Civil War Essays
As of today the United States remains the most dominate country for a variety of reasons. We have been involved in a handful events on our own soil and also across the world. Those events range from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, to the Korean War and beyond. Each of these events have had an effect on the Country in many ways. However there is one war in particular that I wish to discuss, and that war is the Civil War. Being an African American this war caught my interest the most, as the constitution was amended to free slaves after the war. The War opened eyes to many things as you will find some key ones in my paper, such as diseases in war, women’s role in the war and the influence on medicine practices.
When we think of war we think of winner and loser and the ones that lose normally surrender or die to the hands of opposition. With plenty of research from my sources that you will find at the end of this paper, I found that many deaths came from something else. That something else were the diseases that began to emerge throughout the four long year war. According to one of my sources titled “This Place of Death: Environment as weapon in the American Civil war”, “Environment was central to the understanding of disease causation in the American Civil War”.
This source provided me with a variety of reasons of how health and diseases played as key factors In the midcentury’s as new diseases were emerging those around the world who specialized in the medical field all deemed to have the answers. It was said that “To my understanding if something began to emerge where it was uncommon, no one had the answer. This article proved me to be right as it was said a theory wasn’t developed until late 19th century. The theory was that “microbe A cause’s disease A, and travels from person to person through air, water or insect vector”. Sadly the theory classified as “Germ theory” came a little late as the war had already begun (mid-19th century). However one thing that was a definite answer was the condition of environment throughout the war was a problem. This war was lethal as well over 600,000 people were killed. That wasn’t done without damaging the environment.
The chemicals from explosives contaminated waters and destroyed land. That opened up the door for diseases to spread like wild fires. Unbearable conditions opened the door for diseases soldiers became sick and open to diseases like, small pox, malaria, measles and other diseases. Luckily according to the article and further research a physician by the name of Edward Jenner had been practicing Vaccines to prevent/limit smallpox. However they didn’t have as many vaccinations, doctors, and resources back then as we do now. Staring at pictures of camps and hospitals, the conditions seemed unsanitary. The sites were not only dirty, but they also seemed over capacity. With an unreasonable ratio of patients to doctors more lives were lost and more diseases spread.
In most pictures trees were chopped down, I would assume that they were for warmth and shelter. Explosions also played a role as mentioned earlier in my paper. This in conclusion destroyed the homes of animals who normally feasted on insects that helped spread diseases, thus allowing the death toll to spike. With all of this going on this allowed physicians like Edward to figure out ways to tackle the numerous diseases like never before. With that said sadly the tragic events through this war proved to be almost like an influence.
In my next source by Thomas G. Cropley of disease management he seemed to agree. The article as stated on the first page “discusses the story of how physicians and nurses of the time approached a number of cutaneous diseases of importance in the military”. A different war known as the Crimean War experienced something similar. According to the article the British came up with something known as Royal Sanitary Commission. This was a model that strongly helped with health provision throughout the country as a whole. It’s interesting as it happened shortly before the Civil war. With that said to no surprise Cropley went on to discuss how the United States went on to mock their own model after it, (United States Sanitary Commission).
The “Somebody-Wanted-But-So” chart is a useful resource for summarizing important historical information. It helps identify individuals or groups, their goals or desires, the challenges they encountered, and the eventual result. This method is particularly effective as human needs, wants, and actions shape history. Part 1 – Use the lesson’s information to complete the chart below. […]
When Charles raised his Standard in Nottingham 1642 it was unclear who, or how, the war would be won, but Parliament’s Victory in The Civil War 1646, can be explained by a Multitude of reasons, most notably; a Royalist lack of finance [or more generally resources], and Parliamentary revolutionary Reform and Organisation. Firstly the areas […]
In his book, The Louisiana Native Guards, James Hollandsworth gives a brief description of the initial African American Army division during the Civil War and the unfairness experienced by black people from both Southern and Northern white societies. Hollandsworth claims that this division was unique in Civil War records since they began as a ceremonial […]
The first civil war was a war lasting numerous years. Throughout the war it was never certain who was going to win. In the end however, Parliament succeeded and gained a great victory whilst that of King Charles and his Royalist side failed. Why did Parliament win the civil war? Firstly, the generals were a […]
1640 saw the eleven year period of Charles’ Personal Rule come to an end with the MP’s and the majority of the country’s people hoping that the grievances and problems created by this period would now be coming to a similar fate, restoring the country’s peace, balance and religious stability. England was by no means […]
The Civil War of 1860 culminated a period of political chaos in Mount Lebanon that had begun with the exile of the great Shihab Amir Bashir II in 1840. Despite attempts of the central Ottoman government to control the growing tensions between feudal sheikhs, peasants, Maronites, and Druzes, no solution was effectively implemented. In 1840 […]
United States railroad track total cover increased steadily and was at its peak at the end of the civil war. At the onset of the First World War railroads employed a significant number of Americans but were marred with bitter labor disputes. The most famous strikes of this era involved the railroad. The railroads built […]
Although Columbus did not discover the World in 1492, his arrival in the New World was a significant moment. This event initiated an era of unparalleled European exploration, including the colonization of the Americas. Throughout this period, European explorers were motivated by the search for trade routes, overseas wealth, and thrilling adventures. Technological advancements played […]
The Reconstruction Period was a time of great hardship for the United States. President Andrew Johnson was faced with the task of reuniting the North and South together after the Civil War. The Reconstruction period was a time when the government thought that all people needed human rights even African Americans. Until this point African […]
As history proves, the Stuart learned nothing from the Civil War. One would think that after hiding away, awaiting the day that England would decide to restore its monarchy, they would have realized the faults in their fathers beliefs that had caused the disastrous CM war. Once they had reclaimed the throne from 11 years […]
DELIGHT IN DISORDER INTRODUCTION: Robert Herrick (1591-1674) is classified as a ‘Cavalier Poet,’ that is, he belonged to a group of poets who supported King Charles I during the Civil War. During the Civil War on account of his support to the Royalist cause he fell out of favor with the government, but after King Charles […]
The Cause Americans have always been a self-reliant population. Throughout history, our aversion to authority has persisted. This sentiment remains constant in the present, past, and future. Our defiance originated during the early colonial era (1700), when we first embraced the identity of “Americans.” Prior to this period, specifically in the 1600s, we simply existed […]
Comparison and Contrast of Northern and Southern America Since the beginning of the 19th century, the North and the South parts of America embraced different paths of development. The north was much more geared to develop in industrialization and finance. On the other hand, the south opted for agriculture for its development. Climate in the […]
