Den Amerikanske Borgerkrig: årsager og forløb

The civil war started because 11 southern states broke away from the Union to start their own government called the confederated states of America. It happened because of a long standing debate about slavery. The northern states were the opponents of slavery on one side and the southern states were the advocates of slavery on the other side. After the violence in Kansas caused by an issue about slavery, Kansas entered the Union as a free state. The southern states began to think that president Abraham Lincoln would abolish slavery and make decisions without them. So henceforth, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas broke away from the Union and formed the confederated states of America. Now there was not one country but North and South. The first battle during the civil war was at Fort Sumter, in South Carolina. Not a major battle but it was the start of many other battles. Such as the battle in Gettysburg Pennsylvania, the bloodiest battle in American history and also the turning point in the civil war. It ended when general Meade and his army got Robert E. Lees army forced away from Pennsylvania. Meanwhile the Union had gained control over Mississippi River and port of New Orland which had split the confederacy into two. After Ulysses S. Grant was made commander it got worse for Robert E. Lee. Ulysses S. Grant made a lot of surprise attacks against Lee's army. Meanwhile another Union general marched through Georgia and the Carolinas, destroying everything on his way. Finally, the Union had invaded the confederate capital of Richmond and the confederate states surrendered on April 9, 1865. There was a huge difference between the North’s and South’s opinion on slavery. On one side we have the northern states who didn’t want slavery because it was getting more and more expensive and because they were in an evolution towards a more industrialised country with factories that didn’t had slaves as “employees” but “normal” employees. On the other side we have the southern states that had enough money to keep the slaves. To them it was essential to keep slaves, since it was a big part of their business. Most of the population in the southern states were farmers and at the time there was a growing demand on cotton on the world marked, the farmers used the slaves to refine the cotton and they could make a big profit by using the slaves. That was the main reason they didn’t want to abolish slavery. But it was also a sign op power and money to keep slaves.