What They Fought For is a collection of personal letters/journal entries written by those who fought in the American Civil War. These entries shed light on why the individual soldier fought in this bloody war. The author conveys that most of these men had a sense of commitment to patriotism. In these letters they not only talked about why they were fighting, but also about the difficulties and problems. These insights are able to show how soldiers thought in great detail about the ideological issues of the war that had not been seen before. Slavery was a crucial factor in this war. The North wanted the abolition of slavery, using both morality and pragmatism as its defense. The South, on the other hand, believed it to be a way of life, economically and socially speaking. Based on what was said previously about sectionalism between North and South combined with these letters, the author is able to show how different the beliefs and personal motivations that led to being involved in the war were. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Some of these reasons for getting involved in the war ranged from protecting what they believed to be morally right, to not even having a single clue as to why. Some of those in the middle were soldiers who believed they were standing up for what was right or fighting to preserve what the founding fathers had stood for, the Declaration of Independence. An important change occurs in this book around the time of the Emancipation Proclamation, where you see both the attitudes of Southerners and Northerners changing. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, the moral crisis in the Union armies intensified. Many left the Union and Confederate armies. Some explained why by saying, “I am the guy who can fight for my country, but not for the niggers.” This sent the Union Army to an all-time low with a series of disasters and declining morale. However, the Union gained some blacks who were freed and able to enlist. The South became increasingly irritated with the North and this policy, but word of this did not reach Texas until Lee had already surrendered. What they fought for had a clear and concise thesis. Through the letters used, the author managed to convey a central thesis that soldiers on both sides fought to a large extent, mainly over the concept of honor and duty, or strength and courage. The author chose very specific letters to use in this short book. The author used many different letters that had the same central idea. This shows that McPherson did extensive research studying the numerous reasons behind each letter/diary entry written to put it all together into one very organized book. McPherson did extensive research on these letters and obtained them only from reliable sources. Some of these sources include the United States Institute of Military History, the University of Carolina, Duke University, and the Huntington Library. The author attempts to recreate an accurate depiction of the lives of the soldiers and families who lived during the Civil War by examining and studying all of these letters. Other examples of the vast amount of research he did were seen in the statistics he presented in his book and the numerous sources he had at his disposal. Using one source may prove reliable; however, using a variety of sources gives the reader complete insight and confidence.