A blockade can be defined as an effort to cut off supplies, war materials or communication between forces partially or totally. If one side can establish a blockade it would get easier to defeat the other side, because an effective blockade can cause military and economically problems. During the Civil War, Union navy established a blockade of Confederate ports to prevent export, import and war supplies. The author William N. Still, Jr. argues the effectiveness of a blockade during the Civil War. He argues that the blockade was both effective and ineffective. The effectiveness increased through the end of the war. The blockade had little effect in the war. He gives examples about its effectiveness, such as importance of blockade to cause economic problems. On the other hand, there is considerable evidence showing the ineffectiveness of the …show more content…
Even though, he says that the blockade was both effective and ineffective, he finishes his argument with the ineffectiveness of the blockade. He supports that the blockade was ineffective, but the Confederate secretary of the navy, Mallory, wanted to challenge the blockade. If Mallory thought that the blockade was insufficient and ineffective, he could not have tried to challenge. He admitted that the blockade was a real problem to the Confederates so that he challenged it. He also mentioned that historians considered the Confederate naval effort a failure and accepted that it was particularly true. These examples show that he is not consistent with his argument. Even if he tries to show how the blockade was ineffective, he still gives conflicting arguments. He gave examples at the beginning that the blockade was effective. For example, he says that the Union navy expanded, from 90 warships to more than 700, approximately 650% growth. This shows that the Union navy had great power to establish an effective
Blockade around Cuba so that the Soviets couldn’t send war materials in and out. (Theodorous II)
This act would forbid any U.S. ship to sail from an U.S. port to a foreign port. In developing this act, Jefferson had hoped to find an alternating from war. The act failed. American coastal cities were soon desolated. All segments of the American economy were being affected by this act. The paralysis effect on the American economy accompanied by the almost unaffected economy of Great Britain led to only one thing, the American people were turning against one another.3 The American leaders learned one thing from this act, the war could not be fought through economic pressure, it would have to be won by military action.
The economies of the North and South were vastly different leading up to the Civil War. Money was equivalent to power in both regions. For the North, the economy was based on industry as they were more modern and self-aware. They realized that industrialization was progress and it could help rid the country of slave labor as it was wrong. The North’s population had a class system but citizens could move within the system, provided they made the money that would allow them to move up in class. The class system was not as rigid as it was in the South. By comparison, the South wanted to hold on to its economic policy. In doing so, the practice of slavery kept the social order firmly in place. The economic factors, social issues and a growing
“Why did the North win the Civil War?” is only half of a question by itself, for the other half is “Why did the South lose the Civil War?” To this day historians have tried to put their finger on the exact reason for the South losing the war. Some historians blame the head of the confederacy Jefferson Davis; however others believe that it was the shear numbers of the Union (North). The advantages and disadvantages are abundant on either sides of the argument, but the most dominate arguments on why the South lost the war would be the fact that state’s rights prevented unification of the South, Jefferson Davis poor leadership and his failure to work together with his generals, the South failed to gain the recognition of the European nations, North’s superior resources made the outcome inevitable, and moral of the South towards the end of the war.
The authors considered the psychological effect of the blockade to double as a mode of deterrence when it came to blockade running. A presence of Union ships on the southern coast was enough to deter Confederate ships from running through blockades and risk losing vessels of the small Confederate navy (Bonner and McCord 378). In relation to the authors’ thesis, the presence of a psychological effect forcing the southern populace to realize the consequences of the blockade, and reduce the number of raiders attempting to breach the blockade.
What were the short-term and long-term effects of the Civil War? The Civil War produced many short-term and long-term effects. For example, the struggle of Freedmen and Reconstruction shortly after the Civil War was addressed with many short term solutions like, the Freedmen’s Bureau, the 10% Plan. and the Wade-Davis Bill. There also times like, the battle over Reconstruction, where the pure tension and disagreements throws the U.S. into pure chaos with the assassination of Lincoln and not much gets done due to the back and forth arguments between Johnson and Republicans. Although, the end of Reconstruction presents a myriad of long term effects which will radically change America like, the KKK and Plessy V. Ferguson promoting racism and the election of Hayes in 1876. From 1863-1896, the United States was completely divided and was going through Reconstruction in an attempt to unite the North and South after the Civil War to prevent other countries from attacking America. After the Civil War, the struggle to rebuild the Nation, the battle over Reconstruction, and its inevitable end produced a plethora of long-term and short-term effects which would change America forever.
War of 1812 and industrialization- The british blockade forced the united states to develop its own industries
The Civil War that occurred was one of the darkest times in our history as a country. It was a time where there was a complete breakdown of social and political systems. Hundreds of thousands were killed and hundreds of thousands more were aversely affected. However, it was also a time of remembrance and significant moral progress. It is remembered as the turning point in American History and would be the foundation for the Civil Rights movement many years later.
Technology has not only significantly improved daily life, but it has also changed warfare. In the 1860’s, controversies of the practice of slavery, westward expansion, and political authorities caused high tensions between the Northern Union and the Southern Confederacy. As the tensions built up, the Civil War began on April 12th, 1861 after the secession of the Southern states. Determining the independence of the Confederacy and the fate of the Union, the Civil War was a period of major technological transformation. In 1865, the Union officially won the Civil War with advantages such as industrialization, a larger population, and most importantly, technological innovations. Advancement in technology, such as the telegraph, railroads, and rifles, effectively changed the Northern military strategies by establishing a rapid network of communication, providing an efficient and safe system of transportation, and improving the performance of the weapons.
“The blockade devastated the American economy. Between 1811 and 1814, the value of exports and imports fell from $114 million to $20 million, while custom rates used to finance the war were more than halved from $13 million to $6 million. Many American merchant vessels did not risk leaving port.”
As the Civil War was about to begin, the American Economy was changing from an agricultural economy to an industrial economy. Since the early 1800’s, the United States was largely an agricultural economy, due to the cotton industry. By the late 1810’s, cotton had become the greatest export the United States had. One reason for that is Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin. The cotton gin had increased cotton production to a possible 50 pounds of cotton per day per machine.
The United States is at risk of falling apart forever in the 1860s. The southern United States has withdrawn from the north, and the war to follow will be the bloodiest test of our country in history. The north, otherwise known as The Union, devised a three-part plan to end the rebellion. They wanted to enforce a naval blockade to cut off supplies from the South. Next, they were to capture Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the South. Finally, The Union wanted to take control of the Mississippi River to cut off supplies from the South. The Naval Blockade, taking control of the Mississippi River, and capturing Richmond, Virginia was the three-part plan to end the Confederacy.
1865 was a year filled with hardships for the United States. Changes to the constitution were made, businesses formed, and leadership changed. This was also a year of controversy, dealing with racism. The United States’ strength was tested and proved to be strong with the end of the Civil War on April ninth. 1865 was an important year because of the Civil War, economic changes, and politics.
The Importance of the Blockade Runners in the Civil War Blockade runners enabled the Confederacy to survive for as long as it
The Roman Republic was a system of procedures formed by tradition; there was no written constitution or legally binding legislation. Precedent and consensus set procedure creating the parameters for acceptable behaviour. However, it was near the end of the 2nd century BC, where the system began to deteriorate and fall, ultimately causing the civil war in 49 BC. The boundaries of acceptable behaviour were stretched by politicians such as Caesar and Pompey and as a result new perilous precedents were set. Violence along with the use of an army became a political tool in the domestic, political sphere. The civil war laid on the foundations that constitutional methods proved ineffective in the face of an inadequate aristocratic government and therefore Caesar and the senate lead by Pompey used violence and rebellion against each other in an attempt to stabilise the administrative system of government and essentially control Rome. Caesar himself ignited the civil war as a result of the unstable Roman Republic, major events such as rebellion and revolts, senate and the political sphere and the breakdown of the triumvirate, which fuelled the motive for civil war. The corrupted Roman system alongside with personal issues and disagreements became the catalyst for the civil war of 49 BC and consequently set the parameters for the new dictatorial Roman world.