The Politics
Not only did politics help cause the Civil War, but politics emerged at the time, as well. For example, the election of 1860 served as a breaking point for the South but resulted in one of the most remembered presidencies in America’s history. New laws, policies, and proclamations led to the great nation America is today. The United States is stronger because of Civil War politics. In fact, many of these policies are in effect in the country to this day and still play an important role in how the United States of America operates.
Before
The South and the North had been split from the very beginning. Their differing economies led to different views. When the Constitution became the law in 1787, the topic of slavery was a bit foggy. Although it gave some protection to keeping the practice of slavery, it stopped the slave trade after 1808. Political leaders were soon forced to attempt to keep the peace. With the Missouri Compromise of 1820, Missouri was admitted to the United States as a slave state, and Maine was admitted as a free state. Also, in order to maintain a balance of power, the Compromise of 1850 was instituted when America gained new territories from the Mexican-American War. These compromises brought more conflict, though. For example, the Fugitive Slave Act in the Compromise of 1850 was not liked by many northerners because it requested that runaway slaves should be returned to their owners, even in free territory. Plus, the belief of states’ rights over federal rights began an argument between the North and the South. The majority of the South felt that the individual states should have more power than the federal government, but the North tended to favor a strong, central government that had more authority over each state, even though the Constitution tried to achieve a happy medium. This became the South’s strongest fighting point. With Abraham Lincoln’s election, the South finally seceded and became the Confederacy. Political hopes at peace were all unsuccessful, and the United States of America was launched into a civil war.
During
Everyone has heard the saying, “Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Often, during war, the rules bend or new laws are created to ensure the safety of the people. President Lincoln, for example, put the writ of habeas corpus on suspension. This gave prisoners the right to a trial, but Lincoln was worried that Southern supporters would affect the war. The suspension allowed citizens suspected of helping or sympathizing with the South to be jailed immediately. Although it went against citizens’ rights, Lincoln instituted this to preserve the Union. Lincoln also made his famous edict, the Emancipation Proclamation, to keep the country together. Given on January 1, 1863, the proclamation freed all slaves. This was pushing the country one step closer to equality. Many people did not particularly like how President Lincoln was “preserving the Union,” though; they were tired of waiting for the end to come. In the election of 1864, the Democrat party nominated General George McClellan, who had unsuccessfully served as the Union leader at the beginning of the war, because he pushed for peace. The Republican nominee, Abraham Lincoln, was forced to resort to desperate measures in an attempt to get votes, since his popularity was draining. Fortuitously, Lincoln won in a close race due to General Sherman’s capture of Atlanta, which brought more support for the war in the North and boosted Lincoln’s popularity. On March 4, 1865, President Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address. In it he promised an end to the war with the Union being the victor. About a month later, the South surrendered.
After
The American Civil War resulted in the creation of various new political parties. Both the Democrat and the Republican Party had split during the war. The Democrats became the Peace Democrats, the Moderate Democrats, and the War Democrats. The Peace Democrats had promoted peace, obviously, and did not support Lincoln’s restrictions on citizens’ freedoms. They also were willing to let the South break away if it stopped the war. The Moderate Democrats, on the other hand, supported the war but not Lincoln and his policies. Lastly, the War Democrats highly supported President Lincoln and the war. The split Republican Party took was more passionate about the issue of slavery than the actual war. The Radical Republicans wanted immediate emancipation, whereas the Moderate Republicans only wanted slavery in the slave states. Most Moderate Republicans’ main priority, however, was keeping the country together and preventing the South from seceding. President Lincoln, who had watched these parties evolve throughout the war, did not get to see how these separate factions grew after the war. On April 14, 1865, just five days after Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theater by John Wilkes Booth, who supported the South. Lincoln died the next day, and Booth was killed twelve days later after the largest manhunt in United States history was issued. Lincoln never saw the war officially end, and he never experienced how he impacted the nation. During his presidency, political parties split, and the United States of America was held together.