This is a tough question to address. Certainly there is something to 'get' about the Civil War, and thousands of people even go so far as to dress up and pretend like it all still exists. But it is difficult to understand all of the factors that led up to a nation so divided that there was nothing left to do but shed blood. Scholars might argue about that last statement, but really looking at all of the compromises and conflicts that had arisen in years before, it seems inevitable that conflict would arise. The world has learned much about war since Appomattox, yet we still seem able to find things to shoot other people over. I question whether this might mean that we learned nothing from the Civil War. In truth, I think this class has raised more questions than answers for me, but I would be worried if I had found all the answers.