The Civil War ultimately became a war over the freedom of blacks, marking a significant change in the nation. It was one of the bloodiest wars in American history, leaving over 600,000 dead. The South rejected the idea that the government had the right to force them to stay in the Union and compared it to the American Revolution. Lincoln argued that the South had no right under the Constitution to leave the Union, therefore, introducing war. For a while, Lincoln was under pressure to make the war a battle over slavery, but he refused. Ultimately, Lincoln projected the damages to the country that would occur if the South were allowed to secede into a nation built upon slavery. As a result, he introduced the Emancipation Proclamation.
On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln notified the country in the Emancipation Proclamation that slaves in any state or part of a state where the people were rebellious against the country will be free unconditionally. In turn, the war was introduced with a new aspect, a war about slavery, not just the Union. Following this event, Lincoln tried to persuade several Union States with existing slavery to free their slaves and be compensated for the loss, but his attempt was not successful. Luckily, in April of 1862, Congress favored his plans and forbade slavery in certain areas, compensating owners for the loss of property. A couple months later, slavery was abolished in territories without compensation.
With the Emancipation Proclamation being a result of the Civil War, its benefits were significant. Although not all blacks were free immediately, upon their freeing, they were provided with the right to serve in the military as equals. Eventually, the South surrendered and again became a part of the United States. The war’s inflicted damages were great, which introduced the Reconstruction Era. The freeing of the blacks was probably the most important benefit of the war because it introduced the issue of equality, which later became for everyone.
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