Skip to main content

What were the major problems facing the nation in April 1865? What factors stood in the way of a solution to those problems? Provide examples.

April 1865 was a dangerous time in American history.  When the month started, there were still at least three active Confederate armies of varying degrees on strength in the field.  Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, was urging all of them not to surrender and to fight a guerrilla war for as long as it took to ensure Southern independence.  Many men, both North and South, had gotten separated from their units either through desertion or...

April 1865 was a dangerous time in American history.  When the month started, there were still at least three active Confederate armies of varying degrees on strength in the field.  Jefferson Davis, the Confederate president, was urging all of them not to surrender and to fight a guerrilla war for as long as it took to ensure Southern independence.  Many men, both North and South, had gotten separated from their units either through desertion or due to the chaos of war, and they were armed, hungry, and looting the Southern countryside.  Much of the South was in shambles, and many families lost their livestock due to armies seizing draft animals.  There were also questions of how would the vanquished Confederate states be brought back into the Union.  Radical republicans wanted the South governed as a conquered territory with only the slight possibility of being brought back into the Union fully.  Lincoln, on the other hand, wanted the states restored as soon as possible.  Had Lincoln not been assassinated, there might have been fights with Congress about how to bring the nation back together.  There was also the question of how to treat the Confederate leadership.  Radicals in Congress encouraged hanging as the punishment for top Rebels, while Lincoln secretly wanted Davis to leave the country and not come back.  The most longstanding problem was the fate of thousands of newly freed slaves.  They were emancipated and in many cases taken by the army as contraband, but they were not citizens and could not vote.  Racism existed in both the North and the South, and even Lincoln encouraged their expatriation to either Central America or the Caribbean, as he thought it the only way they would be treated fairly.  All of these problems were symptoms of a larger problem--the nation had just went through a war that killed over six hundred thousand people, and the leaders did not know how both sides could be reconciled emotionally, even though the South had been defeated on the battlefield.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

In Martel's Life of Pi, how does writing a diary help Pi Patel build on his leadership skills?

At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can... At the end of chapter 73, Pi first divulges the fact that he had started a diary after about a week alone at sea. Pi claims that he wrote about "practical stuff" (208) such as what he caught for food, foreseeable problems and solutions, Richard Parker, and reflections about specific events that occurred. In a sense, Pi is the captain of his ship; therefore, he must take responsibility for himself and his crew. He can do this by writing down events, problems and solutions, and reflections to look back on when confronted with repeated problems. It can ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why did Tybalt attack and kill Mercutio instead of Romeo, who he had originally been targeting?

Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio... Though Tybalt's quarrel is with Romeo, he begins the momentous duel in Act 3 by fighting with and killing Mercutio instead. Tybalt ultimately attacks Mercutio because the garrulous and hot-headed character insults Tybalt and goads him into a duel to protect Romeo's honor. From the beginning of the encounter in Act 3, Scene 1, it's clear that Mercutio is itching for a fight. For instance, when Tybalt signals that he wants to talk to Mercutio and Benvolio, Mercutio responds "And but one word with one of us?/ Couple it w...
Post a Comment
Read more