Civil War Podcast

The podcast episode discusses the strategic importance of Arizona in the Civil War. Arizona's location was significant because the Confederacy wanted to control California for its access to ocean trade and resources. The Union's victory at Pinchot Pass prevented Confederate forces from attacking California, impacting the Confederate economy. Native American tribes like the Navajo were affected by the war, facing persecution and unfavorable treaties. The history of the Civil War, including the smaller battles in Arizona, had a lasting impact on Native American history and the present-day oppression they face. It is important to understand history to create a better future. I'm your host, Ezekiel. The title of today's episode is A Wild Wild West. I am pleased to be joined by my co-host, Tzunika. Amen. We are excited to discuss the effect and strategic importance of Arizona in the Civil War. It is important because of its effect on the nation and the large population of Arizona Native Americans for years to come and even until the present. The Civil War is the most important conflict in United States history since the foundation of the country itself. This is because this conflict acted like a second revolution, except instead of independence, this was a revolution of how the country functioned, turning the scattered states into a nation. With such a large and spread out conflict, there are bound to be less famous parts of it. After listening to this episode, you will see Arizona's effect in the Civil War and Native Americans way of life, how that was affected by the Civil War as it led to displacement, increased military campaigns along and as well as Native Americans and Arizona's effect in the Civil War were learned by Arizona's strategic importance in the Civil War. After listening to this podcast, you will be able to better understand the ongoing politics in Arizona concerning the Native Americans. To understand the modern day, you must first understand what happened back in history. And for today, we have to start with the strategic importance of Arizona. Arizona's strategic importance came not from Arizona itself, but what lay beyond it. The Confederacy sought California because of its access to the ocean and by proxy ocean trade along with its rich supply of minerals such as gold and silver. This information is discussed in the book by Megan Kate Nelson, who has a BA in history and literature from Harvard and a PhD in American history from the University of Iowa. And this idea is carried over to the book review essay by Sam Clement. The article discusses the advantages of the Confederacy would gain from invading California and Arizona, including an active trading post on the ocean, as well as a possible Native American allies. Arizona's strategic importance was important to the Union because it allowed them to prevent Confederate forces from attacking California and it allowed them to create a pincer movement with the Confederacy's territory. The strategic importance of Arizona is only as important as whoever controls it. We will now be talking more about the different battles between the Union and Confederacy. The Battle of Pinchot Pass, which is found 75 miles out of Phoenix on the way to Tucson, was important as it destabilized the control that the Confederacy had over Arizona and ruined Confederate plans to connect Texas and California. The Confederate forces planned to use Tucson and Arizona as a way to connect the riches of California to Texas. This route was unable to be used after the Union victory at Pinchot Pass. We are getting evidence for this segment from the American Battlefield Trust, which is a national organization devoted to the Civil War and from an article from Gregory L. Wade, who is an active member in reclaiming Civil War battlefields. The lesser known battles of the southwest part of the war are just as important as the big and spectacular battles of the east, just without the giant death counts as they do. The Battle of Pinchot Pass prevented Confederate forces from attacking California, which is very important as it prevented the Confederate economy from recovering. This is evidently shown in the quotes. The Confederacy coveted the Arizona Territory for its access to west coast ports and the trade routes, not to mention the South's intentions to maintain a balance of power continent-wide. In the quote, while the numbers involved in the casualties were relatively modest compared to the other battles, it signified the end of Confederate hopes to control a route to the west coast port. These quotes illustrate the goals that the Confederacy had for Arizona and California. So what? This battle was important for the strategic importance of Arizona to both sides of the war. The effects of this battle affected the outcome of the war and what happened to the Native Americans in Arizona. Both even worse than Confederate forces, the Native American tribes. Topic 3. The Native American tribes. Historians still debate to this day whether or not Native American tribes of Arizona even knew what the Civil War was. Many believe that the tribes, such as the Apache, did not know the difference between the Confederate and the Union forces, something that was very easy to do before standardized uniforms. However, these tribes were heavily affected by the war, such as the Navajo, who fought with the Union throughout most of the war. During the Civil War, the Navajo were prosecuted by the Union forces, being captured, killed, and worse. They were treated like cattle by General Carson. These events are often referred to as the Navajo Trail of Tears. At the end of the war, the Navajo returned to a reservation back at the lands that they inhabited before, except this time with unfavorable treaties with the U.S. This information was gathered from History.com's editing team. History.com. This information matters a lot because at the same time that the Union was fighting for freedom, they were also pushing others down into bondage. This is also important in modern life as Native Americans are still oppressed in the U.S. and to create a better future, we must look at the past. The history of the Civil War is a complex one, and the fact stays true for whatever part of it you are talking about. The Southwest Civil War is a smaller side conflict compared to the grand battles on the East Coast, but it is still instrumental in the Confederate defeat and the history after the Civil War. In conclusion, the Civil War affects everybody, even those who may have not even known about its existence, such as Native American tribes. The small battles in Arizona may have been small, but had rippling effects on the war itself, including Confederate morale and the Confederate economy. The Civil War had a tremendous effect on Native American history all the way up until the present day. That will be all for today. Fun fact, it is impossible to press the follow button with your nose while pressing the like button with your elbow. Thank you for listening and remember to watch out for history repeating.