The Civil War was a result of economic, political, and social issues (slavery) which divided the northern and southern states. The primary issue was whether or not states have the right to secede from the Union. The nature of states’ rights was being explored. Slavery was considered a blight on the nation by the majority in the more populated north where slavery was a very rare exception. The war was extremely bloody with a huge loss of life on both sides, with a higher price paid in the south. The Confederacy was defeated and the Union was preserved. Amendments to the Constitution after the war ended slavery in the US but did not achieve full equal rights for black Americans. The economy of the south as well as its political parties was shattered by the war. The issue of secession from the Union was ended but the issue of state versus federal rights is still a dynamic of American democracy.
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