- The Civil War (1861-1865) was primarily fought over slavery
- The North was morally righteous; the South was morally wrong
- Abraham Lincoln was the "Great Emancipator" who freed the slaves
- The war was necessary to end the evil of slavery
Understanding the Real Causes Behind America's Bloodiest Conflict
Grades 9-12Yahuah (YAH-hoo-ah) - The Father's name, meaning "I Am"
Yahusha (YAH-hoo-sha) - The Son's name, meaning "Yahuah is Salvation"
Elohim (El-oh-HEEM) - Hebrew for "God" (plural of majesty)
Ruach HaKodesh (ROO-akh ha-KO-desh) - The Holy Spirit
History is complex. While slavery was certainly a factor in the Civil War, reducing this conflict to a simple moral battle oversimplifies the economic, political, and banking interests that drove the nation to war. Understanding the complete picture helps us recognize similar patterns in our own time.
1. The Civil War took place from to .
2. Proverbs 25:2 tells us it is the glory of to search out hidden matters.
3. History is , meaning it cannot be reduced to simple explanations.
4. While was a factor, other interests also drove the conflict.
1. 1861, 1865
2. kings
3. complex
4. slavery
Before 1861, the North and South had developed very different economies:
| Northern Economy | Southern Economy |
|---|---|
| Industrial manufacturing | Agricultural (cotton, tobacco) |
| Wanted high tariffs on imports | Wanted free trade with Europe |
| Sold finished goods domestically | Exported raw materials to Europe |
| Benefited from protective tariffs | Hurt by tariffs (raised prices) |
This protective tariff raised duties on imported goods to nearly 50%. The South called it the "Tariff of Abominations" because:
Just before the war began, Congress passed the Morrill Tariff, which:
Many European newspapers of the time identified tariffs and economics—not slavery—as the primary cause of the war. The London Times, The Economist, and other European publications openly stated this perspective.
1. The Northern economy was based on manufacturing.
2. The Southern economy was based on like cotton and tobacco.
3. The South called the 1828 tariff the "Tariff of ."
4. The Tariff passed in March 1861, just before the war began.
5. High tariffs benefited manufacturers while hurting Southern farmers.
1. industrial
2. agriculture
3. Abominations
4. Morrill
5. Northern
America's founders were deeply divided on banking. This division continued into the Civil War era:
European banking houses, particularly the Rothschild banking dynasty, had significant interests in America:
Facing war costs and high interest rates from bankers, Lincoln issued "Greenbacks" - government currency not backed by gold and not controlled by banks:
The London Times reportedly wrote: "If this mischievous financial policy, which has its origin in North America, shall become permanent... that Government will furnish its own money without cost. It will pay off debts and be without debt. It will have all the money necessary to carry on its commerce. It will become prosperous without precedent in the history of the world."
1. President Andrew vetoed the renewal of the Second Bank.
2. Lincoln issued - government currency not controlled by banks.
3. European houses had significant financial interests in America.
4. The borrower is to the lender according to Proverbs 22:7.
5. Lincoln said his greatest enemy was the at his rear.
1. Jackson
2. Greenbacks
3. banking
4. servant
5. bankers
To understand Lincoln's actual views, we must read his own words—not later interpretations:
Key facts about this famous document:
Lincoln openly supported colonization—sending freed slaves to Africa or Central America. He met with Black leaders on August 14, 1862, encouraging them to emigrate. He supported the colonization of Liberia and proposed other locations including Central America.
In March 1861, Congress passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would have:
If slavery was truly the issue, why would Lincoln support such an amendment?
1. Lincoln stated his paramount object was to save the .
2. The Emancipation Proclamation was issued in .
3. The Proclamation only freed slaves in states.
4. Lincoln supported - sending freed slaves to Africa.
5. The Amendment would have permanently protected slavery.
1. Union
2. 1863
3. Confederate
4. colonization
5. Corwin
The Constitution was originally understood as a compact between sovereign states:
| Southern View (1861) | Northern View (1861) |
|---|---|
| States voluntarily joined the Union | The Union is perpetual and indivisible |
| States could withdraw (secede) | Secession is rebellion |
| Federal power should be limited | Federal power supersedes states |
| 10th Amendment protects state sovereignty | National unity overrides state claims |
"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
The Constitution does not explicitly grant the federal government power to:
Before 1861, secession was considered by many to be a legitimate option:
1. The Amendment reserves powers to the states and the people.
2. Southern states believed they could voluntarily from the Union.
3. The Hartford of 1814 discussed New England secession.
4. Lincoln himself once said people have the right to shake off an existing .
5. The Constitution does not explicitly prohibit .
1. 10th
2. secede/withdraw
3. Convention
4. government
5. secession
European powers had strong economic and political interests in the American conflict:
A Union ship stopped a British vessel and arrested two Confederate diplomats. Britain threatened war and sent 8,000 troops to Canada. Lincoln was forced to release the prisoners to avoid a two-front war.
Interestingly, Russia was one of the few European powers that supported the Union:
European banking and political interests stood to gain from American division. A weakened, debt-ridden America would be easier to influence. Some historians argue this was a deliberate strategy.
1. British mills depended on Southern cotton.
2. III was expanding French influence into Mexico during the war.
3. was the major European power that supported the Union.
4. Russia sent to New York and San Francisco in 1863.
5. A divided America would be easier to .
1. textile
2. Napoleon
3. Russia
4. warships
5. influence/control
The Civil War was by far the bloodiest conflict in American history:
General William Sherman's "March to the Sea" (1864) deliberately targeted civilians:
The war created massive government debt:
While soldiers died and families suffered, certain groups profited enormously: war contractors, bankers who loaned money at interest, and industrialists who supplied the military. The war created the first class of American billionaires.
Slavery ended peacefully in many other nations:
1. An estimated to 750,000 soldiers were killed in the Civil War.
2. General 's march deliberately targeted Southern civilians.
3. The national debt increased from $65 million to $ billion.
4. Britain ended slavery through compensated .
5. The war created the first class of American .
1. 620,000
2. Sherman
3. 2.7
4. emancipation
5. billionaires
After the war, the South was placed under military occupation:
Some historians argue the 14th Amendment was never properly ratified:
The 14th Amendment, intended to protect freed slaves, has been used primarily by corporations. The "person" entitled to due process has been interpreted to include corporate entities, giving them constitutional protections.
The aftermath for African Americans was mixed:
1. The Reconstruction era lasted from 1865 to .
2. The Amendment abolished slavery.
3. Northern businessmen who moved South were called .
4. laws enforced segregation after Reconstruction ended.
5. The 14th Amendment has been used primarily by , not individuals.
1. 1877
2. 13th
3. carpetbaggers
4. Jim Crow
5. corporations
On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. Booth was tracked down and killed. Eight conspirators were arrested; four were hanged.
Historians have raised various questions about the assassination:
Lincoln favored a lenient approach to the defeated South. He wanted to "bind up the nation's wounds" quickly. His assassination allowed the Radical Republicans to implement harsh Reconstruction policies instead.
Lincoln's death benefited several groups:
1. Lincoln was shot at Theatre on April 14, 1865.
2. Wilkes Booth was killed rather than captured alive.
3. Lincoln's bodyguard was not at his when the shooting occurred.
4. Lincoln favored Reconstruction policies.
5. The conspirators were tried by a tribunal, not civilian courts.
1. Ford's
2. John
3. post
4. lenient
5. military
The Civil War fundamentally transformed the American system of government:
| Before 1861 | After 1865 |
|---|---|
| "These United States ARE..." | "The United States IS..." |
| States were considered sovereign | Federal government supreme |
| No federal income tax | Income tax established (1861) |
| No military draft | Conscription introduced |
| Currency controlled by states/private banks | National Banking Act (1863) |
Before the war, people primarily identified as citizens of their state first. After the war, the federal government was supreme. States could never again challenge federal authority or leave the Union. The war settled by force what the Constitution left ambiguous.
This act created the framework for modern banking:
1. Before the war, the country was called "these United States ."
2. The first federal tax was imposed in 1861.
3. Lincoln suspended habeas during the war.
4. The National Act of 1863 centralized monetary control.
5. After the war, could never again challenge federal authority.
1. are
2. income
3. corpus
4. Banking
5. states
What did the actual soldiers believe they were fighting for? Their letters and diaries tell us:
Northern soldiers enlisted for various reasons:
Many Northern soldiers opposed fighting for emancipation. When the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, desertions increased. Some regiments nearly mutinied. Soldiers wrote home saying they "enlisted to save the Union, not to free n*****s."
In July 1863, working-class New Yorkers rioted for four days:
While abolitionists were vocal and influential, most Northerners were not fighting to free slaves. Many were racist by modern standards. The moral crusade narrative came later, largely through historical revisionism.
1. Most Northern soldiers' primary motivation was to preserve the .
2. Bounties of $300 to $ were offered to volunteers.
3. The New York Draft lasted four days in 1863.
4. Wealthy men could pay $ to avoid military service.
5. increased after the Emancipation Proclamation.
1. Union
2. 500
3. Riots
4. 300
5. Desertions
The Bible's treatment of slavery is often misunderstood:
Exodus 21:16: "He who kidnaps a man and sells him, or if he is found in his hand, shall surely be put to death."
This verse condemns the Atlantic slave trade, which was based on kidnapping Africans.
| American Chattel Slavery | Biblical Slavery |
|---|---|
| Based on kidnapping (man-stealing) | Based on war, debt, or voluntary service |
| Hereditary; children born into slavery | Time-limited for Hebrews |
| Slaves had no legal personhood | Slaves had legal protections |
| Based on race | Not based on race |
Many abolitionists were Christians who used these very Scriptures to argue against American slavery. They correctly identified that the Atlantic slave trade violated Exodus 21:16. American chattel slavery was not the same as biblical servitude.
1. Exodus 21:16 condemns and prescribes death as punishment.
2. Hebrew slaves were to be freed in the year.
3. Deuteronomy 23:15-16 says slaves should not be returned.
4. American slavery was based on , not war or debt.
5. In Galatians 3:28, all are in Messiah Yahusha.
1. kidnapping/man-stealing
2. seventh (7th)
3. runaway
4. kidnapping
5. one
Understanding the Civil War helps us recognize patterns in our own time:
Consider how these patterns might apply to modern conflicts. Are wars fought for the reasons given? Who profits? What powers are expanded? These questions should be asked of every conflict.
1. " and conquer" is a strategy to control populations.
2. Wars create that benefits bankers.
3. The "problem-reaction-" pattern is used to expand power.
4. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says there is nothing under the sun.
5. We should always ask who from historical events.
1. Divide
2. debt
3. solution
4. new
5. benefits/profits
1. The Tariff passed in March 1861 was a major economic trigger.
2. Lincoln's were government-issued currency.
3. The Amendment abolished slavery.
4. Reconstruction replaced Lincoln's lenient plans.
5. The war changed "these United States are" to "the United States ."
6. European interests stood to gain from American division.
7. The Emancipation Proclamation only freed slaves in states.
8. Britain's mills depended on Southern cotton.
9. 21:16 condemns kidnapping, which was the basis of the slave trade.
10. We should always ask who from major historical events.
1. Morrill
2. Greenbacks
3. 13th
4. Radical
5. is
6. banking
7. Confederate
8. textile
9. Exodus
10. benefits/profits
Students who complete this workbook should understand that:
Encourage students to continue researching these topics using primary sources and diverse perspectives. Truth-seeking is a lifelong pursuit that honors Yahuah.