Aydan Leigh

History 2700

EPortfolio Assignment

8/4/2016
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With all of the major events in the United States leading up to 1865,
the most important one in my eyes was the Civil War. The War that was
raged because of slavery, between the North and the South states. The war
that also created the Emancipation Proclamation, and the War that initially
kept the original colonies together as a Union. This War was also the
grounding point for the use of new technology such as steam boats,
railroads, advanced guns, ships, banks, ect. Setting foot to one of the most
important, and most deadly, Wars in American History.
The Civil War was a war between the North part of the United States
and the South Part of the United States. The Southern states relied solely on
slavery on their plantations to help them grow crops, while the North
outlawed slavery completely, making all blacks free in the Northern states.
With the election of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican Party nominee, slavery
was in line to be completely outlawed in the United States. Since the South
states wanted to keep their slaves, they chose to secede from the rest of the
United States to form their own Union called the Confederate States, where
they attempted to create their own form of government, rules, and
regulations among the South States. Abraham Lincoln would not allow the

South States to secede from the rest of the Union, so the South retaliated by
Attacking the Northern States, starting one of the bloodiest wars in the
history of the United States of America.
The Civil War started with the Southerners attack on the Norths
military fort, Fort Sumter which was located in the harbor of Charleston,
South Carolina. The Southerners attack
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lasted two days until they finally captured the Fort for their own. Lincoln
rallied up volunteers for the North with strict guidelines to get the Fort back
for the North. The first major battles were played out in Virginia, where the
South, armed with thousands of men, attempted to infiltrate the North
territory to gain land. The South utilized the York and James River to travel
faster, and carry equipment easier. They were met by the North with a strong
army of thousands of men as well. They would fight over the course of more
than a year, losing thousands of men to death and injury. The final stand for
the South was the Battle of Gettysburg, known as the bloodiest single battle
in military history. The South became week and lost thousands of men and
were forced to retreat, allowing the North to prevent the Souths advances.
While the battle between the North and the South was happening in
Virginia, The North and The South were engaging in battle in the western
part of the states. The South was not having very much luck, as the North

drove them back quickly, taking over Nashville, Tennessee and gaining
control of the Mississippi River, making it easy for them to transport troops,
goods, and military equipment by steamboat from the North down to the
South. The capture of the Mississippi river by the North was considered a
turning point for the war, having easy and fast access to the North as well as
the South.
With one last effort, the South intended to meet the North to defeat
them in hopes to advance past them. The South was met by a large army
from the North and received damaging casualties as well as ran low on
supplies. The South retreated back to Appomattox, Virginia in
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hopes to acquire more supplies and men. To their surprise, they were met by
the Northern army. They found themselves surrounded with no way out. The
South decided to surrender to the North at the Appomattox Courthouse on
April 9th, 1865, thus, ending the Civil War between the North states and the
South states.
The North was said to have a slight advantage over the South before,
and even during the Civil War. They had an abundance of factories,
plantations, and materials. They were able to produce guns, ammunition,
black powder, clothes, food, and boats faster than the South could round up
their Militias. At the time, the South focused on solely agriculture to make a

living, while the North thrived with factories, making it easier for the North to
adapt to the need for war items when compared to the South.
The Civil War brought many new technology advancements into play
such as the long barrel rifle, making it easier to attack armies from a longer
distance, the use of steam boats and rivers to transport army goods, as well
as people, it also brought a large use in the railroads, all of which had never
been seen before in a war in the United States. The Civil war also brought the
use of the Navy, in which they used ships and warships to battle on the open
sea. This was also the first time in history where we saw this happen.
Another invention that came about in the civil war was the use of hot air
balloons. The hot air balloons were used for scouting, or spying on the
enemy while staying away from potential danger. This would be the first time
the United States would see use of any aerial spying devices in history.
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With the invention and use of all of these new technologies in the Civil
War, they laid a mark in history for many years to come. The United States
used these technologies to further better their military for present, and for
future. If you look at our military now, you can compare what we have to
what was invented during the Civil War. Instead of balloons for spying we use
unmanned aircraft. Instead of using single shot, long barrel rifles, we use

semi-automatic and automatic rifles, as well as long barrel rifles for very long
range. We also see an advancement in our Navy forces with the use of
carriers, battleships, submarines, and more. The inventions used during the
Civil War set a ground breaking mark for our military we have today, as well
as our military for the future.
With the end of the war, President Abraham Lincoln pursued his
promise, to put the Emancipation Proclamation into effect. The Emancipation
Proclamation put a ban on all slavery in the United States, meaning the
South were forced to set their slaves free. Most of the slaves migrated to the
North, where they were met by welcome arms from the people of the North.
Others chose to stay in the South where they planned to start a life while the
rest migrated west, in hopes to find land where they could call home.
With this ban on slavery, which still stands today, marked a turning
point in the United States history. Where blacks were able to be free men in
the country, and soon were able to get citizenship, and partake in political
events. The Emancipation Proclamation was ground breaking for the way our
country is seen today.

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We also are able to live in a nation that lives together as one large
country, instead of being split up between the North and the South. If the

South had won the Civil War and decided to secede from the North, there is
no telling what could have happened, or what our country would be like
today.

Sources
Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations, n.d. Web. 04
Aug. 2016.

"Civil War Inventions." American Civil War Stories. N.p., n.d. Web. 04
Aug. 2016.
History.com Staff. "American Civil War History." History.com. A&E
Television Networks, 2009. Web. 04 Aug. 2016.
Http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB2A4rYDkF-P9W30wHQH3dA.
"American Civil War - The Complete History (Historical Documentary)."
YouTube. YouTube, 01 Aug. 2014. Web. 04 Aug. 2016.
MacClellan, Jim R. "27: Civil War." Historical Moments: Changing
Interpretations of America's past. Vol. 1. Guilford, CT: Dushkin/McGraw Hill,
2000. N. pag. Print.