Introduction
Native Americans played a significant role in the American history and particularly during the Civil War. With the advent of the upheavals and unrests of the Civil War, a considerable number of Native Americans pledged their allegiance and supported the Confederacy.[1] Research on American history has revealed that by assembling armies and participating in the battles, the Native Americans indicated that their loyalty was important in influencing the outcome of the Civil War. Therefore, it is imperative to have a discussion of the specific role that the Native Americans played in the war, with a particular focus on the California history.
The American Civil War is an important part of the history of the country, which played a critical role in shaping its destiny. In essence, the conflicts started in 1861 between the Union Government and the 11 Southern States. The southern states were committed to separate from the union due to different reasons that were affecting their wellbeing.[2] Evidently, the federal powers and the rights of the states were other factors that instigated the outbreak of this war. The increase in the power of the federal government was seen by states like California as being a negative factor towards the progress of the South. In fact, the growth was viewed as though it could only be beneficial to the states in the northern region since they had a bigger influence in the government.
The American Civil War commonly referred to as the Civil War or War between States, refers to an armed conflict that occurred in the period 1861-1865. The war was important to the Southern states, which were motivated to break away from the Union because of the anti-slavery sentiments. After many issues about forced servitude in America, the nation was divided with some supporting the continuation of slavery (The South) and other being opposed to the practice of forced servitude (The North).[3] Due to such divergences, eleven states in the South of America seceded from the American nation and formed their nation referred to as the Confederate States of America.[4] The remaining 25 American states continued with their allegiance to the American federal government, also referred to as the Union.
Historical evidence shows that between the revolutions against the British colony and the Civil War in 1861, a myriad of social and political upheaval characterized the events of slavery and the formation of the Confederate States of America.[5] The debate around the abolitionist movement marked a significant event on the road to Civil War, indicating the important part that was played by the natives in the South. Within the spectrum of slavery, the abolitionist movement sprang up by the help of Native Americans, characterizing an event where powerful political and social movement grew to oppose slavery and thus advocate for racial equality. The critics call by actors such as William Lloyd Garrison as well as American Indians demanded the emancipation of all the slaves through religious revivalism and social reform.[6] The Clarion became one of the leading events on the road to Civil War is Slave South in 1820 which constructed a policy guideline through which the slavery expansion was to be based on the wider scope of the new western territory.
The launch of reformation quests within the understanding of the Confederate States sought to abolish slavery by extending the narrative of equality rights. While this envisions the creation of ideal communities for a better American society, the existing of different paths between the southern and northern development stimulated the crisis of the Civil War.[7] The ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence shaped the trajectory of liberty and enlightenment thereby eliminating gender and racial discrimination. The basis of this argument highlights the conjecture that the adoption of the amendment to restrict slavery in the state prohibited the state from restricting the slave trade in the north. As such, the situation sparked protests that sought to refuse the admission of the law until the legislation accounted for the procedural emancipation.
The Slave South, within the extensive emancipation narrative, captures an angle of events, which makes it possible to recognize the important human dimension of the historical event that led to the American civil conflict. The natives in the Southern states such as California wanted the continued slavery institution. In fact, the understanding of the Slave South reflects a realist perspective on which the history of the United States has considerably shifted from the tragedy of the Civil War to the triumphant narrative of the revolution that established the constitutions.[8] As a result, it is the basis of the hopes and concerns of the American natives in a troubled time.
The event of the Civil War challenges the existing history based on observing a strict sense of dilemma that characterized America’s association with war and the role played by the different players in the course and outcome of the War. The Slave South did support the war or any form of aggression for whatever justifiable reason as evidenced in the effort to sign of human life, death, and the meaninglessness of armed conflicts.[9] As a result, the Slave South takes a unique direction that brings forth a perspective that helps to see the impacts of the Civil War on cultural orientation and the society. In essence, the foundation extensively shaped the critical stages of the Civil War.
The Civil War was fought to ensure that the American nation that had gained independence in the year 1789 remained a unitary block.[10] Nevertheless, by the year 1861 after the election of Abraham Lincoln, the South Carolina, Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas, Georgia, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and Virginia, as well as the Mississippi States had seceded from the American Union. The states on 9 February 1861 formed their nation, the Confederate States of America, with Jefferson Davis as the president. The inauguration of President Lincoln occurred in the third month of the year 1861. Barely, a month after General P. T. Beauregard of the Confederate States of America attacked the federally owned Port Sumter in South Carolina leading to one of the most devastating wars in the history of the American nation. The war ended with the surrender of the Confederacy’s General Robert E. Lee on 9 April 1865 at the Appomattox Courthouse.[11]
There are five main reasons that are believed to have caused the Civil War. The radical shift in the status and roles of slaves deepened sectional political views leading to conflicts that brought the nation to the verge of the Civil War. The research in American history points to a critical point in understanding the sensational controversy around slavery and the role of the natives in the same. The application of the Slave South sparked the bitter national debate on the question of slavery.[12] As such, the arguments raised imply that the foundational moral issue was the growth of slavery. The changes that took place in voting patterns and the 1820-1840 political composition explains the emergence of social and cultural as well as economic factors that gave rise to the creation of civil rights movement for purposes of equality.
In a manner discrepant from that of the war in the Eastern Theatre, the Western Theatre Civil War was a steady and organized endeavor.[13] The march towards the south resulted in the split of the Confederacy into two equal parts with the Mississippi River playing a very significant role. The Western Theatre War comprised some many other smaller battles which contributed to the eventual victory; the most well know commanders in the war and who achieved great success include Johnston, Grant, Forrest, Thomas and Sherman. Between the years 1862-1864, the Confederacy tried on many occasions to capture Nashville from the Union but failed miserably, particularly in the Battles of Stones River.
The western theatre in the Civil War characterized the topographical features as well as a specific set of procedures in the campaigns. Indeed, the western theatre refers to the geographical area between the west of the Appalachian Mountains and the east of the Mississippi River. As the war became more intense, the union-armed soldiers under the command of William Tecumseh progressed towards the region referred to as Tennessee.[14] By the year 1865, the western theatre had expanded to include both Carolina and Georgia. The most significant theatre in the Civil War was the western theatre since the region was composed of a large territory and natural resources. Despite the fact that the Confederacy lacked the adequate resources to defend the region, they had no choice but to confront the Union, which had the propensity to apply different forms of invasions and by use of different techniques. The main endeavor as indicated on the Anaconda Plan by the Union’s General Winfield Scott- was the invasion and takeover of the Western Theatre.
One of the major reasons for the split of the American Union leading to the Civil War was the difference in economies as well as social institutions between the Southerners and those in the North.[15] The natives in the South were committed to succeeding in the War but they lacked adequate resources unlike the Union. With the introduction of the cotton gin in the year 1793, the growth of cotton became very lucrative. Despite the fact that this new technology made work much easier, many farmers in the South were shifting from the growth of other crops to cotton. Apart from making the South a one crop financial system, this shift also increased the demand for huge quantities of human labor in the factories, which could only be availed by slavery.[16] On the other hand, the Northern side was more industrial and engaged in the purchase of cotton from the South to manufacture it as a refined good. The fact that the North was industrial attracted many people of different ethnicities, cultures, and social statuses.[17] As the North evolved and became more liberal, the South remained conservative and bent on maintaining the old-fashioned social categorization.
After the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican War that witnessed the expansion of America as it gained more land, it was unclear whether the newly acquired regions would be free or slavery would continue. Indeed, this led to the establishment and the endorsement of the Missouri Compromise in the year 1820, which prohibited slavery. The conflict between the Southerners who advocated for slavery in their plantations and Northerners who were against the practice of forced servitude increased in magnitude.[18] The people in the North became vehement in their fight against slavery and they attained public sympathy; the Southerners and any person who still had slaves were perceived apprehensively. In essence, the aspect widened the rift between the two opposing sides of America.
From the initial moments of independence and the adoption of the American Constitution, there emerged two sides, which never agreed with the functions that were to be fulfilled by the American national government, with each side playing a critical role in the conflict. While one side argued that states should have their rights, the other side felt that for the federal government to administer effectively it had to have a high level of influence. After the American Revolution, the political system in America was based on the dictates of the Articles of Confederation.[19] The federal government heading the 13 states was so weak that the founding fathers created the Constitution in secret, excluding Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson who were the most vocal critics of a powerful federal government. The state suggested for the endorsement of nullification that would allow states to overrule federal acts, which they perceived to be unconstitutional. In essence, as it was expected the federal government rejected this proposition and the South decided to secede.
Regarding the intelligence gathering, it emerges that as the Union increasingly came up with new forms of brainpower with which they gathered information about the Confederate, the Associate responded fiercely. As such, they used cannons to attack the Union balloons, which was to their disadvantage, as the Confederates soon realized since it only served to notify the Union military of the Confederates’ positioning and easily released fire upon them.[20] On realizing that the Union military relied on the numbers of campfires to estimate their military capacity, the Confederates also resorted to having blackouts in their camps. During the day, the Confederates would paint logs black and lay them on the defense lines to fool the Union military in air balloons into thinking that there were many cannons on the Confederate defense lines.[21] The Union, under the leadership of Grant, was also effective in eliciting important intelligence on the enemy from the citizens of the Confederate as well as the prisoners and fugitives from the Confederate.
It was also common for the Union to make use of certain signals in the battlefields. Such signaling involved the utilization of torches and flags, which were perceived as being more speedy and efficient, unlike the telegraphs that could easily be intercepted by the Confederate adversaries.[22] Nevertheless, this clandestine activity was not very effective since the Union and Confederate both made use of similar frameworks of wigwag, making the signals and tenets mutually comprehensive to either side of the military.
Conclusion
The American Civil War characterized an armed conflict that occurred in the period 1861-1865. The Native American played a leading role in the war by initiating a breakaway of the Confederate States. Indeed, the war was influenced by the Native Americans within the spectrum of a great level of intelligence and spying. The Civil War, which is one of the most vicious to have rocked the American nation, was characterized by an approximate 237 battles as well as many undocumented conflicts and clashes. In essence, the Civil War was mostly perpetrated in the South where after an approximate four years if fighting, the Confederate finally admitted defeat. In essence, the slavery was banned in America and the nation entered into the Reconstruction era to bring back the unity that existed before the secession of the southern states.
Bibliography
Dudziak, Mary L. Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the image of American democracy. Princeton University Press, USA, 2011.
Emberton, Carole. “Unwriting the Freedom Narrative: A Review Essay.” Journal of Southern History 82, no. 2 (May 2016): 377-394
Goldfield, David. Still fighting the Civil War: The American South and Southern History. LSU Press, USA, 2013.
Hummel, Jeffrey. Emancipating Slaves, Enslaving Free Men: A History of the American Civil War. Open Court, USA, 2013.
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