How does equality represent the Civil War?

Equality is a concept that was central to the issues leading up to and during the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. The conflict was primarily about different interpretations of the United States Constitution and the role of federal versus state power, specifically regarding the institution of slavery.

The Southern states, which formed the Confederacy, believed that each state had the right to decide whether slavery should be legal within its borders. They saw the attempts by Northern states and the federal government to limit the spread of slavery as a violation of their states' rights.

On the other hand, those who opposed slavery, including many in the Northern states that comprised the Union, saw the institution as fundamentally at odds with the principle of equality stated in the Declaration of Independence ("all men are created equal"). For the Union, the Civil War gradually became a moral crusade to end slavery and to preserve the nation on the principle of human equality.

With the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and later the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the Civil War did result in the abolishment of slavery, laying a foundation for the continuing struggle for equality for all Americans, regardless of race.