Create a 4-5 page, double-spaced creative nonfiction essay based on a historical event of any era that provides a compelling account of the event using descriptive vocabulary, vivid imagery, and simile and metaphor that engage the reader.
topic is civil war. I submitted a draft and was terrible.
ENG 3316 American Civil War
American Civil War was a battle between the Northern and Southern United States, which occurred between 1861 and 1865 (Adams). The war was triggered by the persistent disagreement over the enslavement of African people. The southerners, who practised large- scale farming, were in support of slavery owing to their high demand for slave labour.
The Northern people, on the other hand, were against the enslavement of the blacks because they were not dependent on slave labour. Considering that the Northerners’ economy was industry- based, slave labour was not a necessity. This difference in the need for slave labour between the northern and southern states created a long-standing controversy, which, in turn, led to the
American Civil War.
After winning the 1860 presidential elections, Abraham Lincoln, who led the Republicans, showed great support for the abolition of slavery in all states within the US (Keegan). The southerners considered this as an infringement of their rights and an initial step to ultimately ban slavery.
As such, the southern states decided to secede from the Union just before Lincoln’s inauguration and instead form the confederacy. The secession began with seven slave states comprising Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Texas and Mississippi which kept the highest proportion of slaves.
Other remaining southern states continued to discard the calls for When you quote directly from a source, please be sure to put quotation marks around the quoted passage.
Burgos 2
withdrawal since they had viewed it as illegal. In an effort to calm the fear that southern states had in regard to the abolition of slavery, Lincoln reaffirmed in his inaugural address that he had no intention to obstruct the institution of slavery.
In the same year of presidential elections, four more southern states withdrew from the Union to join the confederacy. The continual session by the southern states triggered the issuance of the emancipation proclamation, which stated that all slaves held in the southern states will be freed by January 1863 (Hummel).
However, the president did not free all the enslaved blacks in the US because the declaration was only targeting those who were within the confederacy. The document did not apply to those states that had maintained their loyalty to the Union. Although it was offered as a military decree, the emancipation proclamation indicated a significant shift in Lincoln’s opinion on slavery.
In particular, the declaration redefined the Civil War by turning it into a fight that was intended to end slavery. Based on Lincoln’s view, slavery was immoral; hence, it was supposed to be abolished.
However, Lincoln did not realise that the constitution had afforded the government the right to ban slavery in some regions. He, instead, thought that the constitution had prevented its expansion to western territories that would have ultimately become states. Therefore, Lincoln insisted that the fight is not about freeing the enslaved blacks within the southern states, but maintaining the Union.
Following the secession, four slave states which stayed in the Union included, but not limited to, Maryland, Missouri, Delaware, and Kentucky. After noticing the efforts made by the southern states, one of the generals named John C. Fremont declared that the states that rejected secession would have their possessions and slaves seized and freed When you quote from a source in your essay, please be sure to put the quoted passage in quotation marks and cite the source.
Burgos 3
respectively. However, Lincoln ordered him to reverse the policy and later demoted him from the command position. Nonetheless, many enslaved people were fleeing to the southern states controlled by the Union such as Virginia, where General Butler had declared them as “contraband”; this contravened the Fugitive Slave Law authorising their return to their holders (Adams).
He argued that setting the southern slaves free would support the Union’s victory notwithstanding the importance of slave labour among the southern states. In 1862, the congress approved the Militia Act, which permitted the previously enslaved Africans to be recruited in the military as labourers.
Also, the act authorised that slaves held in southern states would be set free. Lincoln also aimed to encourage the slaveholders to release their slaves by promising them some compensation.
However, when other abolitionists condemned him for not bringing forth a stronger liberation policy, Lincoln replied that his main goal was to save the Union and not the slaves’ freedom.
However, conflicts began in 1861 when the confederate state’s forces attacked the Fort Sumter by claiming that it belonged to them (Hummel). This attack prompted the intervention of the militia who aided in the suppression of the southern rebellion. This move forced most of the states, such as the Virginia, Arkansas, and Tennessee, to reverse themselves and instead support the secession.
Actions in the battle were divided into the eastern and northern theaters. The eastern theaters consisted of the states, such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. The northern theaters, on the other hand, comprised Florida and Georgia. The first inland war began when 3,000 Union volunteers attacked 800 confederates in Virginia. Owing to their vast number, the unionist won the battle, which contributed to the elevation of General George’s reputation.
However, in 1892, the war between the north and south escalated and led to significant loss of Do you mean 1862? The Civil War had ended before 1892.
Burgos 4 more human lives. Towards the end of 1892, more invasions into the United States transpired and enabled the Union to expand its territory. Still, in the subsequent months, more battles fought led to further destruction of the south and a significant victory to the Union.
On September 1892, Lincoln made the proclamation, which required the confederates to join the Union before 1963 (Hummel). Lincoln had been advised by his secretary that he had to wait for the Union’s victory before announcing the emancipation. After making the announcement, Lincoln signed the proclamation, which comprised the gradual liberation, slaveholders’ compensation, and colonisation.
He justified the freedom as a wartime measure and was keen to use it in the confederate state that rebelled the Union. Lincoln’s proclamation was targeting territories outside his governance. Considering that his primary focus was on preserving the Union, the emancipation did not cause many effects on the slaves’ freedom.
Essentially, Lincoln’s decree led to the more states rejoining the Union. However, it had a tremendous symbolic power since it aided the liberation of enslaved blacks, which was one of the goals for the Northern state war.
Besides, emancipation proclamation had practical impacts as evident in the states which had previously supported the confederacy but backed off owing to their unwavering opposition to slavery. Based on the provisions of the slave act, African Americans were required to serve in the military after being freed.
They were supposed to work as labourers in the military for over four years before being granted their freedom. Besides the liberation, the proclamation fostered the complete abolition of slavery in the U.S. Generally, the success in the ban of slavery resulted from the Union’s victory in the Civil War.
When you quote from a source please be sure to put the quoted passage in quotation marks and cite the source.Please check these dates.
Burgos 5
Works Cited
Adams, Ephraim Douglass. Great Britain and the American Civil War. Good Press, 2020.
Hummel, Jeffrey. Emancipating slaves, enslaving free men: a history of the American civil war.
Open court, 2013.