This topic has taken an interesting direction. Yes, when I compared the Civil War to Independece and the Constitution, I was being a little dramatic. I was just trying to illustrate its importance.
When you think about, in the scheme of things, the war really wasn't that long ago. My grandparents' grandparents where alive at the time. My first ancestor to migrate to the U.S., Hilarius Schumacher, fought for Minnesota or Michigan (we are unsure which) in the war as a volunteer.
The draft in the North was very controversial, and arguably one of the most useful institutions of the draft in our history. The draft riots in NYC were among the worst, if not the worst, riots in the city's history. There is so much to study about the Civil War, it's a great subject.