American History : The affects of the Civil War 1861 to 1865

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The differences between north and south

Economic differences:

Northern states had abolished slavery in the early parts of the nineteenth century

Population growth - by the 1860 , the north had increased from thirteen states to fifteen . and had a considerably larger population than the south

There was a growing number of immigrants contributing to the increase in population size in the north

There was an advancement in the growth of industry in the north due to industrialisation and the south was merely agricultural

the south only produced a handful of the nations manufactured goods (ten per cent)

Foreign competition reduced prices of cotton which was mainly produced on slavery plantations in the southern states

Differences in trade - by the 1850s raw cotton was mainly exported to Britain

Free trade - international trade that is left to run its run course according to market forces and isn't subject to taxes - supported by the south encouraged further trade with Britain

The north favoured tariffs - taxes paid on certain goods - to protect goods from new industries and competition in Europe

Cultural differences:

Code of honour - important in the south as people had to defend it if they were questioned

duelling in the north had laws suppressing it

Southern nationalism - built based on a strong christian faith , slavery and honour

Northern identity - free labour, liberty and puritan christianity

Education - the northerners were better educated and more willing to accept reform and ideas

Northerners saw the southerners as backwards na d out of touch and the Northerners were depicted as ill- mannered and aggressive

Political differences:

Two regions split on the powers of the president and the congress

The south tended to vote for democratic reforms and were anxious to prevent to vote for a president or member of congress who affected their interests particularly in slavery

Northern politicians were less hostile and less supportive of the rights of individual states

Slavery:

major divisions of the north and the south

Southern states - supported slavery for social , economics and political reasons

The south relied on cotton and tobacco

Slave ownership became a measure of wealth and a sign of status

Southerners were convinced that without slavery the economy would collapse and they resented the interference of the north

Slavery was a social institution that kept African - Americans in their position of the hierarchy and ensured white supremacy

There as a fear that without the white supremacy there would be social disintegration and a race war

The north weren't necessarily tolerant of racial issues - they were convinced it went against the declaration of independence

Civil war 1861 to 1865:

Resulted in long standing sectional differences that weren't fully resolved (political , economic and social difference)

Differences between free and slave states - didn't know whether the power of the national government was going to prohibit slavery in territories that hadn't yet became states

Seven Slave states seceded and formed a new nation known as the confederate states - eventually grew into eleven states

The states that weren't apart of the confederacy were known as the union

Effects of the war:

Immediate consequence of the war was the scale of destruction and loss of life - combined tally of 618,000

The economic expense was over $3.3 billion spent - although the north experienced prosperity with its total wealth by fifty per cent

The south experienced the opposite and lost a further $1.1 billion to war damage

politically - deep issues between the north and the south and the consequences of the defeated states

The south referred to the north as the plague and were left bitter and full of hatred

Emancipation of 3.5 million slaves - many initially declared free by Lincoln through the 1863 emancipation proclamation - aimed at those in areas then still in rebellion against the US