The Civil War: A War For Freedom

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To some people, the Civil War was a war for freedom, but to other people, the Civil War was a lot more than just a war for freedom. For some people in the South, it may have been a war to protect their homeland and what they believed in. For most people in the South however, it was a big fight to keep slavery, mainly because the South depended on slaves to grow cotton and other crops. The Civil War meant almost everything to people living in the United States at the time. To slaves and other African Americans, the Civil War was a war for freedom. For example it states that “... African American volunteers made up nearly 10 percent of the Union army, and about 15 percent of the navy,”(American Journey 596). So many African Americans volunteered …show more content…

For example it states that in the First Battle of Bull Run, “The Confederates surged forward with a strange, unearthly scream that came to be known as the Rebel yell. Terrified, the Northern soldiers began to drop their guns and packs and run,”(American Journey 577). The Confederates were rallied by general “Stonewall” Jackson’s troops. Jackson’s troops had been rallied so easily because they had known that they were defending their homeland and fighting for what they believed in. Another example can be seen when it states that “On August 29, 1862, Pope attacked the approaching Confederates and started the Second Battle of Bull Run. The battle ended in a Confederate victory. Richmond was no longer threatened. Instead, the situation of the two sides was completely reversed. Lee and the Confederates now stood only 20 miles from Washington D.C.,”(American Journey 581). The Confederates won that battle most likely because they knew that if they lost that battle, they would have most likely lost the war because the Union army was so close the the Confederate capital which was Richmond, Virginia. They may have also known that if they had won the battle, they would be about 20 miles from the Union capital, which would have given the Confederates a major advantage if they hadn’t lost the Battle of Gettysburg. As you can see, for some people fighting for the Confederate army, the Civil War may have been a war to protect their homeland and what they believed

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