The Civil War took place from 1861 to 1865 and was fought between the Confederate States of America, or the southern states, and the United States of America, or the northern states. The war was caused by the tensions between the north and south over “uncompromising differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in the territories that had not yet become slaves” (McPherson). The war began when Abraham Lincoln pledged to keep slavery out of the territories, causing seven (and later eleven total) slave states to secede and form a new nation, the Confederate States of America. This secession was unrecognized as the north feared it would lead to the fragmentation of the USA (McPherson). The nature of the war changed when, only a few days later, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, declaring all slaves “who rebelled against the Union ‘shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.’ (“Emancipation Proclamation”). This act would “redefine the Civil War, turning it from a struggle to preserve the Union to one focused on ending slavery,” setting a permanent change for how the country would develop in the future (“Emancipation”).

The war ended in 1865 with northern victory – The seceded states were forced to rejoin the United States as one nation once again. This war was the culmination of several years of growing unrest regarding the topic of slavery in the States. Eventually the 13^th Amendment would be passed, freeing all slavery in the US. Prominent figures nationwide were influenced by this event, with many remaining open on where they stood – Henry David Thoreau being one such man. Although Thoreau died during the Civil War, he was an outspoken abolitionist, and spoke against the extermination of Native Americans. His beliefs, as well as a night in jail due to refusing to pay taxes, led him to write his famous essay “Civil Disobedience” in 1848. In it, he argued that the people have the right and duty to resist a tyrannical government that oppresses them and other fellow citizens. Thoreau also often practiced civil disobedience in his own life, emphasizing individuality, self-reliance, and calling for a better government, which can also be seen in Walden – with a concluding section on “The Duty of Civil Disobedience”: “There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly” (Thoreau).  Although he was unable to see the outcome of the civil war, it is clear how his beliefs for slave, and overall individual, freedom influenced his writing and how he lived.

Works Cited

Hassler, Warren W., and Jennifer L. Weber. “American Civil War.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 5 Mar. 2024, www.britannica.com/event/American-Civil-War.

McPherson, James. “A Brief Overview of the American Civil War.” American Battlefield Trust, 29 Nov. 2023, www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-american-civil-war.

“Emancipation Proclamation - Definition, Dates & Summary.” History.Com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/emancipation-proclamation.