Other American Studies Commons^™

Understanding The Civil War, Charles O. Boyd

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

This paper examines why the American Civil War took place and what the modern significance of the conflict is. The paper demonstrates that slavery was indeed the main cause of Southern secession and debunks, one by one, the arguments against that view. It also argues that modern day tributes to the Confederacy are offensive and that the Civil War should be understood as part of a long struggle in the United States for equal rights.