Different Time, Same Issues

Although the U.S. and England may seem so far apart, there are more things that make them similar than you may think.  Although horrible, most every country, past and present, has had to deal with persecution or in-toleration of a group of people at one point or another.  Peoples’ differences, and their need to stop those differences can sometimes get the best of them.  After all, we’re all only human, and we all have our own humanly desires and flaws.  Throughout the beginning of U.S. history, slavery is prominent, and so is people believing they’re superior or inferior to others, just based on their skin color.  Throughout early English history, there is a common theme of religious and political issues and differences causing violence and wars, particularly between the Catholics and the Protestants.  So, throughout both countries’ early history, there is a sense of differences being bad, and a need to settle or completely destroy those differences altogether.  The clash of opinions sometimes cannot be settled through conversation and reasoning, and in both of these cases, the result was a civil war: city versus city, brother versus brother.

The Civil War in the United States started because people began to question whether the idea of slavery, and judging others just based off of their skin color, was really as correct as they had originally thought.  Most of the northern United States was against slavery, and many abolitionists (people who worked to abolish slavery and help to free slaves) lived there.  However, in most of the southern U.S., people still believed that slavery was acceptable, and they wanted it to stay.  This clash of ideas over peoples’ differences eventually became war in 1861, when seven southern states declared their separation from the rest of the U.S. states, and developed the Confederate States of America.  This war lasted until 1865 (four years).  The outcome was the victory of the north, and the abolition of slavery, which was the right outcome, paving a better path for our country's future.  But, not all wars end with the "right" outcome.

The civil war in England was also between two different groups, but didn’t have the outcome they planned on or wanted.  The English Civil War started because the English king, Charles I raised taxes, canceled Parliament’s meetings, and refused to consult Parliament when making important countrywide decisions.  So, Oliver Cromwell started to lead the Roundheads (Puritan, merchant supporters of Parliament) in a battle against the Cavaliers (noble supporters of the king).  The English Civil War began in August of 1642, and lasted for seven years.  Throughout this war, 4% of the population died, which is even higher than the percent that died during World War I, “The War to End All Wars.”  At the Battle of Naseby, Charles I was captured and brought to trial by Cromwell.  He was found guilty, and sentenced to death, executed on January 30, 1649.  There was an intense sadness throughout the people after Charles I was killed, and their new military leader, Oliver Cromwell, wasn’t exactly what they thought he would be.  Cromwell ended the rule of Parliament and ruled England with the support of his New Model Army.  He banned all fun activities, and was not the fair, just ruler even his own supporters thought he would be.  Cromwell died in 1658 to the relief of his people, and Charles II took the throne back.

Even though the two wars didn’t have the same outcome, or even the same exact issues involved with them, they both share the same underlying principle: intolerance.  Intolerance is what sparked both of these wars, whether towards each other because of race, religion, or political standings.  Although these two wars took place during different time periods, on different continents, the message they communicate to us today is still the same.  We all are bound to have differences and opinions about those differences, whether good or bad.  We’re all human, and we were all created to be different, and to let our differences define us, not limit us.  We must work harder to accept others’ differences, and not let our prejudices get as bad as they did in these two wars.  We don’t want another war, more danger, more death… we want a safe place for ourselves, our family, and our friends to thrive.  If we don’t learn from the mistakes of the past, we are bound to have the same future…

Bibliography:

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/listing/battlefields/battle-of-naseby

http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/

Pictography:

http://www.soldierstudies.org/index.php?action=webquest_1