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Just trying to get the opinion of members. Is " Civil War" the correct term to describe our country's conflict between 1861-1865? I grew up using the term and still feel it's not an improper way to describe it, however I know people, namely fellow southerners who bristle at that definition. They prefer to call it " The war for Southern Independence " , " The War of Northern Aggression", "The War Between the States" or" The Second American Revolution" .
Looking at what Civil Wars have been in history, there is something to be said about that. Most Civil Wars are fought between factions that are trying to determine the way a country is governed. While The North certainly had the goal to preserve the Union as it was and strengthen the Federal Government, The South had no desire to implement any reform on the way the US was ran. They wanted to be completely independent. I know that directly after the war the South bristled at the idea of that title. In fact the Official Records compiled by the War Department referred to it as " The War of the Rebellion". Do any history buffs know when it become commonly accepted in books and school texts to call it "The Civil War"?
Looking at what Civil Wars have been in history, there is something to be said about that. Most Civil Wars are fought between factions that are trying to determine the way a country is governed. While The North certainly had the goal to preserve the Union as it was and strengthen the Federal Government, The South had no desire to implement any reform on the way the US was ran. They wanted to be completely independent. I know that directly after the war the South bristled at the idea of that title. In fact the Official Records compiled by the War Department referred to it as " The War of the Rebellion". Do any history buffs know when it become commonly accepted in books and school texts to call it "The Civil War"?
Definition of CIVIL WAR
Posted from merriam-webster.comPosted in these groups: 
American History
Military History
American History Military History
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
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I think it was. We lost over 600,000 and all were Americans. We are engaged in a (un) Civil War of words today and it needs to stop. Too much division and lots of guns - with people that know how to use them - and will if they see their way of life threatened. Thanks for sharing.
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It was a civil war. Had the South won, they would have had the perrogative to name it their revolutionary war.
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I guess it really depends on how you view the legitimacy of the Confederacy. The United States did not view the Confederate States as a legitimate country, so for the Union it could certainly fall into the definition of a Civil War. In fact, in the early stages of the war, Lincoln was unwilling to negotiate with the Confederacy because he didn't view them as a legitimate and he felt that any treaties or negotiations would legitimize Confederate sovereignty. So, in Lincoln's eyes (and presumably the nation's), the CSA was simply a rebel group within the still formed USA.
On the flip side, the CSA viewed themselves as a separate, sovereign nation. So, the textbook definition of "civil war" may not apply. For the CSA then (and in some parts now), they believed it was a war for independence and a war between two nations.
On the flip side, the CSA viewed themselves as a separate, sovereign nation. So, the textbook definition of "civil war" may not apply. For the CSA then (and in some parts now), they believed it was a war for independence and a war between two nations.
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