Period 1
11/26/17
Effects of the Civil War
The Civil War, most likely the most infamous war in the United States history, as wars are known to be fought between different countries one that was fought within its own shocked the nation. The North, stood for freedom and equality among all, while the south wanted to keep the conservative ideas that they had lived by for decades. As Abraham Lincoln lead the North to a final victory over the south, one of the main questions asked, "Was it really a victory?" The Union side alone lost around 389,753 troops and militia, while the Confederacy lost around 289,000 troops, combined to make a total of 620,000 deaths, more than WWI and WWII. However, this was the least of the effects that would come to rock the nation for years to come. The Union passed new laws that would force the South away from their conservative ideals, the 11th and 12th amendments "ended" slavery. The North went on to enforce the idea of reconstruction, which would rebuild the south under the control of the North while creating a more stable government. Since these new laws were not supported by the South, The Union forced the South into a military state, it was divided into districts and northern troops were sent to keep order and enforce new laws passed by the Union. Furthermore, southern states were stated to be under control of the North and were once again part of the US, only this time they were not allowed to leave. However not all of the effects of the Civil War were negative, because of the high demand for troops, weapons, and food there were lots of factories left after the war ended. These factories were put into use by the government with the idea to increase the American Industrialization, something that they were behind on because of the war. These factories were able to create new technologies, and allow the US to recover from the losses in the war and eventually catch up to Europe's industrialization.
Thanks for your interesting post, Gavin. I liked how you looked at the affect it had on both the Union and the Confederacy, then went on to explain how it affected America as a whole. Although this was a war that rocked the country and damaged it for many years to come, I feel that it was inevitable due to the circumstances leading up to the war.
ReplyDeleteI would also like to add some comparisons between the Civil War and WWII. Although these are arguably the two most important events in American history, they actually had very different effects on the country. They were both very destructive. However, the Civil War divided Americans, while WWII forced unity (at least until the next generation when the Cold War came about. Then there was a lot of division). The Civil War was fought over slavery, while WWII was fought for preserving democracy. So, in a sense, they were both fought over freedom. The government increased its power in both cases, which lasted even after the war. Also, the civil war set up America for industrialization, as you said, while the World War used that industrialization as a weapon. From these two pivotal events, it seems there is a pattern with American war goals, strategies, and outcomes.
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