Famous Individuals of the Civil War
There were many important individuals who contributed their efforts to the Civil War. Without all of these people, America would not be the country that it is today. One of the most influential people during the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He became our 16th president in 1860, the year before the war started. His election is actually one of the underlying causes of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln spoke out against slavery, and so the South was not in favor of him, as slavery made them prosperous through cotton-producing especially. After he was elected, South Carolina quickly seceded from the Union. Other Southern states would then follow suit. This created an even bigger divide between the North and South then there had been previously, as they were not even in the same country anymore! Abraham Lincoln continued to keep fighting, though, and helped the North to win the war.
One way he did this was with technology. The North had much more technology than the South (such as the telegraph, railroads, rifles and minie balls, etc.), and therefore could keep their soldiers healthier, transport messages quicker, and have more accurate and faster weapons. This you can read more about in the "Military" section, and also the section on "The Culture of the North and South." Abraham Lincoln eventually accomplished his goal, and abolished slavery. Congress officially recognized making slavery illegal as the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865. Lincoln's first official declaration that slavery was now illegal was on January 1, 1863. It was the Emancipation Proclamation. In this, Lincoln stated that all slaves in the 10 rebellious states (states in the South) were now free. It was groundbreaking, and changed the United States forever. Abraham Lincoln is also very well known for giving the Gettysburg Address. This was a speech he gave on November 19, 1863. He gave the speech as a dedication at the memorial for the Battle of Gettysburg, considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. In his speech, he talked about the principles of human equality. It is one of the most famous speeches in American history.
Although President Lincoln was much loved by many, his fame also made some hate him, specifically those in the South. One person who had an incredibly strong hatred towards him was John Wilkes Booth. Though well-known in the 1860s for his acting, Booth is now known for assassinating Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth belonged to the Booth theatrical family, as his whole family was made up of prominent actors of the time. Booth was also a strong Confederate sympathizer, which eventually led to his motive to assassinate Lincoln. He initially wanted to kidnap him, and hold him until all Confederate prisoners in the North were released. When Lincoln's plans changed last minute, he gave up on his idea. Though, after he heard that Robert E. Lee surrendered to the North at the Battle of Appomattox, he changed his goal to assassination. He learned that Lincoln was planning to attend a play at the Ford's Theatre, and, on April 14, 1865, he shot him. He immediately fled the theatre. He kept dodging pursuers until they found him hidden at the Garret Farm. Sergeant Boston Corbett set the barn he was hidden in on fire, and ultimately shot him as he tried to escape, on April 26, 1865.
Though President Lincoln's ways did cause some, like Booth, to hate him, his fight for abolition also inspired many to do the same, like Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, in Connecticut. She got much education in her youth. She always believed in abolishing slavery, and expressed her views in her famous book Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1851. She captured the nation's attention by writing about slavery, particularly on how it effected families and children. The North wholeheartedly embraced the book, but the South despised it. This book drove the wedge between the North and South just a little deeper. When Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, he said, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War!" Even though her book did not directly cause the Civil War, it certainly showed the ever-increasing differences between the North and the South.
There were many individuals that effected the Civil War. Without these people, our country would not be what it is today. They put their lives on the line to fight for what they believed in, and, for those in the North, it turned out to be a success. Slavery was abolished, and the nation was united as one again.
One way he did this was with technology. The North had much more technology than the South (such as the telegraph, railroads, rifles and minie balls, etc.), and therefore could keep their soldiers healthier, transport messages quicker, and have more accurate and faster weapons. This you can read more about in the "Military" section, and also the section on "The Culture of the North and South." Abraham Lincoln eventually accomplished his goal, and abolished slavery. Congress officially recognized making slavery illegal as the 13th Amendment on January 31, 1865. Lincoln's first official declaration that slavery was now illegal was on January 1, 1863. It was the Emancipation Proclamation. In this, Lincoln stated that all slaves in the 10 rebellious states (states in the South) were now free. It was groundbreaking, and changed the United States forever. Abraham Lincoln is also very well known for giving the Gettysburg Address. This was a speech he gave on November 19, 1863. He gave the speech as a dedication at the memorial for the Battle of Gettysburg, considered one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. In his speech, he talked about the principles of human equality. It is one of the most famous speeches in American history.
Although President Lincoln was much loved by many, his fame also made some hate him, specifically those in the South. One person who had an incredibly strong hatred towards him was John Wilkes Booth. Though well-known in the 1860s for his acting, Booth is now known for assassinating Abraham Lincoln. John Wilkes Booth belonged to the Booth theatrical family, as his whole family was made up of prominent actors of the time. Booth was also a strong Confederate sympathizer, which eventually led to his motive to assassinate Lincoln. He initially wanted to kidnap him, and hold him until all Confederate prisoners in the North were released. When Lincoln's plans changed last minute, he gave up on his idea. Though, after he heard that Robert E. Lee surrendered to the North at the Battle of Appomattox, he changed his goal to assassination. He learned that Lincoln was planning to attend a play at the Ford's Theatre, and, on April 14, 1865, he shot him. He immediately fled the theatre. He kept dodging pursuers until they found him hidden at the Garret Farm. Sergeant Boston Corbett set the barn he was hidden in on fire, and ultimately shot him as he tried to escape, on April 26, 1865.
Though President Lincoln's ways did cause some, like Booth, to hate him, his fight for abolition also inspired many to do the same, like Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was born on June 14, 1811, in Connecticut. She got much education in her youth. She always believed in abolishing slavery, and expressed her views in her famous book Uncle Tom's Cabin, written in 1851. She captured the nation's attention by writing about slavery, particularly on how it effected families and children. The North wholeheartedly embraced the book, but the South despised it. This book drove the wedge between the North and South just a little deeper. When Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, he said, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that started this Great War!" Even though her book did not directly cause the Civil War, it certainly showed the ever-increasing differences between the North and the South.
There were many individuals that effected the Civil War. Without these people, our country would not be what it is today. They put their lives on the line to fight for what they believed in, and, for those in the North, it turned out to be a success. Slavery was abolished, and the nation was united as one again.