The Historical Events That Have Defined America

Throughout America’s history, certain events, independent of any particular political figure, have managed to drastically change the nature of American politics. Such events have had the power to alter voting patterns, bring politicians into and out of office, and determine both domestic and foreign policy for years to come. These events have also changed party ideologies, public opinion, and the Constitution itself. Four events stand out as being particularly influential in American political life: the Civil War, World War I, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

After the Revolutionary War, the Civil War is, by and far, the most significant event to have occurred in American history. Almost a century and a half later, its effects are still felt throughout the country. The secession of the Southern states prior to Lincoln’s inauguration tested the Constitution to a point it had never been tested before, and put the new President in a very difficult position. Lincoln was faced with three options: he could have made concessions to the states about slavery, confirming what the southern states asserted: that state laws trumped federal ones. This, however, would have seriously, perhaps fatally, weakened the federal government, and was not seen as a viable option. He could have allowed the South simply to secede, forming the Confederate States of America. This was also an unacceptable option, though; it would have shown the US federal government to be weak and ineffective, given a ‘go-ahead’ to any other state that wished to secede over other issues, and ultimately would have had the same result as allowing state laws to trump federal ones: a complete break-down of the US federal government as designed by the Constitution. The only other option for Lincoln was the use of military force to keep the Union whole, and this is the course he chose to take.