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The first shots were fired in 1861, The Confederacy fired on Fort Sumpter, but it all began a lot earlier when Congress, along with the White House was passing Tarrifs that hurt the Southern States which depended on the market for cotton, etc. Certain states, mostly in the south, felt like they were getting a bad deal, and after years of trying to better themselves with politics, decited that they would never get it done that way, decited to just withdraw from the union and form their own goverment. The constitution allowed them the right to withdraw, stating the if the people of a state should at anytime feel that the federal goverment was not acting in a way that was helpfull to them, they could withdraw. The Federal goverment got around this by saying it was the States politicians who were dis-satisfied, and not the people. Even when The Federal goverment is acting contrary to the peoples wishes, they still claim to be the voice of the people. They say whatever suits their purpose at the time. Maryland was in the process of withdrawing also, but before they could really get officialy seceeded the federals came into that state, hang some people for simply speaking against the union, and prevented their secession. The Confederacy kept Marylands star on their flag. There were people around long before the war who were actively opposing slavery, and many slaves had been freed, Many by their owners, some by abbolitionest. John Brownwas one of the later. he was being paid by nothern powers to stir up the slaves. He tried to get the slaves to rise up and fight theior owners, and some people were killed. Three years befor the war begin John Brown was hung. Robert E Lee, and J.E.B.Stuart, who were officers in the union army at that time, were leading the soldiers who captured John Brown, this was in no way connected to the war, the war was yet three years in the future Robert E Lee had a wife named Mary, her father ,Mr.Custus, had several slaves. He left a will leaving them all to Robert, stating that they were to all be set free within five year after his death. He stated that they were not to be simply put out with nothing, but given whatever help needed to get them started living on their own. Before the war started all of these slaves were freed. Robert E. Lee's wife who was a grandaughter of Martha Washington, inherited the home that she and Robert occupied, It was called Arlington, it was taken from the Lee's after the war, but later Roberts son, George Washington Custus Lee, sued for it, and as it was taking from them unlawfully it was awarded back to the family. The cemetery was already a monumental thing by then, the family donated it back to the goverment. Just as we did England when we pulled away from them in 1776, the southern states drew up a constitution of their own, comunicating at all times with Lincoln, and the others in washington about what they were doing, they started printing their own money. They asked Lincoln to please remove his soldiers from their country. Lincoln said that they would remove them as soon as they could make the arrangments. Under cover of night Washington move their troops into Fort Sumptor, off the shores of South Carolina, which was still Carolina's territory' Ships were being sent to supply Sumpter, and Lincoln was calling up thousands of new recruits to attack the new formed country. The South fired upon Sumpter for three days. The only man to die in that battle was a union man at sumpter who blew himself up accidently. But the war was on. No one said, "free your slaves". No one said, "no I will not". It was not about slavery, it was about wanting a better goverment. The war lasted for four years and freedom lost, The U.S A, was even worse than befor, rights that were at first considered valid, were no longer valid. The goverment of the U.S.of A, now knew that it could treat the people any way they wished and get by with it.
