Revolution in a political institution such as the United States would be a complete fundamental change in the government or social structure of the country. Both constitutionally and socially a compilation of many great changes can amount to a fundamental change in structure. During the Civil War and the Reconstruction era the country survived civil war, grave differences between the nationalistic North and the states-rights South, and the complete disband of the slavery system that so much of the United States depended on. Between 1860 and 1877 the United States experienced great change, both socially and constitutionally, that amounted to a revolution.
             A revolution occurs when some kind of fundamental change is instituted. One of the many changes that occurred during this time period would be the South's view of the Union. There were many fundamental differences between the North and the South that eventually amounted to the Civil War. The secession of the South was caused by these fundamental differences. Socially the people of the South believed that the federal government was simply a compilation of the many states and that its powers were extremely limited. They also followed this belief when it came to interpretation of the Constitution. They seceded from the United States because they believed that they were part of the federal government as a contract and if that contract was broken, as they thought it was, they had the right to secede. As a result they encountered quite a conflict with the nationalistic North. The South Carolina Declaration of Causes of Secession states, "Thus was established, by compact between the states, a government with defined objects and powers, limited to the express words of the grant." (Doc A) Three years later Senator John Sherman of Ohio stated in a speech in congress, "It has been that principle of states rights, that bad sentiment that has elevated state authority above na...