Essay
Informative Speech On The Civil War
Academic level: College
Discipline: Communications
Format: MLA
Sources: 2
Pages: 3

Civil War
Introduction
Did you know that during the American Civil War more than 600,000 Americans died
(History.com par. 1)? The number of people who perished in this war was higher compared to
that of all the wars America participated in, starting from the American Revolution to the Korean
War. Millions of people were injured. All the Americans that died during the civil war still affect
our daily lives today. The Civil War changed the nation to what it is today. There were different
causes for war, and some of the major battles fought in the Civil War as well as various
outcomes of the war. A number of wealthy and powerful people were involved in the war. The
reason for this speech is to inform my community of the causes, major battles fought, prominent
people and the effects of the Civil War.
Body
Among the chief causes were slavery, the Fugitive Slave Law, Quakers, and abolitionists.
What is your definition of slavery? A loose definition would be that slavery is the act of
possessing and owning another person‘s freedom and liberties. During the 1960’s people saw
slaves as part of their property and not human beings. Also, the white population used the slaves
to work on their plantations. There were occasions when educated, and wealthy African
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Americans who had farms employed several slaves to work for them. Some of the white people
were also slaves because of their place of origin.
Another cause for the civil war was that the Quakers and abolitionists did not support the
idea of slavery since the white people viewed the African American people as property and not
human beings. The abolitionists believed that slavery was evil and their desire was for slavery to
become illegal everywhere in America. Some of the abolitionists included Fredrick Douglass,
Harriet Beecher, John Brown and Harriet Tubman. Therefore, they started convincing people
that slavery was something wrong and to be ended.. The Southerners became afraid that the
abolition of slavery would lead to the end of their lofty lifestyle. For example, John Brown
attempted to organize a slave rebellion in Harper’s Ferry found in Virginia. Despite the fact that
his plan failed, he had mobilized a large number of people against their masters.
The Fugitive Slave Law was another primary cause of the war. Most of the northerners
were against the Law and therefore breaking it. The Quakers used to help protect the escapees
who were running away from their masters and plantations. They would give the fugitives food,
clothing, and shelter until they were able to escape from the country using the Underground
Railroad. The famous abolitionist of the Underground Railroad was Harriet Tubman (HistoryNet
par. 7).
Some of the battles during the civil war include the attack on the Fort Sumter; it was the
first rebellion of the Confederate State. Another batle was the Bull Run attack, which was the
actual beginning of war. During the Antietam war approximately 12, 410 Union soldiers and
around 13, 724 soldiers of the Confederation were injured. However, the Union force victory
made a halt to the advancement of the Confederate side to Maryland and made them go to
Virginia. The Gettysburg battle was the turning point for the end of the civil war (History.com
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par. 10). The Confederates attacked the Union troops yet after three days of fighting the Union
forces were able to repell the Confederation forces from the heart of Union territory. This battle
costed the lives of around 60% of the Coonfederation forces.
Some of the most influential people of the war were Abraham Lincoln, at that time the
President of American State and of the Union. Jefferson Davis, the Confederate State’s
President. Ulysses Grant who was the Victorious military leader of the Union, the one who
defeated the military commander of the Confederates. Robert Lee, one of the commanders of the
Confederation.
The war led to the surrender of Robert Lee in Virginia at a place known as Appomattox
Courthouse after the realization that he was unable to get any supplies since the Union armies
had blocked it. Among other consequences of the war were the changes to the Constitution, such
as the 13th Amendment, which led to the abolition of the slavery. The 14th Amendment, which
granted the African Americans the rights to become citizens and be protected by the law. The
15th Amendment granted men the right to vote regardless their color, race, or their previous ties
to slavery. It led to the destruction of most of the southerners land and economy. The war
resulted in hatred and intolerance between the white population and African Americans that has
lasted for several years.
Conclusion
The Civil War is undoubtedly something people will remember for years to come. The
conflict let to profound changes in the society, politics and economy of the young State.
However it is fair to note that precisely this armed conflict brought the United Stares of America
to the prosperous state it now enjoys.
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Work Cited
History.com. “American Civil War History – American Civil War.” history.com (2009): n.pag.
www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history. Accessed 22
Feb. 2017.
HistoryNet. Causes of the civil war. HistoryNet, 2017. www.historynet.com/causes-of-the-civilwar
Accessed 22 Feb. 2017.