How does the American Civil War impact our lives today?

To the extent that the Civil War still impacts us today,
it is because of the fact that the war helped to make the North and the South seem
distinct from one another.  There continue to be major political and cultural
differences between the South and the rest of the country to this
day.

In part, of course, these differences were caused by
the slave system rather than by the war.  However, the war caused there to be some
amount of lingering resentment between the two sides and caused the differences to be
emphasized over the years.  For example, it is partly because of the Civil War that
there are still conflicts over things like the use of the Confederate
flag.

The Civil War helped to make and keep the South
different from the rest of the country.  These differences still show up today in our
politics and in our culture.  In this way, the Civil War does still have an impact on
our lives.