What did the Civil War accomplish?

The American
Civil War, which raged from 1861 to 1865, pitted the United States against several secessionist
states united under the name "Confederate States of America." Despite the significant
bloodshed and loss of life, several things were directly accomplished by the conflict. Two of
the most important were the eradication of slavery and the legal settlement of the future status
of the United States.

President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
of January 1, 1863 freed slaves in southern states through executive fiat. This was legally
possible only under Lincoln's inherent war powers. The advancing Union armies put the
proclamation into effect and this, in turn, inspired the adoption of the 13th Amendment three
years later.

The question of the permanence of the American Union was also
decided. In the post-war case of Texas vs. White , which arose out of
monetary claims linked to the Civil War, the United States Supreme Court ruled that the United
States could not be dissolved...