| No doubt that the real meaning of the Civil War is | | | | revolution indeed. But its striking achievement was |
| completely different from the one we are used | | | | the triumph of industrial capitalism. The industrial |
| to. Civil War is called the Second American | | | | capitalist, through their political spokesmen, the |
| Revolution by some great historians. The term | | | | Republicans, had succeeded in capturing the state |
| "Second American Revolution" was first used by | | | | and using it as an instrument to strengthen their |
| Charles and Mary Beard about seventy years ago | | | | economic position. It was no accident, therefore, |
| when describing the American Civil War. Only | | | | that while the war was waged on the field and |
| after everything was settled about the reunion | | | | through Negro emancipation, in Congress' halls the |
| and reconciliation, after the construction of | | | | victory was made secure by the passage of |
| monuments were completed, after all the | | | | tariff, banking, public-land, railroad, and contract |
| veterans were satisfied, when most of the | | | | labor legislation." |
| emotions were dull the Civil War could have been | | | | Some famous historians and James McPherson |
| viewed from another prospective, the logical | | | | occasionally talk of Abraham Lincoln's "Second |
| prospective that could easily point out "that | | | | American Revolution" (the title of one of |
| armed conflict had been only one phase of the | | | | McPherson's books). They are absolutely correct |
| cataclysm, a transitory phase; that at bottom the | | | | to describe Lincoln as a revolutionary, however, |
| so-called Civil War, or the War between the | | | | the explanations they present to support this |
| States ... was a social war, ending in the | | | | point of view are not fully complete. It is true |
| unquestioned establishment of a new power in the | | | | that Lincoln led a revolution, but it was an |
| government, making vast changes in the | | | | anti-American revolution against nearly all the |
| arrangement of classes, in the accumulation and | | | | founding values of the country. It was a |
| distribution of wealth, in the course of industrial | | | | revolution against: free-market capitalism (Lincoln |
| development, and in the Constitution inherited | | | | was a committed mercantilist); the principles of |
| from the Fathers." | | | | the Declaration of Independence; the Constitution; |
| Over the years the term "Second American | | | | the system of states' rights and federalism that |
| Revolution" has been viewed differently by | | | | was created by the founders; and the prohibitions |
| different parties. The historians of the Civil War | | | | against waging war on civilians embodied in the |
| Era always had difficulties with accepting this term. | | | | international law of the time as well as the canons |
| In any case, Civil War greatly changed the sense | | | | of Western Christian civilization. Lincoln through all |
| of balance of political power between North and | | | | of his life never believed in equality of all races. He |
| South and significantly speeded up the appearance | | | | always viewed whites as the superior race. Maybe |
| of industrial capitalism in the post-war period. Most | | | | he wanted all races to be equal but not in the U.S. |
| historians see the abolishing of slavery in the | | | | Lincoln is thought to save the union, however, it |
| South as the revolutionary result of the war. | | | | was only geographically, he destroyed it |
| Another point of view is from people that lived | | | | philosophically, and the union was not voluntary |
| through the war, they saw their struggle as | | | | anymore. Lincoln eviscerated constitutional liberties |
| revolutionary. People that lived in the South called | | | | in the North, which permanently weakened the |
| their revolt a revolution against the tyranny | | | | constitutional protections of liberty for all |
| regime of the North. Northerners, on the | | | | Americans. |
| contrary, viewed their conflict as a struggle to | | | | Despite all of the arguing of prominent historians, |
| keep the union, which was formed as the result | | | | the fact continues to be revealed as the history |
| of revolution against England, together. However, | | | | moves up but at the same time it sort of steps |
| both sides viewed that war as the continuation of | | | | back away in history. I think, it is an individual right |
| their fight for freedom that started in 1776. | | | | for everyone to view the Civil War as the |
| The prominent historians Beards were very | | | | Second American Revolution or not. Each |
| precise as to what they called a "revolution." In | | | | generation will reason and view this event |
| 1940 Louis Hacker briefly summed up what later | | | | differently, according to background and political |
| became recognized as the Hacker-Beard Thesis: | | | | views. |
| "The American Civil War turned out to be a | | | | |