How Did The Civil War Shaped American Culture

Around the 1600’s, New England started to develop a drastic population growth. This growth caused several problems for the occupants including, high prices on food, land, and a shortage of work for many because of the aggressive competition. Immigrants from New England began to prepare for a voyage that would be beneficial for some travelling to Massachusetts and not so much those who were travelling to Virginia. Although the settlers from the Chesapeake Bay and New England came from the same country, these colonies established different societies because of varying elements such as religious freedoms, economy, government’s role in society and unity.

There are many events that occurred that became the foundation of present day America. The five most important historical events that occurred during American History were: the Renaissance; the European Reformation; the life of George Washington; concept of Manifest Destiny; and racism. These events each had a significant impact that formed the concepts that are used throughout America today; and, if they never happened or happened differently society would have been greatly affected.

Between the settlement of Jamestown in 1607 and the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the most important change that occurred in the colonies was the emergence of society quite different from that in England. Changes in religion, economics, politics and social structure illustrate this Americanization of the transplanted Europeans.

America was a place for dreams and new beginnings, until white people arrived in 1607. Three groups sailed over the treacherous Atlantic from their cruel lives in England to set up peaceful religious colonies. The only problem is that they attempted to settle in their own way and all failed dismally. The New England, Middle and Southern Colonies grew differently over the period 1619-1760.Examining the three sets of colonies will prove that they were all different: socially, economically, politically but not philosophically.

The Spanish, French, and English all established major settlements in North America in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In each colony, settlement revolved around different types of trade: plantations and mining in New Spain, the fur trade in New France, and tobacco and the family farm in British North America. There were many similarities among these countries’ approaches to settling, but also enormous differences.

European nations vigorously began to take over the newly discovered Americas throughout most of the 16th century leading into the 17th century. England was very forceful in pushing out multiple groups of people to the eastern coast of what is now known as North America. At that time there were only two prominent regions in North America, they were known then as the New England and the Chesapeake colonies. These two colonies would eventually band together to stand as one nation, but that was toward the end of the 17th century. The beginning tells a completely different story, both colonies had very different beliefs on what the exact reason may have been for the settlers to come to the New World. They lived very different lives because of this. A lot of these differences affected them politically in who they followed, socially in who they spoke with, and economically in who they would do business with.

The 17th century was one of discovery. It was when British settlers first arrived to North America and established the first North American colony. The US was non-existent and it would take over a century for colonists to gain independence from Britain. Tracing it back to its roots, America was founded by and populated by immigrants; however, nearly 300 years after the first settlers arrived, there is still a gross

The original colonies in Northern America faced rapid development in the early seventeenth century, as the original colonists saw great potential in the region, and they gave hope to individuals throughout Europe for better lives. The original English colonists of 1607-1630 brought numerous values to Northern America that shaped the colonial lifestyle, and have continued to influence U.S. history. The colonies were rooted in religious ideals, labor opportunities, and the hope for economic gain. These original colonial values vary in the extent to which they shaped, and continue to shape, American history, but have all influenced the American character to some degree.

During the late 16th century and into the 17th century, European nations rapidly colonized the newly discovered Americas. England in particular sent out numerous groups to the eastern coast of North America to two regions. These two regions were known as the Chesapeake and the New England areas. Later, in the late 1700's, these two areas would bond to become one nation. Yet from the very beginnings, both had very separate and unique identities. These differences, though very numerous, spurred from one major factor: the very reason the settlers came to the New World. This affected the colonies in literally every way, including economically, socially, and politically.

The Civil War had revolutionary effects on American society, the most important of which was the destruction of slavery, the fundamental institution of southern society. The emancipation of America’s 4 million slaves, in numbers, scale, and economic value, was far greater than any other emancipation of slaves or serfs (in Russia) in the world. At the war’s beginning, Lincoln identified the North’s cause with the cause of free labor. But Lincoln also initially stated that the conflict was not being fought to end or limit slavery, but to preserve the Union. He wanted to keep the border slave states of Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri in the Union and build the broadest possible base of support for the war in the North.

As a result of the Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the ‘New World,’ it was soon bombarded by wealth seeking explorers and conquistadors from all over Europe. The Spanish explorers first came and soon the English, but it wasn’t until 1607 that English colonization began with the settlement of Jamestown. Jamestown was not a perfect establishment at first, it failed but through many attempts it strived. Similar to the attempts needed to make Jamestown successful, following colonies had to establish their own beliefs and systems. Prior to 1700, both the Massachusetts and Virginia colonies were essential to the growth of English development by achieving economic growth through indentured servitude and later, slaves. Massachusetts made way for a more peaceful, diverse and respectful colony as Chesapeake Bay was violent and mainly centered around the separation of whites and heathens, achieving a ‘safer’ colony.

The outburst of the Civil War forever changed the future of the American nation. At first, it began as a fight to protect the Union, not as a struggle to free the slaves. Many citizens from the North and South felt that the conflict would ultimately decide both issues. Slavery was one of the primary issues which physically divided the northern U.S. from the Southern U.S. during the Civil War. Even after the Reconstruction Era it continue to divide the two. The Southern resistance to ending slavery was the main reason as to why the South believed in rejecting outsider ideals and it helped establish the Southern Code of Honor that emphasizes aggression and violence.

The early United States history is a story of progress and conflict in terms of political, territorial, and social advancement.

​The effects of the Civil War brought about changes in the United States. The country had to answer the question: To what level of moral and ethical conduct do we want Americans to be held? Loyalties were seriously evaluated. People had to decide if they held their loyalty to the country as a whole, their state, their families, or even to humanity as a whole. They had to decide if it was right to own another person, or if the slavery system was justified as a way to keep the Southern economy going. Through all this contemplation, people wrote about their thoughts and fears, and as a result, people abandoned romanticism and became realists. Many writings of the Civil War, whether informational or literary, reflect

Did you know that in the Civil War, America lost the most men ever? After four years and over 600,000 American lives, the Union (North) prevailed in wearing down and forcing the Confederacy (South) to surrender. Eli Whitney’s cotton gin, the Missouri Compromise, and the Dred Scott case contributed greatly to the Civil War. After the Civil War, the Southern economy was devastated with millions of homeless, while the northern economy boomed.