After the civil war, tension still existed and the United States system had troubles balancing liberty and equality. In the primary document “Diary of Mary Chesnut”, Mary writes about what she sees and experiences during the war and attack on Fort Sumter. She explains this from the higher social status perspective of the Southern society. She displays the fear many women and children experienced during the firings at Fort Sumter while also revealing the relief they felt when they found out no one had been hurt from the firing. In the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln explains that Americans should always remember the brave soldiers who sacrificed themselves at the Battle of Gettysburg.
The assigned readings and professor Hunt’s lecture all support the main idea that the battle of Fort Sumter is the most pivotal event in the history of America. This is proven in professor Hunt’s lecture when he explains that before the battle and the civil war, American’s recognized themselves as individual states. However, after the war, they identified as one country with unified national identity. The pledge of allegiance was another symbol showing the