Final answer:
In April 1862, the Confederate Congress passed the Conscription Act, initiating the first military draft in American history and contradicting states' rights by centralizing power. The Act favored the wealthy by allowing substitutions and exemptions, reinforcing class divides and the perception that the war benefitted the rich at the expense of the poor.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Confederate Congress enacted the first military draft in American history in April 1862, through the Conscription Act. This draft contradicted the principle of states' rights because it represented a strong centralized power exerting control over the states, which many Southern states' rights advocates opposed. The draft required all men between the ages of eighteen and thirty-five to serve for three years, but it included provisions that favored the wealthy, such as allowing substitutions, where a man could pay someone else to serve in their stead. The Conscription Act also exempted certain groups, including those owning more than twenty slaves, further entrenching the idea that it was 'a rich man's war but a poor man's fight.'