The American Civil War wasn't just a military

daily.

The American Civil War wasn't just a military conflict.

There was also a major political and legal struggle that took place alongside the military

campaigns. In the last few months of the war, President Abraham Lincoln knew that if the war was

truly to be the end of this conflict, it was necessary to ban slavery once

and for all.

And that would require changing the Constitution.

Learn more about the 13th Amendment and the Battle for its Ratification on this election of 1864, there was no guarantee that Lincoln was going to win.

The Civil War was extremely unpopular in some circles in the north,

and many of the Union's early setbacks were placed squarely at the feet of the

president. However nothing is more popular than winning and success in the battlefield led to an

overwhelming victory for Lincoln. In fact by late 1864 it became obvious to many people

that the North was going to win. General William Tecumseh Sherman marched to the sea devastated

southern logistics and supplies.

The Emancipation Proclamation, which went into effect on January 1st, 1863, ensured that wherever

the Union Army went, slaves would be freed.

And in fact, slaves would go out of their way to flee to Union

lines to seek their freedom.

This rendered every slave-owning farm and plantation wherever the Union Army went

on economical, as they would lose their entire supply of forced labor.

The Emancipation Proclamation, however, was not a law.

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