During the Civil War, our country was split into two parts, the North and South, each having their separate strengths and weaknesses. The economy, military strategies, and attitudes were all factors that played in the result of the American Civil War. The country was torn between the views of the Union and the Confederacy, each fighting for what they believed to be right. It is considered a very important historical event that will always be marked in the nation’s history. The economy during the war was by far the most important role. The South’s departure from Congress allowed the North an opportunity to establish and dominate America’s industrial and economic future (Arrington). Production of goods such as coal, iron and steel, shoes, …show more content…
The Confederacy had great wealth, but most were caught up in the slave economy (Arrington). A major problem was transportation of soldiers and civilians which was extremely difficult (“Strengths and Weaknesses”). They received support from European countries who supplied them with several warships, but Northerners convinced them to not recognize the Confederacy (Guelzo). The North had a great military advantage over the South. The commanding general Ulysses S. Grant used new steamships to keep a constant flow of soldiers, supplies, weapons, and materials against the South’s unprepared army (Arrington). The North controlled the Navy, and a blockade could easily suffocate the South (“Strengths and Weaknesses”). As a result, the Confederacy was undoubtedly unable to compete with the Union at sea. The North, however, had to conquer the unfamiliar landscape of the South. Civilians often directed armies along obscure roads not visible on maps (Davidson and Stoff 487). The South had a limited authority of central government making it very difficult to accomplish anything (Davidson and Stoff 488). They tried bringing political power to a single authority, but their attempt was unsuccessful. Many found it difficult to cooperate with officials of both the Confederacy and their own states and cities (Guelzo). The leaders of the armies also had a big impact on the war. Abraham Lincoln
The challenges that the Union and the Confederacy faced during the Civil War were very different. Critical weaknesses that seemed unfit for war, plagued the opposing American forces, and would serve to be a continuous obstacle that would need to be conquered by patriotism of the people, for their opposing views. To allow for both sides to be competitive, the efforts put forth had to mold to the varied needs of the armies by both the civilian population and their militaries. To the people in the south the similarity to the colonists in the Revolutionary War, was assimilated to their separatist cause in the Civil War and would be their drive to compete with the dominating Northern states. This mindset started the Confederacy in the Civil
As the war continued on the industrial capabilities of the North would prove to become one of the greatest contributing factors to their ability to sustain military operations. Tied directly into the industrial capabilities of the North is the economical superiority that they held over the South. "The economy was the greatest Southern weakness; it was the North's greatest strength. The North was not only a huge farm but a sprawling factory as well" (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey pg. 439). Wars are expensive, and in order to sustain military operations especially one that would drag on for four years money would become of great importance. The North was comprised of approximately 75% of the nation's wealth, and they were able to maintain their trade with Europe which kept the money, and weapons pouring in. The South's inability to raise money took its toll on the pocket books of the Southern States, and in turn would be one of the major contributing factors to their defeat. A lengthy war on the other hand favored the wealthier and
Economically, the chief and immediate cause of the war was slavery. Southern states, including the 11 states that formed the Confederacy, depended on slavery to support their economy. The North used a factory system for their agriculture, which they hired cheap
There were many economic differences between the North and the South that eventually led to the Civil War. One main difference was that The South's economy was based on agriculture and slave labor while the North's economy was more focused on manufacturing. According to Document 1a, “Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project” , it represents that the value of Northern manufacturing surpassed the value of Southern manufacturing. This shows that the Northern states had a very well off economy , which can partly be due to its geography and location along the coast which contributed to major trade. Another reason for the North’s good economy was because unlike the South the industrialized North generated their wealth through innovation
“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 main economic hurdle the country faced was centered in the south. After the war many Southerners were dependant on federal aid subsistence and the emancipation proclamation cost the South $2 billion of it’s capital (Farmer). Furthermore, agriculture had been what maintained southern economy but post-war most farms and plantations were desolate and many of the few railroad tracks that were there before had been destroyed. Historian Charles Beard looks at the war as, “the triumph of the forces of industrialism over plantation agriculture.” However this is not entirely true. While there was some movement towards industry, the south was still primarily agriculturally based and had adopted a system of sharecropping to do so. It took until 1867 for
The north had more of everything, which meant that the south would run out of resources much faster than the north. This is a prime example of why the union won the war. When the confederacy were running out of resources, the north were still thriving with them. Another example of the union having more resources would be the number of soldiers in the Civil war. “At the beginning of the war the Northern states had a combined population of 22 million people. The Southern states had a combined population of about 9 million. This disparity was reflected in the size of the armies in the field. The Union forces outnumbered the Confederates roughly two to one.” (Document 4). This piece of text explains how many more soldiers the union had. The north had 22 million population, the south only had 9 million. This meant many more soldiers for the north, and many less for the
The Civil War was the war that divided the young American nation into two opposing sides. One side being the North, also called the Union, and the second side being the South, also called the Confederacy. The root cause of why the South seceded from the Union has been debated and argued since the beginning of the war in 1861. Most people argue that the argument, between the North and the South, over slavery was the main reason why the South left the Union. However, the issue has to be more complex than just the issue with slavery. The root cause of the of the South secession from the Union was a combination of the South’s aggravation and fear over their dependence on the North for their economic prosperity and their dependence on slavery for a highly profitable economy.
"If wars are won by riches, there can be no question why the North eventually prevailed." The North was better equipped than the South, with the resources necessary to be successful in a long term war like the Civil War was, which was fought from 1861 1865. Prior, and during the Civil war, the North's economy was always stronger than the South's, boasting of resources that the Confederacy had no means of attaining. Compared to the South, The North had more factories available for production of war supplies and larger amounts of land for growing crops. Its population was several times of the South's, which was a potential source for military enlistees. Although the South had better naval leadership and commanders, such as Robert E. Lee
As for the South, they were at a pretty big disadvantage in most areas of their nation. In economics, they had little factories, rails, and money. The few rails they did have ran
The Civil War was a very gruesome war. The war had become the Union (North) and the Confederacy (South). During the war the union and confederacy had many weaknesses and strengths. Some of them are technology, army/military and government.
The Civil war was the most momentous and crucial period of time in the history of America. Not only did this war bring an end to slavery but also paved way for numerous social and political changes. The country had already been torn by the negative trend in race relations and the numerous cases of slave uprisings were taking their toll on the country 's political and social structure. The country was predominately divided up into 3 sections, the North, the South, and the West. Each of these groups had different fundamental interests. The North wanted economies depending on farming, factories and milltowns, while the West relied on expansion and development of land for farming and new towns. The South mainly relied on agriculture like
The available resources of The North and South determined the outcome of The Civil War. The North’s superior industry and manpower paved the way for modernization and the ultimate victory. The South was destined for defeat due to insufficient resources to compete with the North. Once The North decided to fully utilize their industrial advantage, The South was doomed.
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”1 These words, spoken by Abraham Lincoln, foreshadowed the war that became the bloodiest in all of the United State's history. The Civil War was a brutal conflict between the North and South; brother against brother. With slavery as the root cause, Southern states had seceded from the Union and were fighting for their independence. They became the Confederate States of America (CSA) and were a force to be reckoned with. The Union, however, put up a fierce struggle to preserve the country. If the Civil War was to be a war of attrition, the North had the upper hand because of its large population, industrialization, raw materials, railroad mileage, and navy. But if the war was short lived, the
In the Civil War the North had many advantages over the South. The South was outnumbered, out supplied, and pushed into a corner using military tactics. Many things changed because of the Civil War. The military tactics used by the North changed how war was fought from then on. Many changes were made politically; some were only temporary, while others were permanent. After the war was over, the country was reunited and the image of the soul and duty of our country redefined.