Why is the American Civil War sometimes called the Second American Revolution?

Answer 1

Very tough question with no good answers. Some say that most ancestors that were in the revolution were in the South. Others say that America was being an Empire, before the Civil War. The Civil War was basically a war that was fought between a small and powerless country, and a Large Industrial Country

Answer 2

The definition of a civil war is a war within a country, or a country's citizens fight ing against their own country. So if English men and women were fighting against England and its soldures, king, and citizens I consider the Revolutionary war a civil war between ENGLAND AND ENGLAND'S COLONIES.

Answer 3

Because many thousands of American colonists remained loyal to the King of England throughout the war. Called "Loyalists" or "Tories," many even fought on the side of the British army during the war. This was especially true in the southern colonies where pro-British sentiment was very strong. The Battle of King's Mountain in South Carolina was fought between an army of American Patriots and an opposing army made up entirely of Loyalists/Tories who had been recruited by British officer Patrick Ferguson, who was killed during that battle. In many cases, it was neighbors and even family members fighting against each other.

Answer 4

Some historians refer the the American Revolutionary War as America's first civil war. In some circles this point can be seriously debated. For the most part the founders of the American revolution were British and King George was their king. The American revolutionists were fighting a war of independence form the British empire. Yes, it was a rebellion, but the goal was to "depose" the British king of his sovereignty over the 13 American colonies. This was accomplished and the colonies became the United States.

In 1861, 11 States of the United States sought independence from the Federal Government. The leaders of this rebellion had the same goal as the American revolutionists. They both did not want to take over the current government, they each wanted to be independent.

Certainly in that sense the two groups had the same overall goals.

Now in certain political science circles and in some historical circles a true civil war is when the central government is seen as an enemy and one group of disloyal citizens wishes to take over the central government and establish a new one.

This is why, as example, the French Revolution, can be called a civil war in that the French monarchy was deposed and replaced by a new government. Neither

the American Revolutionists nor the Confederates wished to depose their central governments and replace them. Both groups battled to be independent.

In order to be convenient, many political scientists have broadened the definition of a civil war. Thus most people now refer to the Confederacy as being at war with the Union, and call it the US Civil War. And, refer to the French "conflict" that replaced the French king as the French Revolution.

Some scholars, whether they are called political scientists or political historians, believe the term "civil war" to describe the battle for independence by the Confederacy to be a battle for independence. Thus in that light, the battle for independence from Britain is the same type of conflict as the Southern battle for independence from the Federal Government.

Now to add to this mix is the notion that the "US Civil War" was a battle to end slavery in the United States. If that were so, then why did soldiers from Union slave States go to war with Southern slave States?

Yes the end result of that war was two fold:

A. The rebellion by the South was crushed; and

B. The US Constitution abolished slavery in the United States.

For many, and for good reason this is a mute debate. And yes it seems so now. So to answer the question first posed, both wars, Revolutionary and Civil are identical in broad terms.

Answer 5

A civil war is a war between one country: itself. The British people who left Britan and fought against Britan are still British, and they were fighting themselves.

Answer 6

Loyalists took the side of the British. Patriots fought for independence.