During the Civil War, New York was a significant influence on national politics, the Union war effort, and the media coverage of the conflict. As the most populous state in the Union during the Civil War, New York provided more troops to the U.S. Army than any other state and several notable military commanders and leaders. In addition to having a notable peacenik movement in the mid-to late-war era, New York provided the U.S. army with more troops during the Civil War than any other state and had several exceptional military leaders and commanders. Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, issued on January 1, 1863, freed all enslaved people in the rebellious Confederate states. In the aftermath of the proclamation, the North's reasons for fighting the Civil War changed. In the summer of 1863, the Union army, which at the outset of the war was entirely white, began recruiting African American soldiers, who would soon be fighting and dying to defend the Union and abolish slavery.
The Outcomes:
The Confederate States were defeated by the United States after four bloody years of conflict. Ultimately, the states that were in rebellion were readmitted to the United States, and slavery was abolished nationwide. Three major outcomes included:
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION : Abraham Lincoln considered slavery an abhorrent evil, but he recognized the constitution protected slavery in those states where the citizens wanted it. Lincoln was fearful that emancipating slaves universally will cause those states to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy.
DIVISION OF VIRGINIA: President Lincoln approved the formation of West Virginia in 1862 which officially became a state on June 20, 1863, the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND CHANGE IN DEFINITION OF AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP: Between 1865 and 1870, the United States constitution adopted the 13th, 14th, and 15th Constitutional amendments. These amendments were added more than 60 years after the 12th amendment of 1804 and primarily dealt with the issue of African Americans, people of color and slavery. The amendments are also called the Reconstruction Amendments as they were important in the reconstruction of Southern America after the Civil War.
EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION : Abraham Lincoln considered slavery an abhorrent evil, but he recognized the constitution protected slavery in those states where the citizens wanted it. Lincoln was fearful that emancipating slaves universally will cause those states to secede from the Union and join the Confederacy.
DIVISION OF VIRGINIA: President Lincoln approved the formation of West Virginia in 1862 which officially became a state on June 20, 1863, the only state to form by seceding from a Confederate state.
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND CHANGE IN DEFINITION OF AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP: Between 1865 and 1870, the United States constitution adopted the 13th, 14th, and 15th Constitutional amendments. These amendments were added more than 60 years after the 12th amendment of 1804 and primarily dealt with the issue of African Americans, people of color and slavery. The amendments are also called the Reconstruction Amendments as they were important in the reconstruction of Southern America after the Civil War.
It is important to note that New York had its own fights during the war as well due to Congress passing a law about drafting men into the ongoing Civil War. These fights were known as Draft Riots:
References
-Draft Riot of 1863 | United States history. (2021, February 16). Encyclopedia Britannica; www.britannica.com. https://www.britannica.com/event/Draft-Riot-of-1863
-Arun. (2018, May 31). 10 Major Effects of the American Civil War | Learnodo Newtonic. 10 Major Effects of the American Civil War | Learnodo Newtonic; learnodo-newtonic.com. https://learnodo-newtonic.com/american-civil-war-effects
-A City Divided: New York and the Civil War. (2016, March 30). A City Divided: New York and the Civil War; lostmuseum.cuny.edu. https://lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/a-city-divided-new-york-and-the-civil
-Arun. (2018, May 31). 10 Major Effects of the American Civil War | Learnodo Newtonic. 10 Major Effects of the American Civil War | Learnodo Newtonic; learnodo-newtonic.com. https://learnodo-newtonic.com/american-civil-war-effects
-A City Divided: New York and the Civil War. (2016, March 30). A City Divided: New York and the Civil War; lostmuseum.cuny.edu. https://lostmuseum.cuny.edu/archive/a-city-divided-new-york-and-the-civil