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Top 20 Significant People of the Civil War

+Abraham Lincoln

He was the president in the Union side before and dur-ing the civil war. His assuming of presidency, his belief in abolition, and his gathering of troops provoked the civil war to happen. Lincoln enforced many rights to have more power in the South than in the North, which provoked the Southerners to secede from the Union.

+Harriet Beecher Stowe

She was the author of the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This book caused great conflict among Southern and Northern people. This story not only touched many Northerner’s spirit to abolish slavery but also aroused conflict among the Southerner about abolitionism, which finally led to civil war. Lincoln later meets her and says “Is this small lady the one who started this big war?”

+Stephen Douglas

He was a very short man who opposed abolition; therefore, he had many debates with Lincoln. He favored the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 which he thought would neutralize the situation of slavery but worsened it to provoke the civil war.

+Henry Clay

He is known as the “Great Compromiser” by many people. He proposed the Compromise of 1850 which basically only freed the state of California. Because abolitionism wasn’t dealt with in the compromise, the idea of war was roaming around the time.

+Harriet Tubman 

She hid slaves, and led them into Northern territory to free the Black slaves. Because of her act of freeing black slaves, people started calling her the “Black Moses”. Her act of leading slaves out of slavery led to big conflicts between the North and the South.

+William Lloyd Garrison

He was the first one to publish the Liberator, a news paper concerning the ideas of abolition. He boldly and straightforwardly exercised his ideas about abolition. This startled many Northerners to be abolitionists. It touched on people’s morals.

+Nat Turner

He led the rebellion against slavery. The rebellion failed; however, he made the issue of slavery a serious topic to others by his action.

+Frederick Douglas 

He was a half white and half black American who was a talented orator. He was born from a Black woman but he had a white man’s genes in him. He got his education from his step mom, who acknowledged his brilliance at early age. He Influenced others to think critically for abolition.

+Sojourner Truth

A spokesman during the pre-civil war time who influenced the people to believe in abolition. However, most significant thing about her is that she was a black woman. She spoke for women’s rights and for slavery. She was also a great orator and a singer.

+Dred Scott

He was a black slave who fought for his rights. His court case failed but this stimulated the union to take actions for abolitionism.

+John Brown 

He led the Brown’s raid in the United States. He killed many Southern people to abolish slavery. He thought God called him to do so. This action of his created a tension between North and South.

+John Wilkes Booth

He was an actor who assassinated Abraham Lincoln because of South’s lost in civil war. This showed that there were many people in the South who were still not conformed to the ideas of emancipation of slaves. Also this was an act against the idea of Lincoln giving voting rights to the emancipated slaves.

+Jefferson Davis

He graduated from West Point. He stressed states’ rights to secede from the Union. He was the president of the confederate side during the civil war.

+Denmark Vesey 

He was an African American who devised an enormous plan to abolish slavery; however, his plan failed due to betrayal of one of his colleague. This showed that many black slaves wanted their freedom in the United States.

+Ulysses S. Grant

He was the general for the Union army. He eventually defeats the confederate army. He is considered to be one of the most influential general of the Union.

+Robert E. Lee

He graduated from West Point as one of the smartest students. He was the general of the Confederate army during the time of civil war. He was considered to be one of the adroit general at the time. He won some battles, but confederates eventually lose with the loss of Stonewall Jackson.

+Stonewall Jackson

He was a general of the confederate side during the civil war. He was considered to have ingenious battle plans by many people. He died of pneumonia after Pickett accidentally shot him in the battle of Chancellorsville.

+Robert Gould Shaw

He was a colonel for the Union side who believed in equal pay for the black soldiers. He died in Fort Wagner trying to lead the soldiers.

+George Pickett 

He was a general for the confederate side who is mostly known for his contribution in the battle of Gettysburg, more precisely the Pickett’s charge.

+Clara Barton 

She founded the Red Cross. She cured both Northern and Southern people during the war.