The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history that directly ended the institution of slavery. The factors that contributed to the war were multi-varied and complex, mostly stemming from the fact that the Southern economy was dependent on agricultural slave labor and thus protested the federal abolition of slavery as a violation of states’ rights. On the other hand, the Northern states were industrialized, urbanized, and morally opposed to slavery. This ideological conflict came to a head during the debate of slavery expansion into the West. Southerners were convinced that the North was trying to undermine them and resented state taxes; finally, they seceded from the union upon Lincoln’s election.
Several technological innovations increased the power of the U.S. military during the Civil War. The invention of the telegraph in 1844 allowed generals to communicate more quickly and effectively with senior officials and the central government, leading to more coordinated strategies (McNamara, 2021). The railroads built in the 1830s facilitated the transport of reinforcements and supplies (McNamara, 2021).
These inventions were precursors to modern military aircraft and encrypted radio messages. The U.S. military is considered the most sophisticated in the world, with the Department of Defense spending billions on science and technology research. Everyday technology, such as duct tape, GPS, and penicillin, were originally military designs (Willings, 2021). In the nineteenth century, the military took advantage of contemporary inventions, but now they are the primary instigators of technological innovation.
Although the Civil War had unprecedentedly massive casualties, it is possible to justify it under the Just War Theory. This theory states that while taking human life is morally wrong, sometimes war is the lesser of two evils necessary to protect life. While the Civil War killed 600,000 Americans, it liberated millions of slaves immediately and several generations hereafter. Of course, the struggle for equal rights for African Americans is far from over even today, but we have come a long way from previous atrocities. I believe the Civil War is justifiable under the Just War Theory as the necessary first step on our path to protecting human dignity and equality.
References
McNamara, R. (2019). Innovations in technology during the Civil War. ThoughtCo. Web.
Willings, A. (2021). 27 ways military tech changed our lives. Pocket-lint. Web.