Op/Ed
By: Melina Rabbini
I believe that the responsibility for the outbreak of the War invariably rests upon the shoulders of the South and the Confederacy. New York, as an industrial hub, thrived on a diverse economy fueled by manufacturing and trade. The Northern states embraced progress and industrialization, while the agrarian South clung to the institution of slavery. The economic differences between the industrial north and the agrarian south heavily contributed to the war. Our commitment to preserving the Union and becoming more modern clashed with the South’s resistance to change, creating tensions that affected the whole nation. It's important to acknowledge that the War's roots extend beyond just the issue of slavery. We believed in preserving the Union. We became very modern and The South heavily resisted modernizing their economy. This led to tensions between the two sides. The attempts at compromise, including the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, aimed to maintain a balance between slave and free states. However, these compromises only served to exacerbate the tensions instead of resolving them. The question of whether new territories would permit or prohibit slavery intensified the divide, with both sides not wanting to compromise. This ultimately set the stage for the ultimate showdown. Politically, New York aligned itself with the Republican Party, whose main ideas aligned with the anti-slavery movement. When we elected Lincoln in 1860, the South was not happy. His anti-slavery stance prompted Southern states to secede from the Union. As a New Yorker, I recognize that our state's political stance played a role in shaping the narrative of the war, positioning us as staunch defenders of the Union cause. The state's commitment to the Union was reflected in the sacrifices made on the homefront and the battlefields. While New York may not have been a battleground like some Southern states, our soldiers fought valiantly, and our industries supported the war effort. The war, it seems, is a battle not just for territory but for the very soul of our nation. The clash of these contrasting visions for the nation's future, compounded by political disagreements and fears of an unequal balance of power, ultimately opened my eyes on the Civil War as a struggle to preserve the Union and advance a more inclusive and economically progressive nation.