between relative powers of the federal and state government came to a climax. By the time of Lincoln’s inauguration, six stated for the south had already seceded from the union forming the Confederate States of America, later, five more joined (Frost, 2013). In his inaugural speech, Abraham Lincoln emphasized his duty and responsibility in maintaining the Union. He stated that did not have the intentions of ending the slavery, this horrified the black people and their white allies. The Confederacy attacked Fort Sumter on 12th of April 1861 which marked the beginning of the war (Saylor Academy, 2011). As the war progressed, the efforts expanded to include the abolition of the slavery. By the end of 1865 when the war was coming to an end, the economic activities in the south had deteriorated. There was in a state of economic decay, political destruction, and social disorganization. The Union forces had destroyed the crop plantations and cities. Slaves too had joined the Union. Thousands of Southerners died as a result of starvation and those who survived the war lost all their possessions including homes, plantations, and slaves (Downs, 2012). In 1865 the policymakers in Washington embarked on the reconstruction of the southern states. The reconstruction process focused on three main strategies. First, it was aimed at unifying the Union by restoring the southern states which had seceded. The second objective would see the transformation of the southern states and lastly enact legislation which could favor the rights of the freed slaves. In 1963, President Abraham Lincoln issued a Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction which outlined the first initiatives which could help the state in meeting the reconstruction goals ( SparkNotes, 2018). Lincoln adopted the Ten-Percent Plan as his first ...