Civil War DBQ

The Civil War was a dark time in America’s history. Many causes led up to the gruesome fight that affected America forever. The North and South’s animosity created a large gap between the two. Eventually the South seceded, breaking the union. They became the Confederacy, and the North and South began to anticipate a horrific battle. The Civil war lasted four ghastly years. These years were also four of the bloodiest years America has ever seen. The country, that had once gone into an era of good feeling was now falling apart. The origins of the Civil war came from economic, political, and social matters. The impending issue of war was evoked by the economical differences between the North and South, the disparity of ideas in the Government and the variety of opinions on slavery. Economical differences between the North and the South are part of the reason the civil war commenced. Research on 1861, shows that the North had more value economically then the South (Document two). A map of the railroads

An excerpt from one of Frederick Douglass 's many speeches shows what the fourth of July means to slaves (Document 4). Douglass expressed that the fourth of July was a grim time for African- Americans. He said, “...your shout of liberty and equality, hollow mockery...”(Document 4). This allegorized that the African-Americans didn’t feel free and abolitionist in the North, like Douglass were upset about it, especially free African-Americans. However this directly contradicts some southerners opinions. In a passage written by George Fitzhugh, a southern sociologist, he wrote, “...negro slaves of the South are the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world” (Document 5). This statement goes directly against what Douglass said, showing how northern abolitionists and Southern sociologist opinions go directly against each other furthering the separation between the North and