Analyzing the American Revolution and the American Civil War - Research Paper Example

American Civil War Introduction On analyzing both American Revolution and the American Civil War, one can find many changes which were a result of both wars. The most important reason for both wars was the battle for independence. In this essay both the American Revolution and the American Civil War shall be analyzed in order to come to the conclusion which war about the most changes in America. Analysis Changes That Took Place Due To the American Revolution Evolution played a huge role during the American Revolution. This Revolution had a political, economical and social effect on the American society. Due to the American revolution anew country came into being , thus the American revolution also had a major political effect on all the other countries in the world .This new country had the potential to make new laws and new ideas like insuring domestic tranquility. It would moreover turn out to be a world leader and set an example. The Revolution played a vital part in brings about a change in the economy. Like nearly all wars, the American revolution made the economy even more strong. It generated a lot of business for workers who had jobs in small shops. Nonetheless, after the war, the new state had run it’s self in immense debts (Middlekauff 96) due to the loans it had taken in order to fight the war. The Revolution was extremely vital from a social point of view also. It proved to the world that the strong and powerful armed forces of England were defenseless. It signed an agreement with France and a lot of other countries. It would furthermore be the base of America’s alliance with their Britain. The American revolution was not only a war. It was due to this war that America gained its independence. Changes Due To the Civil War After the Civil war the America went through a lot of changes. The change which the Civil War brought has had a permanent effect on the strength of America. It has turned the country into a super power. The Civil War greatly affected the nation. President Lincoln had claimed that he was not going to interfere with slavery however the south had no genuine right to withdraw from the Union. So black masters continued to own slaves even when the union army was preparing to invade South Carolina in 1864 (Koger 85). South Carolina was the first state to withdraw but other states soon followed, Lincoln knew that he would have to take this issue into his own hands and enacted his power as both the Commander in Chief and the Chief Executive. In Document A South Carolina felt differently about this issue. They felt that there isn't anything written in the Constitution that says that can't secede and because the people were unhappy they had the right, as a sovereign state, to secede. The southern states seceding was the first step towards the need for reconstruction. Not for the equal rights primarily, but for the unlawful slavery that was occurring. This time in history many laws and acts were distributed but often ignored such as the Fugitive Slave Acts 1850 and the Wilmot Proviso of 1846 both brought about immense changes.. Though it said more than it did the emancipation proclamation was one of the most important steps Lincoln took during the Civil War. How ever the man who had affixed his name to the unequivocal words of the emancipation proclamation had also offered the southerners the carrot of “compensated” and even delayed the emancipation at the meeting (Winik 41. As the Lincoln was the President the was considered as the leader in the North's military moreover he believed that safeguarding the Union was the main intention of the war. He expressed his feelings about limiting the rights in war time in his well-known Gettysburg Address, "and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the Earth (http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm)." During the civil war the biggest change which was brought about was by Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus was an extremely controversial step to take, how ever it brought about a lot of changes in the nation although a number of people think that the proclamation of emancipation is extremely controversial, it was expected and unavoidable whilst the suspension of habeas corpus was an act which nobody understood Lincoln would ever have the courage to undertake. As the country was facing a civil war and the North gave their citizens the writ of habeas corpus, for the sake of national security, how ever it had to be delayed till the war ended. If Lincoln would have permitted habeas corpus to carry on, the court system would have been badly affected due to which the prisoners of war would be able to gain their freedom. The only means to protect the system against this was to postpone the writ of habeas corpus. The new year of 1854 found slavery excluded from more than half the states by state constitutions (Lincoln & Douglas 2). After Johnson's impeachment, blacks started to receive more equal treatment. Women received property, debt relief and penal codes. Blacks were able to vote in the 1868 election, which ended up giving the Republicans a margin of victory, as shown in Document G. The 15th amendment was also added to the Constitution, which did not give any state authority to withhold a citizen’s right to vote. The revolution brought about mangy positive changes. The constitution contained no provisions that specifically sanctioned slavery as a permanent and protected institution south of Potomac or any where else (Mason 32). An ordinances was passed in 1861 known as Ordinances of Secession of the 13 Confederate States of America ordinance to dissolve the union between the State of South Carolina and other States united with her under the compact entitled "The Constitution of the United States of America ORDINANCE to dissolve the union between the State of South Carolina and other States united with her under the compact entitled "The Constitution of the United States of America (http://www.civil-war.net/pages/ordinances_secession.asp) The Ku Klux Klan carried out mob attacks on blacks (Boyer 12). Document H and Document I address the increase of power in the central government, it is in opposition of new power into groups that have in no way had power before, like the freed slaves. Document I portray how the Ku Klux Klan's objective was to scare blacks by power. In 1870 congress prohibited these secret organizations and utilized acts of force to implement the 14th and 15th amendments. Conclusion In conclusion, the American Revolution resulted in a dramatic change for the lives of the American people. The Revolution as a whole was a rebellion, evolution and a revolution combined. If none of these effects from the Revolution took place, The United States of America would not be the country that it is today. Where as the civil war too brought about many important changes The United States under went severe changes throughout the years of 1860 and 1877. The goal for most was, as stated by Lincoln, “with malice towards nonce and charity for all.” Presidents Lincoln and Johnson used their executive power to bring the 11 seceded states back to the union. Reconstruction was becoming inevitable after the Black Codes were passed. Revolutionary ideas such as freedom of slaves, anti-secession, and rebellion played a key factor in these years. Work cited Boyer S. Paul; The Oxford Companion to United States History (Oxford Companions) OUP USA 2001 p12 http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm retrieved on 8th December 2008. http://www.civil-war.net/pages/ordinances_secession.asp retrieved on 8th December 2008. Koger Larry, Black Slaveowners: Free Black Slave Masters in South Carolina, 1790-1860 University of South Carolina Press 1995 p85 Lincoln Abraham, Douglas A Stephen; The Complete Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 University Of Chicago Press 1991 p2 Mason I., Jr. Lowance ; A House Divided: The Antebellum Slavery Debates in America, 1776-1865 Princeton University Press 2003 p32 Middlekauff Robert ;The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789 Oxford University Press, USA; 2 Rev Exp edition 2007 p96 Winik Jay; April 1865: The Month That Saved America , HarperCollins; 1 edition 2001 p41 Appendix s (www.rare-maps.com/details.cfm?type=maps&rid=1...) SLAVE TRADE AT THE TIME OF THE CIVIL WAR (www.ditext.com/moral/graph.jpg) Civil War Timeline The following time line shows major events of the Civil War. Slavery Lincoln Elected The South Secedes Battle of Bull Run The War Order Emancipation Proclamation Surrender General Lee's Confederate Troops Assassination of President Lincoln Final surrender of the Confederate army   Pre-1861 Mar. 1861 Jan. 1861 July 1861 Jan. 1862 Jan. 1863 April 9, 1865 April 14, 1865 May 4, 1865   (http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/CivilWar/CivilWar.htm) (www.americanrevolution.com/WinningIndCamp77.htm) Time line of American Revolution Years: Pre-1775 French and Indian War Quest for Independence Lack of Government Representation The Stamp Act The Townsend Act The Boston Massacre The Gaspee Incident The Tea Act The Intolerable Acts   1756-1763 1764-   1765 1767 1770 1772 1773 1774       Taxation     Townsend Act is repealed   The Boston Tea Party First Continental Congress   Years: 1775 to 1777 Battle of Lexington and Concord Battle of Bunker Hill British Evacuation of Boston Declaration of Independence Washington crossing the Delaware Battle of Princeton Battle of Germantown Battle of Bennington Winter at Valley Forge   1775   1776     1777         Second Continental Congress, Capture of Fort Ticonderoga Battle of Quebec Battle of Long Island, Battle of White Plains Battle of Fort Washington Battle of Trenton Battle of Brandywine Battle of Oriskany Battle of Saratoga (Surrender of Burgoyne)     Years: 1778 to 1789 France enters the war Battle of Savannah Battle of Charleston Battle of King's Mountain Battle of Cowpens Battle of Eutaw Springs Articles of Confederation Treaty of Paris ratified ending the war Constitutional Convention George Washington elected first President of United States   1778 1779 1780   1781   1782 1783 1787 1789   Battle of Monmouth Spain enters the war Battle of Camden   Battle of Guilford Battle of Yorktown Treaty of Paris signed         (http://www.kidport.com/Reflib/UsaHistory/AmericanRevolution/AmerRevolution.htm) Read More