Assignment:
Over 600,000 Americans lost their lives in the Civil War, with the Northern troops suffering higher losses. The North believed the sacrifice was worth it: The slaves were freed and the Union was preserved. The people of the South, on the other hand, began almost immediately to glorify the "lost cause." Their generals became mythic heroes, and they looked wistfully back at the antebellum period. They almost regretted surrendering.
Historian Shelby Foote said,"Any understanding of this nation has to be based . . . on an understanding of the Civil War. . . . The Civil War defined us as what we are, and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things. It is very necessary if you're going to understand the American character in the 20th century to learn about this enormous catastrophe of the mid-19th century. It was the crossroads of our being."
Burns, K. & Burns, R. (Writers). (1990). Episode 1: The cause (1861). In K. Burns (Producer), The Civil War. Arlington, VA: Public Broadcasting Service.
Write an 800 to 1200 word paper in which you answer four of the following five questions:
1. What are the significant differences between the Confederate (CSA) and the Federal (USA) Constitutions. What does this say about initial Confederate war aims?
2. What is meant by the phrase "Rich man's war, poor man's fight"?
3. What was the attitude of the European powers toward the American Civil War?
4. What was the role in the US Navy in the Federal victory?
5. Why did the South lose? Why did the North win?
Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.
Research includes four or more sources documented by correct APA citations and references.
Note: Wikipedia and dictionaries are not acceptable academic sources.