When posed with the question, "What have I been taught about the Civil War prior to this class", it made me realize that knowledge that I have received on this topic was not extensive at all. It was very hard to conjure up the little bits of information on the Civil War from my high school/middle school years, let alone the true information. From what I do remember being taught, the whole war started with Abraham Lincoln. I'd always been taught that he wanted to free the slaves in the south and that he was the saving grace. This warped story of how Lincoln abhorred slavery and was only focused on freeing slaves was something that was taught throughout middle school and high school, so that was all I knew. Even media emphasized slavery as being the cause of the Civil War.
In actuality, I've learned from this class that Abraham Lincoln couldn't have cared less for the slaves, let alone their freedom. The war fought for many reasons, but above all I was fought for power. The North saw that the South was gaining power and wealth at a rapid pace and decided to impose tariffs on the products they were exporting and the Northerners were the only people profiting off of said tariffs. On top of this the Tenth Amendment, stating that any power not given to the federal government is given to the states, was also a major cause for the war. Lastly, the Election of 1860 could be seen as the last major component that led to the war. In the election, Abraham Lincoln became the President of the United States. This election is what led 6 states to secede from the union. This subsequently led to the Civil War.
