Existing comment:
Civil War
150th Anniversary:
The Civil War is a defining experience in our national history. Americans battled over preserving the Union and ending slavery. Both sides envisioned easy victories after eleven Southern states seceded and war broke out in 1861. But the bitter, costly fight lasted four years -- the country's bloodiest and most divisive conflict. More than three million men saw battle; some 530,000 lost their lives; another 400,000 were scarred, maimed, or disabled.
Today, the people of the United States continue to struggle with issues of race, civil rights, heritage, and the politics of federalism, all legacies of the Civil War and Reconstruction. The sesquicentennial of the war presents an opportunity to recall that conflict and its aftermath in a spirit of reconciliation and honest reflection to better understand how its events still affect our lives. |