The Great Irony Of The Civil War - 1685 Words

The great irony of the Civil War is not that it tore apart families and brothers for the sake of ‘unity’ and ‘a way of life’; it is that it was caused by the very document that brought the country together. The mid-1800s were a time of great industry and change. Men made their fortunes in the North using great machines, and legions of paid workers, whereas men in the South made their fortunes on King Cotton, and the involuntary servitude of fellow Man. The Constitution, the Supreme Law of the Land, had no words for the institution of Slavery, or the series of actions that would herald the separation of the Union. The Constitution of the Union, however revolutionary, was not perfect. It bound the country together for 73 years, but tore it apart just as voraciously. The Constitution, prior to 1865, did not use the words ‘slave’ or ‘slavery’ once. There is only one reference to slaves in the Constitution prior to the Civil War, in Article 1, Section 2 which refers to the 3/5 Compromise, â€Å"†¦.. ,and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.† , where slaves are referred to as ‘other Persons’. Because of this ambiguity in the Constitution, the proclamations of the illegality of slavery by the North were not backed by law. Instead, the issue of slavery was reduced to a moral conflict, with the North against the institution, and the South for it. The South relied heavily on crops due to its fertile soil. Chief among these crops was cotton. It was the South’s needShow MoreRelatedAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge1100 Words   |  5 PagesAn Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, written by Ambrose Bierce in 1890-1891, depicts an antiwar motif of the American Civil War. Bierce uses dramatic irony, descriptive imagery and the theme of time. The war was fought from 1861 to 1865 after seven Southern slave states declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America, also known as the â€Å"Confederacy† or the â€Å"South.† The remaining states were known as the â€Å"Union† or the â€Å"North.† The war’s origin was the issue of slavery, especiallyRead MoreTo Kill A Mockingbird Literary Analysis Essay1026 Words   |  5 Pagesinequality by employing dialogue, irony, and an extended metaphor. Through dialogue, the townspeople show contempt for blacks, viewing them and anyone who treats them as equals as inferior. This is evident in the analysis of the conversations of Bob Ewell, Mrs. Dubose, and Francis Hancock where they refer to black people as uncivilized savages. Not only does Bob Ewell, contribute to the theme through his dialogue, but his full name of Robert E. Lee Ewell provokes irony that clarifie s the racist undertonesRead MoreWilmot Proviso1205 Words   |  5 PagesWilmot Proviso It could be said that the American Civil War was brought on by Americans need to expand its territories and the one sided Mexican War. The whole debate or controversy over this expansion was David Wilmot’s (and his squad of backers: Hamlin, Brinkerhoff, and King) trying to implement the Wilmot Proviso into the funding for the Mexican territories we acquired. The proviso actually fueled the debate over slavery into the newly acquired territories by trying to make the territoriesRead More Passion for Equality Essay722 Words   |  3 Pages A Great Passion for Equality With America struggling in a state of Civil War, the nations very core was being shaken. Abraham Lincoln, who was president during this period, realized this, and delivered one of his most historically renowned speeches, quot;The Gettysburg Addressquot;. This speech addresses many concerns for the nation as a whole. Through quot;The Gettysburg Addressquot;, Lincoln clearly states his views on what the country once was, how it was during the time he was in, and whatRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell1212 Words   |  5 Pagesthey were both leaders of either Russia or Animal Farm. George Orwell was a man who wrote the book Animal Farm which was based on the Russian revolution. In the book Animal Farm there are many literary elements that I will be talking about such as; irony, symbolism, personification, conflict, allegory and, analogy. George Orwell put many different types of conflict in his book Animal Farm such as; character vs character, character vs society, and character vs nature. Both Snowball and Napoleon wantRead MoreThe Meaning Of Heritage In The Color Purple By Alice Walker771 Words   |  4 PagesMany African-American quilts that were made after the Civil War and emancipation were made from scraps of clothing and other like materials. Born in 1944 in Eatonton, Georgia, Alice Walker grew up as the youngest sibling in a poor family. As a Civil Rights activist, Walker fought for the equality of all African-Americans. She is best known for her novel The Color Purple which was published in 1982. In 1973, she released the story collection In Love and Trouble which included the short story â€Å"EverydayRead MoreAmerican South And Race Relations Essay1186 Words   |  5 Pagesthe historical bible of the Civil Rights Movement. His second most influential work is  Origins of the New South, 1877-1913.  It was published in 1951. During his life he received several honors and recognition for his work such as the Gold Medal of the National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society, the  Bancroft Prize for  Origins of the New South, 1877-1913  and the  Pulitzer Prize  in 1982 for  Mary Chesnut s Civil War. Following Woodward’s deathRead MoreThe Strange Career Of Jim Crow Essay1417 Words   |  6 Pagesthe book to be, the historical bible of the Civil Rights Movement. His second most influential work is Origins of the New South, 1877-1913. It was published in 1951. He held the Gold Medal of the National Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters and was a member of the British Academy and the Royal Historical Society.  He won the  Bancroft Prize for Origins of the New South, 1877-1913, as well as the  Pulitzer Prize  in 1982 for  Mary Chesnut s Civil War. Following Woodward’s death in 1999, the  S outhernRead MoreSymbolism and Literary Techniques in George Orwells Animal Farm1167 Words   |  5 PagesGeorge Orwell’s Animal Farm is an allegoric fairy tale type novel that uses irony, satire, and allegory to portray the true identity of media censored Communist Russia. Because of the relationship between America and Communist Russia during WWII, Animal Farm was not originally received with warmth because it was thought of as harmful propaganda. But then, during the Cold War, when US-USSR relations soured, George Orwell’s novel was finally read. George Orwell, the pseudonym of Eric Blair, conceivedRead MoreLovely English in The Red Badge of Courage by Henry Flemming1356 Words   |  5 PagesCourage is a great American classic, and this wonderful quote sums up the entire novel from start to finish. The novel is a novel about a solider in the civil war who deals with the difficulties of being in war. The novel follows and captures his journey using many literary elements. Crane’s use of style, plot, setting, and characters help enhance the story. The use of these literary elements helps enhance the novel and help readers understand the struggles of a solider during the civil war. The first