The civil war project
The exhibit you are about to enter consists of two galleries. The first gallery includes photographs taken during the Civil War that will show the Northern perspective, while the second gallery will show you the Southern perspective. The images used in these galleries are all real photos that were taken during the war, and can be found in either the National Archives or the Library of Congress. The Civil War was one of the first times that photography was widely used as a method of capturing the harsh realities of the destruction of war, and these galleries will show you some of the best examples.
The first gallery will show you how the North perceived the war. Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States throughout the entire war, and he played a pivotal role in the success of the Union. Though the war was not originally fought over slavery, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation turned the focus of the war towards equality for African Americans. Photographs of wounded slaves were very helpful in showing sheltered Northerners the atrocities of slavery. Because of Lincoln's initiative, many slaves, supported and fought for Lincoln in the Union army after being freed, which allowed them to fight among white men for a cause that they all believed in. At the onset of the war, the Union army was greatly favored to win. Their superior navy created a blockade that crippled the Confederate economy, and the army, due to the leadership of great generals such as Ulysses S. Grant, won major battles in Vicksburg and Gettysburg. Even the people at home contributed whatever they could to the fight, and this created a sense of unity throughout the North as a whole. The soldiers in the army were fighting for the Union and, after the Emancipation Proclamation, a moral cause. This helped to create a great sense of identity that could not be easily broken, even though this fight came at a very high cost. The casualties were higher than in any war that Americans had fought before, but they would not let this stop them from getting their brothers back in the Union and allowing African Americans to live free, equal lives.
The second gallery will show the perspective of the South. When seven states met in February of 1861 and formed the Confederate States of America, they did so because they felt that the social contract had been violated and that, if slavery were to be abolished, their entire society would be negatively impacted. They elected Jefferson Davis to be their president, and wanted to completely separate from the Union so that they could continue to live their normal lives. The Southern economy was greatly dependent on slavery, and this allowed the Southerners to rally behind the mentality of protecting both their land and their way of life. When the war started after the capture of Fort Sumter, the Confederate army's biggest advantage was their leadership. General Robert E. Lee was an exceptional combat engineer, while General "Stonewall" Jackson gave his men hope and courage. However, this leadership was not enough to win every important battle, and many of the photographs in this gallery show the death and destruction of Confederate soldiers and cities. The foreign aid that they were hoping would help them win the war did not arrive, and they were left alone to fight against the powerful Union army.
The first gallery will show you how the North perceived the war. Abraham Lincoln was the President of the United States throughout the entire war, and he played a pivotal role in the success of the Union. Though the war was not originally fought over slavery, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation turned the focus of the war towards equality for African Americans. Photographs of wounded slaves were very helpful in showing sheltered Northerners the atrocities of slavery. Because of Lincoln's initiative, many slaves, supported and fought for Lincoln in the Union army after being freed, which allowed them to fight among white men for a cause that they all believed in. At the onset of the war, the Union army was greatly favored to win. Their superior navy created a blockade that crippled the Confederate economy, and the army, due to the leadership of great generals such as Ulysses S. Grant, won major battles in Vicksburg and Gettysburg. Even the people at home contributed whatever they could to the fight, and this created a sense of unity throughout the North as a whole. The soldiers in the army were fighting for the Union and, after the Emancipation Proclamation, a moral cause. This helped to create a great sense of identity that could not be easily broken, even though this fight came at a very high cost. The casualties were higher than in any war that Americans had fought before, but they would not let this stop them from getting their brothers back in the Union and allowing African Americans to live free, equal lives.
The second gallery will show the perspective of the South. When seven states met in February of 1861 and formed the Confederate States of America, they did so because they felt that the social contract had been violated and that, if slavery were to be abolished, their entire society would be negatively impacted. They elected Jefferson Davis to be their president, and wanted to completely separate from the Union so that they could continue to live their normal lives. The Southern economy was greatly dependent on slavery, and this allowed the Southerners to rally behind the mentality of protecting both their land and their way of life. When the war started after the capture of Fort Sumter, the Confederate army's biggest advantage was their leadership. General Robert E. Lee was an exceptional combat engineer, while General "Stonewall" Jackson gave his men hope and courage. However, this leadership was not enough to win every important battle, and many of the photographs in this gallery show the death and destruction of Confederate soldiers and cities. The foreign aid that they were hoping would help them win the war did not arrive, and they were left alone to fight against the powerful Union army.