Joe Bennaugh
3/15/10
English 10 adv.
What were some of the specific causes of the Civil War? Who chose which side and
why? Were families divided? What defined the two sides?
1. Economic and social differences between the North and the South.
2. States versus federal rights
3. The fight between Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents.
4. Growth of the Abolition Movement.
5. The election of Abraham Lincoln (Martin).
Martin, Kelley. "Top Five Causes of the Civil War." About.com/American History.
About.com Guide, 2/March/2010. Web. 16 Mar 2010.
<http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/a/cause_civil_war.htm>.
The Civil War has long been described as a war pitting "brother against brother."
The divided family is an enduring metaphor for the divided nation, but it also accurately
reflects the reality of America's bloodiest war. n hundreds of border state households,
brothers--and sisters--really did fight one another, while fathers and sons argued over
secession and husbands and wives struggled with opposing national loyalties. Even
enslaved men and women found themselves divided over how to respond to the war
(Taylor).
Taylor, Amy Murrell. "The Divided Family in Civil War America." University of
North Carolina Press (2009): 336. Web. 16 Mar 2010.
<http://uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=1284>.
2. We know which side the author of this letter supported - the Union. Outside of this letter, how
do we know? Is the information available?
To maintain the government that men 100 years previous had fought and died to
create. Many people ignorantly think that the Union was fighting to end slavery. No. That
was one of the many reasons they were fighting the Confederacy. The number one reason
was to preserve the United States and prevent secession from ripping the country in half
(ID0213391242).
"What reasons does major sullivan ballou give in his letter for defending the unoin." Wikianswers.
Wikianswers/Civil War, 23 Jan 2009. Web. 16 Mar 2010. <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Special:
Contributions&target=ip:ID0213391242>.
Mrs. Huber's class, Pocantico Hills School. "Graphs." Civil War for Kids. N.p., 2/12/05. Web. 17
Mar 2010. <http://www.pocanticohills.org/civilwar/cwar.htm>.