The Civil War The Civil War is often called the first modern war. For the first time, mass armies confronted each other wielding weapons created by the industrial revolution. The resulting casualties dwarfed anything in the American experience. More than 600,000 men died, the equivalent in today's population of 5 million. In population and economic resources, the North far exceeded the South. Yet the Union's task also eclipsed that of the Confederacy. To win, the North had to conquer an area as large as Western Europe, subduing armies defending their own soil. Only after a string of defeats did Lincoln find generals able to bring the North's advantages to bear on the battlefield. Within days of the firing on Fort Sumter, tens of thousands of volunteers heeded the call of the opposing sides. Later, as enthusiasm for enlistment waned, both sides resorted to the draft, with men able to escape military service if they paid a prescribed amount of money or furnished a substitute.
 Each army was a cross section of its society. The Northern forces were mostly farm boys, artisans, and urban workers, supplemented after 1862 by 180,000 black soldiers and about 20,000 black sailors; the Southern army was made up of small farmers, with slaveholders dominating the officer corps. Few of these recruits had military experience or were ready for the monotony of life in camp - a constant round of digging ditches and incessant drilling only occasionally interrupted by fierce bursts of battlefield fighting.
Neither side was prepared for modern war. Medical care was primitive; far more men died of disease and inadequate treatment of wounds than in battle. Some 50,000 Americans perished in military prisons, victims of overcrowding and inadequate diet. Whatever later generations came to believe, there was no romance in the Civil War. The First Modern War |
FAQs
Lincoln believed that the recent Supreme Court decision on the Dred Scott case was part of a Democratic conspiracy that would lead to the legalization of slavery in all states.
What does the house represent in Lincoln's famous house divided speech? ›
In Lincoln's speech, the house he references is an allusion to the United States. Lincoln uses this to represent the country, as it is divided on the issue of slavery, with slave states in the South and free states in the North.
What is the main idea of a house divided? ›
The main idea of Abraham Lincoln's "House Divided" speech is to convey his belief that the United States cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. He argues that the nation will ultimately become all one thing or all the other, meaning it will either become completely slaveholding or entirely free.
What figurative language is used in the House Divided speech? ›
Answer. Lincoln's 'A House Divided' speech includes various types of figurative language such as metaphors, similes, and personification beyond the titular metaphor, which illustrate political battles and enhance the rhetorical power of the address.
What is Lincoln's purpose for making the speech? ›
Lincoln used the speech to remind his audience that the United States was founded based on liberty and equality, pulling from language used in the Declaration of Independence. Lincoln stated that the Civil War was being fought to uphold and safeguard these ideals.
What is the meaning of a house divided? ›
When you use the expression 'A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand' you. literally mean that success comes from sticking together and to do anything. else is to invoke disaster. Example of use: “I wish Ben and Jerry would learn to get along. After all, a house divided against itself cannot stand.”
What is the tone of Lincoln's House Divided speech? ›
Explanation: The mood of Abraham Lincoln's "A House Divided" speech, which was part of his campaign for the U.S. Senate in 1858, can be described as solemn and cautionary. In this speech, Lincoln highlighted the critical issue of a nation divided by slavery and underscored the urgency for a resolution.
What does this speech tell you about Lincoln's reasons for going to war? ›
Beginning by invoking the image of the founding fathers and the new nation, Lincoln eloquently expressed his conviction that the Civil War was the ultimate test of whether the Union created in 1776 would survive, or whether it would “perish from the earth.” The dead at Gettysburg had laid down their lives for this ...
What did Lincoln think was the most important part of the speech? ›
Answer. Answer: b. When he discussed the idea that human purpose is difference than God's purpose; Lincoln calls slavery an offense to God.
What do you think Lincoln meant by his statement "A house divided against itself can not stand"? ›
Douglas, Abraham Lincoln identified slavery as a moral and a political issue that threatened the existence of the United States. Invoking the famous biblical phrase, “A house divided against itself can not stand,” he declared, “I do not expect the Union to be dissolved.
What is the main purpose of the "House Divided Speech"? Lincoln wanted to show the US how slavery will split up the United States.
What is the story of the house divided? ›
A House Divided is a historical fiction novel by American author Pearl S. Buck first published by John Day Company in 1935. The story centers on the third generation of Wang Lung's family, focusing particularly on his grandson Wang Yuan. It is the third and final book in The House of Earth trilogy, preceded by Sons.
What rhetorical devices does Lincoln use in his speech "A House Divided"? ›
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- Allusions and direct references.
- Analogy.
- Imagery, metaphors, and similes.
- Irony.
- Antithesis.
- Enumeration and repetition.
- Rhetorical questions.
Imagery Examples in House Divided Speech:
Just as a “house divided against itself cannot stand,” neither can a nation torn between opposing ideologies continue to function. By comparing the United States to a house, Lincoln evokes the visual image of a structure on the verge of collapse.
What is the repetition in the House Divided speech? ›
Lincoln uses anaphora—or the repetition of a word or phrase in successive clauses—to showcase the conclusions he hopes to have led his audience to.
What was the central message of Lincoln's House Divided speech quizlet? ›
Lincoln explains that the country is split over the issue of slavery. He states that the country is "half slave and half free. " States in the South allow slavery; states in the North do not. It is splitting the nation in two because, as Lincoln states, "a house divided against itself cannot stand."
Each army was a cross section of its society. The Northern forces were mostly farm boys, artisans, and urban workers, supplemented after 1862 by 180,000 black soldiers and about 20,000 black sailors; the Southern army was made up of small farmers, with slaveholders dominating the officer corps. Few of these recruits had military experience or were ready for the monotony of life in camp - a constant round of digging ditches and incessant drilling only occasionally interrupted by fierce bursts of battlefield fighting.
