April 9, 2015 marks the 150th anniversary of the
infamous surrender of General Robert E Lee and the Confederate Army to General
Ulysses S. Grant and the Union Army bringing an end to the American Civil
War.
The American Civil War was the most deadly war ever fought
by the United States. After 4 years of
fighting, approximately 2% of our population had lost their lives. That is the equivalent to the entire
population of Chicago in terms of today’s population.
It was the beginning of modern warfare. In addition to new weapons making it easier
to eliminate your enemy, we also made significant progress providing medical
care in the field of battle and addressing the sanitation of camps. Of the 620,000 fatalities of the Civil War,
more than 66% died of disease. By the
end of the war, the US Sanitation Commission reduced the disease rates by
50%.
The Civil War redefined the United States and forever
altered the ideas of freedom and liberty in our country. At the conclusion of the war, more than 4
million slaves were freed. In addition
to the physical wounds and rebuilding the structures damaged and destroyed
during the war, the country needed to redefine its culture and views of
humanity. There is evidence today that
we are still a work in progress.
What do you know about the Civil War? Knowing what we know today, was the Civil War
worth the cost, or was there another way?
How should the Civil War be remembered, something to be celebrated or a
source of embarrassment?
I don't know a lot about the Civil war but I know it was the bloodiest battle in U.S. history and that it led to the end of slavery in the U.S. I think that it was definitely worth it because even though it was very violent, at least it brought an end to slavery. I think one way to remember the war is with black history month.
ReplyDeleteI know that the Civil war was fought between Northern states and Southern states about abolishing slavery. I also know the North won. I think it was worth it because if not slavery may still exist and America might be a completely different place. I think it should be remembered as when we got rid of slavery.
ReplyDeleteI know that the civil war was a war a war that was about slavery and lasted a long time. I think that there shouldn't have happened and that it could've been solved easier. THe civil war shoyuld be embaressing and it should be remembered so we dont repeat the past you are domed to if you dont remember it. WE are a proud country that dont remember of wrongs and what we did wrong to other people and countries.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the civil war. All I know is that the union won and really not much more. I think it was. because if the union won there would be more than 195 countries. the civil war should be celebrated by a parade or something because it taught us a lesson.Even though we are different we need to work together. the civil war is a big part of our history. we lost more people in the civil war than we did in every other war. ( given that we haven't fought alot of wars on U.S soil that's not alot.)
ReplyDeleteBut we didn't work together, we fought each other, our own country fought against each other.
DeleteI know that the Cicil War was a war between North and South America. The South ran on slavery but the North wanted slavery to end. Elections were going on during this time in history and when a northern American won (Abraham Lincoln) the South wanted to become its own country. This however, was not something that the North was just going to give so they went to war. The South was okay with this because they thought that other countries would come to their aid because of all the cotton they exported. But other countries didn't come to the South's aid and eventually the North won and the amount of slavery greatly decreased over the years. I don't think the Civil War was worth the cost at all. I mean losing so many lives having tension in one country that is supposed to be united. I think that the South should have been more willing to cooperate in giving up slavery instead of wanting to keep it so much that they were willing to go to war with the other half of their country for it. Even though it did take many lives it is still something to celebrate because it was a start to freeing the United States from having such a horrid thing as slavery. So yes, it is something that should be celebrated.
ReplyDeleteOn the first sentence I meant Civil not Cicil.
DeleteThe Civil War was an important era in our nation's history, and we would not be where we are today without it. The Civil War was a time where slavery was on the brink of change, and some people were happy about it, while others were not. When President Lincoln was voted in, the South decided to become a free country, because Lincoln didn't believe in slavery. But, the rest of the US did not want them to become free, so the Civil War began. In the end, the North won, and the South stayed part of the United States. As a result, slavery in the US was abolished, and there were also many advancements in medicine and warfare. So, I think that the Civil War was worth the cost, because without it, we would probably still be struggling with the ideas of slavery. I think the Civil War should be remembered because, although it could be considered embarrassing, we would not be where we are today without it. If we forget what happened, we will forget that something good always comes out of our struggles. We must remember the Civil War, to help us keep faith during hard times.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge on the Civil War is very small. All I know is that is was a long battle in the United States. But reading the blog post above did give me a better understanding of it. I do think the war was worth the cost. But sadly we did lose a lot of lives in this war. When anybody goes to war it is a huge deal and it can be very violent, but I don’t know how the North and South would’ve solved the conflict when the two sides have two completely different strong opinions, and how they would’ve reached an agreement on such crucial topics. There were positives and negatives from this war, so I don’t think we should be embarrassed, but I also don’t think we should take a lot of pride in this war either. We couldn’t have positively changed as a country if we didn’t have challenges like this along the way. So overall, the best thing to do is to learn from the past. I do think it should be celebrated because in the end there were lots of positive outcomes like the decrease of slavery, and disease rates were reduced by 50%. Nobody said it would be easy to be where we are today, so I think we are doing a good job as a country, and there is always room for improvement.
ReplyDeleteI know very little about the civil war, but I do know that it was a very important war that shaped our nations history. This blog gave me a better understanding of the war and theway it took it's course. I deffinatly think the civil war was worth it's cost. It forever changed not only our country but also the world. It abolished slavery and changed the course of History. I am honored to be a member of the country who has had such a big impact on the world. This being said, I think that the civil war should be remembered as an accomplishment because it was such a huge step to end slavery. It was terrible that so many people died but it was worth the cost in my mind.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge about the civil war is, sadly, limited. I never really learned in depth about it, but I learned about the basis of the conflict. The civil war was a war that is very important because it is one of the reasons that our country is the way it is today. It was a war over slavery that divided the U.S in half. The north wanted to bring slavery to an end, whereas the south were perfectly happy with enslaving the African-Americans. There was a war between the two that went on for a few years, I think. Even after the civil war came to an end, there was still discrimination between white and black people. but after people like Martin Luther King Jr., that fortunately ended as well, for the most part. It was very sad for all those people who had to die, but if the civil war hadn't happened, we might still have slaves today. If you think about it, the civil war wasn't that long ago. I am proud that our country made such a huge accomplishment and impacted the world.
ReplyDeleteThe civil war was a war fought for freedom, I know that Abraham Lincoln was president at the time and this was a huge war that sculpted the United States. The price we paid, to me, was worth it because we earned freedom and respect from the world. Although we did lose many soldiers, those soldiers are respected completley as they fought for our country. We should be proud of the civil war because it defined the word patrism and made us free. :)
ReplyDeleteI know that the civil war was over freedom and I think land. Back then it was worth but now it wasn't the wisest choice because they should have negotiated. I mean there were families who turned on each other and killed one another. Honestly, I don't know how to think of it I think it is kind of an embarrassment because we turned on each other but it should be celebrated because we did it to end slavery
ReplyDeleteI know a little about the Civil War, but not a ton. I know that one of the generals partaking in the event was Ulysses S. Grant, who later became one of our American presidents. In addition, I'm aware that it was a battle between the Northern and Southern States that were then established throughout the nation. Both sides had different views politically, and different views on how we should treat others, and the interpretation of our Civil Rights. However, the north ended up prevailing, and the south surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse. The abashment of slavery and unequal rights came into action only because the north won, so it is a very important day in America's history.
ReplyDeleteI think the Civil War was worth the cost, because of the new changes implemented within the country. Additionally, we would not know the outcome if this battle wouldn't have happened- the possibilities are endless, and many are quite negative. I believe this was the only way to settle the dissension between the two sides, because they would have not come to an agreement without a fight.
I think the Civil War should definitely be remembered as an achievement! It was a turn in America's views, and a step in the right direction. While it is very sad that so many lives were lost, we allowed so many more lives to live and thrive because of the equal rights.
I don't know a lot about the Civil War. I know that the war was about slaves and I know that America was totally divided in this time. I think that the Civil War was necessary but I feel that there was a better way, like negotiating. I feel that the Civil War was worth the cost because it stopped (or really slowed) slavery. While there was a lot of death, there was a good outcome. I think that the Civil war should be look on both as an achievement and a bad thing. It was an achievement because it put the view of America in a good direction, while it brought a lot of death.
ReplyDeleteI do not know a lot about what happened in the Civil War. It was about freedom and the way that we treated slaves at the time. I think that it was not needed. People should have had the decency to realize that the slaves were people too. If they were kinder to the slaves, and not have even had slaves in the first place, then the whole war could not have even happened. That means that 2% of the population did not have to die. This all could have been avoided. This should be remembered as a day embarrassment because we treated the slaves horribly! We still, to an extent, are not always nice.
ReplyDeleteI know the civil war was about north and south agreeing about the issue of slavery I don't think the it would have happened because both sides were thinking that they were right. It's embarrassing that the people couldn't solve their differences.
ReplyDeleteI only know a little bit about the civil war. I do know that it was mostly about slaves, and weather they should be free or not. During the civil war America was going through very hard times, and the people were far from unified. I think that the civil war was not worth it because yes, the slaves were free, but we still treated them badly and gave them no rights. So, the African American people were technically not free even after the war.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the Civil War, but I do know that it was a war between the North and South. Families turned on each other and it was father against son in some areas. It was about the freedom of slaves. The North thought they they should be free but the South was afraid of who would work on their plantations. Abraham Lincoln was president and delivered the Gettysburg Address. Without it we would probably still be using slave labor in the South today. There was no way around it but it is not celebrated because most people are embarrassed that we did such bad things to people. There should be a parade though to celebrate.
ReplyDeleteI don't know too much about the Civil War, but I did know that it was a very bloody battle. I also knew it was for freedom and the way we treated slaves. I don'y think a full on war was needed. Think about this question, is there a silver lining in slaves? Take a moment to thimk about this in your head. My answer is YES! There is a silver lining in slaves. It is that they are NORMAL PEOPLE!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that there should be a celebration for the Civil War. It was all just a total embarassment, because people didn't really understand what a normal human being is. Some people today still don't understand that. Blacks are normal people, gays are normal, WE ARE ALL NORMAL PEOPLE!!
I know little about the Civil War, but I know that it was a war between the North and South and was mainly fought over slavery. I also know that many American died and Abraham Lincoln was the President during the war. While freeing the slaves was very important, it sure would have been nice to have had a different way to settle the question. Maybe the North and South could have spoken more and come up with a more diplomatic solution. So many people lost their lives. As tragic as it was, the Civil War should be remembered as a celebration, because it freed African Americans (and others) from slavery. Things would certainly be different today if that war hadn't happened.
ReplyDeleteI don't know nearly as much about the war that I should, but that is the point of next year's history class. The Civil War was a terrible battle that ended lots of lives, but I do not think that there was another way to solve such a big disagreement at the time of it. The Civil War can be celebrated differently according to different people and how it effected them individually or their family. For me personally, I think that it should be celebrated for the step forward from slavery, even though it didn't stop discrimination against the African-Americans.
ReplyDeleteI am not really a Civial War buff, but I know that it was between the Confederates and the Union. It was, essentially, the decider on slavery. It also caused death; all of Chicago! That's a lot of people! But innovation came out of the war as well; sanitation was increased and so was battlefield medical care. Although, this blog helped me to better understand it.
ReplyDeleteTo us, our automatic answer is "no war." But some people kind of needed the jolt in daily life to understand some things. Sure, no Civil War would have been less costly, but would it have conveyed the necessary point?
The Civil War, despite the losses, should be celebratory. This helped us lose slavery in our country, get closer to equality, and provided innovations. But, that's not to say that it is not a somber time. It is a time to remember the casualties and the true meaning of the event.
I don't know a lot about the Civil War, but I know it was a war of the Northern and Southern states. It has been the bloodiest war in the U.S. history. They were fighting over slavery. The South had slaves, and the North didn't, and the North didn't think it was right. I think it was worth it, because it ended slavery in the United States.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the Civil War but I do know it was an extremely horrific event. I should know more about it but I don't which isn't good. The Civil War was terrible but it was amazing in the long run. Our medical research got better, our weapons got better, and we learned more about disease.Personally I don't think there was any other way. We should remember it as a Great day in history.
ReplyDeleteI do not know a whole lot about the civil wart but I do know that it was very violent and it was fought between the north and south. Many Americans were killed and in the end southern slaves were freed. I think it is a good thing that black slaves were freed at the end of the war but, I think that it is not do good that it took took a long, bloody war for our country to realize that we needed to work together. We should probably be embarrassed that our country could not agree and that we tuned against each other but it was also a period of time where we improved our country. We made important advancements in our weapons and medical research. So I think that overall it should be remembered as a great period of time.
ReplyDeleteI do not know a whole lot about the civil wart but I do know that it was very violent and it was fought between the north and south. Many Americans were killed and in the end southern slaves were freed. I think it is a good thing that black slaves were freed at the end of the war but, I think that it is not do good that it took took a long, bloody war for our country to realize that we needed to work together. We should probably be embarrassed that our country could not agree and that we tuned against each other but it was also a period of time where we improved our country. We made important advancements in our weapons and medical research. So I think that overall it should be remembered as a great period of time.
ReplyDeleteI know that the Civil War took place in the 1800s and was fought by leaders Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, etc. The north and south of the United States fought against each other in the Civil War, and the north won. Knowing what we know today, I would say that the Civil War was not worth the cost. We did not need our own country fighting against each other. What if the south won. There could still be slavery happening which would be terrible. I wouldn't say the Civil War was an embarrassment, or something to celebrate. I think the Civil War is something to remember as a battle fought by strong people, and as an event where we were at the beginning of modern warfare and great medical care.
ReplyDeleteI don't know that much about the civil war but I know it was over slavery. I think that is was defiantly worth the cost because so many people are now treated better in what we like to think is the land of the free. If the south side had one the united states would be what we came to be against. I don't think there was another way. I think it should be looked upon as a great war and it was defiantly worth all of the lost blood.
ReplyDeleteI know some things about the civil war, but not a lot about it,but what I do know is that it ended slavery in the US. I definitely know that it was worth it, even know it was one of the bloodiest battle in the US, it had to be done to end and abolish slavery. I think that one way that we are already doing is black history month because it shows that we remember the past and it won't happen again.
ReplyDeleteThe Civil War was a war fought between the north of the USA and the south of USA. There seems to be very little about the Civil War, but there is a lot to it. It may seem like the south fighting against the north over slavery, and it is, but there is more to it than that. I will admit that I don't know that part of it though.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it was necessary for the Civil War to occur. It is the reason that America is this way today. If the war didn't occur then there would still be slavery and segregation. There still are some racist people, but it would be worse than that if our country hadn't gone through it.
I also believe that there wasn't another way. There had already been to much suffering to talk it out. To much had been done by the time the war occurred that would enable them to even talk about it.
Overall, I am not sure how the Civil War should be thought of as. It was bad because many people lost their lives. Although, it is a foundation of our country's history. Things changed because of the war. I may not know how the Civil War should be remembered, but it should be in a good way.
The Civill War was the USA fighting against its self. The north and the south were fighting for much more than thought of. At first I thought that they were only fighting against slavery; if slavery should or shouldn’t be continued and should the slaves have wrights.But now I know that it is much more than that, they were fighting over freedom overall. In account to if the civil war was worth it or not I think that it was. Just think, what would the USA be without it. We would still have poor sanitation on the battle fields and not many black wrights. Though there are still some racist people in the world but there are wrights and laws in place to prevent them. No there was no other way. Think about it, is there any way to settle an argument if there is no conversation? I am not sure how the Civil War should be remembered, there were so many people who lost there lives but at the same time it was a great part of the American history. I think that it should be remembered but in a respectful way that not only commemorates the fallen but also rejoices bout our nations progress.
ReplyDeleteI know that the South wanted to split from the union because it was the southern states vs. the northern states and the northern states won. During the time of the civil war, Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation but not because he was all about freeing the slaves. He wanted the Southerners to relent and surrender which was so much easier to get them to do if they didn't have any people working for them. I don't think that it was worth the cost because there were so many other possible routes that could have been taken and when you think about all the lives that were lost then you know that nothing is equivalent to the incredible value of the life that was lost in both the Southern and Northern states. I think that it was something to be celebrated because while there was many other paths that should have been taken to arrive at the same outcome, it was the start of the chain of events that began the movement for the end of slavery.
ReplyDeleteWhat i know about the Civil War is that it was a fight over slavery. The North wanted all slaves to be freed and the South wanted to restore White supremacy and keep slavery legal. It was the bloodiest war in the history of the US and we lost more soldiers in the Civil War than in any other war. And we were fighting against ourselves. I think that we needed to fight the war because the South wouldn't give up slavery without a fight so it would be hard to abolish it anyways. The Civil War should be remembered as something that helped take segregation in the United States down a notch and try but still today the battles that took place 150 years ago are still being fought today. we hear about it every week, another murder or violence taking place against black people. No, the fight is not over and it won't be for awhile.
ReplyDeleteI know that the civil war was a was that was fought between the north and the south of the United States. I also know that President Lincoln was the leader of the U.S at that time, and was an advocate for slave rights. I have also heard of brothers fighting against brothers in that was, and how even women helped with the war effort. I think that the civil war was worth the cost but I am not one to say that. I did not have half of my family killed, or have my lifestyle destroyed. I think that it was worth it though because of how it shaped america into what it is today. I do think that there would have been other ways, but they probably would have taken much longer. I think that the end of the war is something we should celebrate because some of the people were fighting for the right thing, so we should not be embarrassed.
ReplyDeleteI know that the Civil war was between the north and the south. I also know that it was a fight over weather they should keep slavery or abolish it. I think that it was worth it to abolish slavery because yes a lot of people died but we did what had to be done. It was the human thing to do and people fight for what they believe in. If you don't believe in something you don't fight for it. I don't realy know if there was another way cause thats how history is made it is made off different decissions important people have made. I don't really know if it would of just died out you just never know . I think it should be something you celebrate not to be embarrassed about. You should be proud that your country is the best on the planet and that it overcame that.
ReplyDeletei know that the civil war was between the south and the north. it was also about whether the should keep the slaves of not, i know that Abraham Linkion was on the south's side which was the side agent the slavery. i think that knowing what we know today it was a horrible choice to have the civil war, it was stupid , we should have known that slavery was the worst possible thing to do. But on the other hand... even Abe once had a slaves b/c it was the normal thing to do was to one slaves almost every one ones a slave. In conclusion i think that is was a horrible idea to one slaves and we shouldn't have had to have a war about it. We should have know that the black's were people to and it was wrong to put them into manual labor.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Civil war was not some-thing to be proud of but it is something that we did so i think that it is fine that we celebrate it, nothing we do should be an embarrassment if we did it than embrace the fact the we did something wrong. It would be stupid to protest of something you cant change. we did it and, we cant go back in time and change the fact that we even thought of doing something so terrible. It's our history. So ya I think that it is fine that we celebrate it.
I know some things about the civil war for example it was a dissagreement between the North and the South. The north wanted to end slavery but the south wanted to countinue it. Also shortly after the war enden with north coming out on top Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. I think it was worthet in some ways as in slavery was ended. But also the United States almost fell apart and lots of people were killed. I think we should remember the civil war as the only time when the U.S almost split apart. But also as the time that we ended slavery.
ReplyDeleteI dont know uch about the Civil War but i have a guess thatit was to fight over our freedom. I also heard that it was the most gruesome was that was ever taken. I think that the cost was worth it becasue we got through it to win. The civil war should be remembered as a time to think of others who sacraficed themelves to help us.I think we could also celebrate Civil War day by having a parade that goes on that is very big but silent in memory again of those who died to save milllions of other people.
ReplyDeleteI only know a couple of things on the civil war. I know that it was fought in 1861 and ended in 1865. President Abraham Lincoln was the president during the time of the war. He wrote the emancipation proclamation to free the slaves. One other thing I know is the North wanted to end slavery and the south wanted to keep it going . Obviously, the North won because we do not have slavery anymore. I believe the civil war was worth the cost. Many people will say we could of just sat down and talked it out but that's not the way things worked back then. Many things had to be done by war. I think we should remember this war forever because we need to look back on the problems the united states had. Its good for us to look back on these things so we don't make these mistakes again.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about the civil war, but I just know that the North and South, Union and Confederacy, were fighting about economic differences, federal rights, slavery, abolition, and the election of Abraham Lincoln. The Union won, which is why we don't have a completely racist country. I don't think a stupid war was worth it, because a country shouldn't have to go to war because of different thoughts and opinions. Our Founding Fathers worked so hard to create a country that would be peaceful, equal, and economically superb, until some guy got picky about the country not being good enough, and that everyone has to have the same idea. There is a memorial day for the Civil War, but it's kind of an embarrassment that our country would go to war with each other right after our country was freed form Britain, and that the only countries now and then that has had Civil Wars are the countries in the Middle East.
ReplyDeleteThe Civil War was a bloody horrible war, but we grew stronger as a country. The Civil War as about many things and it really bothers e when someone says "the Civil War was about the slaves". Slavery is wrong, yes but the Civil War (at least what i was taught) was about money. A lot of controversial subjects are about money. The souths economy was booming because of the cotton plantations run by slaves. THe North however didn't have slaves. Yes slavery is wrong and slavery had to do with the civil war, but thats not the whole story. Really I don't know if there was another way. When you have two opposing sides, they are liable to act immature and are hard to negotiate with. (and connor, there are civil wars in africa) Sometomes a war is the only way if you look at it the that way. If you watch a debate or something like that, its often hard for the two sides to find an agreement. And if the Union and the Confederacy sat down and talked, the citizens would have started one without the leaders approval. THe War wasn't an embarrassment at all. Im proud that we came to a conclusion and that we have the spirit to fight for what we think is right. Our Founding Fathers wanted us to express our opinions and live in a society where we can think whatever we want.
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