Civil War

Introduction
The Civil War in the United States began in 1861, after decades of simmering tensions
between northern and southern states over slavery, states’ rights and westward expansion. The
election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 caused seven southern states to secede and form the
Confederate States of America; the war fought between the Union (states that remained loyal to
the federal union, or "the North") and the Confederacy (states that voted to secede, or "the South The
conflict was the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil.

CAUSES LEADING TO CIVIL WAR

Economic Factors

Industrial Vs Agriculture
The southern economy depended on a single crop plantation of cotton (good profits after the invention of
cotton gin) which needed cheap labor through the system of slavery. The northern economy was based
more on industry than agriculture. This disparity between the two set up a major difference in economic
attitudes. By the early 19th century, the North became the financial center of the country and the
abolitionist movement gained popularity. Meanwhile, the South was concerned that the North would try
and end slavery, which in turn would hurt the Southern economy.

Tariffs
The South did not manufacture goods, so they had to import or ship them down from the North. Because
shipping from the North was quite expensive, the South usually imported their goods and in turn, paid a
lot of federal tariffs, which are basically taxes on imports or exports. The tariffs were the main source of
the federal government's revenue, yet the money was usually spent in the North. The South felt exploited,
and for good reason.

Social Factors
Urban Vs Rural identity and values
As the industrial economy in the North thrived, cities rose and population centers in the North created an
urban society while the South remained agrarian. While the South did have cities, it had the majority of
large farms. The South was based on the plantation system while the North was focused on city life. This
change in the North meant that society evolved as people of different cultures and classes had to work
together. On the other hand, the South continued to hold onto an antiquated social order.
Anti-Slavery Vs Pro-Slavery States
The Constitution tried to create a balance between a strong federal government and the sovereignty of
individual states. However, as the U.S. expanded, Southern states complained the doctrine of states' rights
was eroding due to the North imposing anti-slavery measures. As the North gradually moved away from
slavery, social divisions between the North and the South grew, and the South began to lose political
power.

Abolitionism
Post-1830 abolitionists called for more confrontational tactics to end slavery in the U.S. They often
criticized slaveholders as evil and pointed out examples of international emancipation. They eventually
formed political parties and anti-abolitionists responded, often with violence. Abolitionist Cited the Bible
and Declaration of Independence believed U.S. was as much home to black people as it was to white
people

Political Factors
Since the founding of the U.S., the North and the South have held different political views. In the 1850s
and 1860s, various disagreements became political factors that led to the Civil War. Three factors
included
Federal Power Vs State Power
The idea of states' rights was not new to the Civil War, as they had already experienced abuse of power
by the British Empire. Since the Constitution was first written there had been arguments about how much
power the states should have versus how much power the federal government should have. The southern
states felt that the federal government was taking away their rights and powers. The South valued the
doctrine of states' rights, mainly because it allowed them to continue utilizing slavery as part of their
economic structure.

Westward Expansion
As the United States continued to expand westward, each new state added to the country shifted the
power between the North and the South. Southern states began to fear they would lose so much power
that they would lose all their rights. Each new state became a battleground between the two sides for
power.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Election

Meanwhile, the newly formed Republican Party, whose members were strongly opposed to the westward
expansion of slavery into new states, was gaining prominence. The election of a Republican, Abraham
Lincoln, as President in 1860 sealed the deal. His victory, without a single Southern electoral vote, was a
clear signal to the Southern states that they had lost all influence. Feeling excluded from the political
system, they turned to the only alternative they believed was left to them: secession, a political decision
that led directly to war. Shortly after, South Carolina was the first Southern state to secede on December
20, 1860. President Lincoln declared South Carolina's secession illegal and told the country they were
going to war to protect the federal union in 1861.

Frederick Douglass
Finally, Frederick Douglass was a prominent author and abolitionist leader. He was born into slavery
and eventually fled to New York. He became famous and discussed the treatment of black soldiers with
President Lincoln. He eventually became the first African American to work and hold a high rank within
the government.
 CONSEQUENCES OF THE CIVIL WAR

The Civil War is one of the most important events in the history of the United States. It had
many important repercussions which went on to have a deep and long lasting impact on the
nation.

Physical Devastation
The Civil War was one of the most tragic wars in American history. More Americans died then in all
other wars combined. Brother fought against Brother and the nation was torn apart. It was the costliest
war the American people have experienced. The war killed over 620,000 men and at least that many more
had been wounded in a nation of about 35million. Also more than 37,000 black soldiers lost their lives
fighting for freedom during the American Civil War

Spread of Disease and Sickness

The conditions of the war were so bad more men died of disease and sickness than on the battlefield.
Diseases, infections and injury were the giant killers. Wounded soldiers were housed in overfilled
hospitals with filthy conditions. Conditions were deplorable in Union and Confederate prisons,
where prisoners often died from outright neglect or starvation. At the infamous Camp Sumter prison
camp in Georgia, prisoners were described as “walking skeletons”.

Hunger and Homelessness

After the war, over 4 million slaves were freed. They didn’t know what the future had in store for them.
With freedom came hunger and homelessness. Some slaves stayed on the plantations, but others went
north. Either way, thousands of former slaves were without homes, clothes, food, jobs, and didn’t have
any education

EFFECTS OF THE CIVIL WAR

Increased Federal Authority

The Federal government proved itself supreme over the states. It increased the power of centre
government and killed the issue of state rights.
Unity of the Nation
Lead to stronger sense of nationalism. The nation was reunited and the southern states were not allowed
to secede. Western lands increasingly opened to settlement. The United States before the Civil War were
a country, but the United States after the war was a nation.

Abolition of slavery
While slavery was not officially outlawed until the passage of the 13th amendment, the slaves were set
free upon the end of the war. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially
abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. 
Change in Citizenship
The Fourteenth Amendment declared that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are
American citizens including African Americans

Right to vote
The Fifteenth Amendment prohibited the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right
to vote based on that citizen’s “race, color, or previous condition of servitude”. 

Reconstruction Acts of 1867-68

After the end of the civil war there were many debates about how the former Confederate states would re-
join the Union. The first bill divided 10 rebel states into five military districts for
governance and they were required to draft new constitutions that would be approved by the US
Congress. Three more acts were passed in 1867-68 which were concerned about how the new
constitutions would be created and passed at the state level.

Industrial Boom

In the aftermath of the Civil War and Reconstruction, the American economy grew considerably as it
entered “The Second Industrial Revolution,” generally recognized as the period between 1870 and 1914.
The U.S. was awash in an abundance of natural resources from its newly acquired territories, a growing
supply of labor of emancipated African Americans North and West, an expanding market for
manufactured goods. The Second Industrial Revolution took local communities and their new products
out of the shadow of regional agricultural based economies which was assisted by new labor forces and
production techniques. During the Second Industrial Revolution, innovations in transportation, such as
roads, steamboats, the Eerie Canal, and most notably railroads, linked distant, previously isolated
communities together.