Compare Civil War To The Modern Day

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The Civil War to the Modern Day The Civil War was the bloodiest war in American History. Even though the war was a tragedy because of the life lost, it helped to better the United States to this day. One might wonder how the Civil War has affected different aspects of the United States over the years. If one were to examine events that took place after 1865, they would be able to find similarities between these events and occurrences that happened during the Civil War. Why did men (and women) choose to fight? There were many reasons why men (and sometimes women) decided to fight in the Civil War. Some chose to fight because they believed they were defending themselves. Others fought because they felt it was their duty to fight for their respective side. Most who fought, however, wanted to fight for what they believed in. In fact, the reasons why Confederate and Union soldiers took up arms were almost identical; the only difference being their views on slavery.1 Soldiers today still fight for their country. Recruits joined the United States Army to fight in the War on Terror after September 11, 2001. Most of those soldiers continued to fight in the War in Iraq. This could be for a variety of reasons that only they know. Some may have joined out of a sense of duty or retribution. Others may have enlisted to defend themselves and their country. Some might have just joined out of anger. But even with these different reasons for fighting, they still stand united under the American Flag. Why was the draft controversial? The draft in the Union and Confederate States was controversial for a few reasons. People could buy their way out of service. Those who were rich enough could hire substitutes to fight on their behalf. Those in the Confederacy, who were fighting to save slavery, that had more than a certain number of slaves would be exempt from military duty. Some just decided not to show up if they happened to be drafted. Those who couldn't bribe draft officers, but refused to serve, were arrested. The draft would lead to protests and riots due to its faults.2 There was still controversy with draft after the Civil War.

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