After the War of Independence the United States of America was governed by the Articles of Confederation. This leads to weak central government and strong state governments. However, it proved unworkable and a new Constitution was adopted that resulted in a stronger Federal government with powers which included regulating interstate commerce as well as foreign affairs.
The different states had varying policies concerning slavery. In some areas of the country where religious groups such as the Quakers played a prominent role in political life, there was strong opposition to having slaves. Rhode Island abolished slavery in 1774 and was soon followed by Vermont (1777), Pennsylvania (1780), Massachusetts (1781), New Hampshire (1783), Connecticut (1784), New York (1799) and New Jersey (1804). The new states of Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Oregon, California and Illinois also did not have slaves. The import of slaves from other countries was banned in 1808. However, the selling of slaves within the southern states continued.
Against this backdrop, conflict grew in the 19th century between the northern and southern states over the issue of slavery. The northern states were going through an industrial revolution and desperately needed more people to work in its factories. Industrialists in the North believed that, if freed, the slaves would leave the South and provide the labor they needed. The North also wanted tariffs on imported foreign goods to protect their new industries. The South was still mainly agricultural and purchased a lot of goods from abroad and was therefore against import tariffs. Hence, the war between the Northern and Southern states began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked a U.S. military installation at Fort Sumter in South Carolina and it continued till confederate resistance ended after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865.
It has been estimated that 1,20,012 men were killed in action during the American Civil War. A further 64,582 died of their wounds. However, the greatest danger facing soldiers during the war was not bullets but disease. It is believed that 186,216 soldiers died of a variety of different illnesses during the conflict. Large numbers of the soldiers came from rural areas and had not been exposed to common diseases such as chicken pox and mumps. Living in unhealthy conditions and often denied properly medical treatment, soldiers sometimes died of the these diseases. For example, 5,177 soldiers in the Union Army died of measles during the war.
The United States of America what we see today is the result of historic Civil War. In fact, more people died in this war then any other war in the history of the United States. It is equally important to recognize that the African American played a substantial role in helping the Union win the civil war and they are barely recognized, just blurbs in history books. The people of America still honor the heroes who lost their lives in this war.
The lives of a few of the noble and brave are presented here at “Celebrating the Spirit of Freedom – Civil War Heroes”, a theme-based web page from “The Great American Web Pages.” Tributes to the common soldier, valiant unsung heroes, and veterans are also included — that they will not be forgotten. This page provides all the useful and noteworthy information about the civil heroes. You can have a quick access to the images of the war heroes as well as lots of information about their life and war history by visiting the eBooks related to that. Starting from the life and war history of Mathew Brady to John Ericsson, from Abraham Lincoln to Alexander Schimmelfenning, this web page provides every possible information about these Great Civil War Heroes. It is hoped that the spirit of the countless heroic souls who fought or contributed significantly in America's Civil War will live on throughout the ages.
