Post-Civil War

Soldiers of the American Civil War were overwhelmed by a time where weaponry and technological developments were thriving. This brutal war changed the soldiers, both mentally and physically, and continued to have an impact throughout their entire lives. There were not only many deaths during the war, but also prior to the war as many soldiers took their own life. They would experience disturbing thoughts and events in their mind that could not be explained until they became known as mental illnesses. The exploration of psychological disorders following the Civil War improved medical diagnostic tools and the way patients were treated which transformed the treatment of mental illness by creating new ways of discovering illnesses, treating patients, and developing the foundation for the future of psychology throughout America.

The 1850s were a time of attempted compromise when compromise was no longer possible. The Union was becoming divided through many events in the time leading into the Civil War. The North and South had too many hostilities to account for. Socially, the North and the South could not stand what the other would do or say with anything. Politically, the government was completely divided and undecided. And economically, the South began to prosper as the North began to struggle. Thus, during the 1850s, socially, politically, and economically there was not any compromise that could fix the problems beginning to occur.

The Antebellum Period in American History is for the most part thought to be the period before the Civil War and after the War of 1812, although some extend it to every one of the years from the reception of the Constitution in 1789 to the start of the Civil War. It was characterized by the rise of abolition and the gradual polarization of the country between abolitionists and supporters of slavery. The nation 's economy started growing in the North due to the Industrial Revolution, the South 's cotton blast made slave plantations the focal point of the economy. The addition of new region and western development saw the fortification of American independence and of Manifest Destiny, the thought that Americans and the foundations of the U.S. are ethically better and Americans are ethically committed than spread these foundations. From 1800-1860, the separation of the North and South lead to many opposing viewpoints on national issues. By 1860, compromise was considered impossible due to disagreements over handling slavery, sectionalism in the West, and states ' rights.

Frederick Douglass once said “What a change now greets us! The Government is aroused, the dead North is alive, and its divided people united…The cry now is for war, vigorous war, war to the bitter end, and war till the traitors are effectually and permanently put down” (Allen, 2005). In 1861, the start of the Civil War was needed by the Confederacy and the Union. Ever since the American Revolution and the birth of the United States, seventy-eight years earlier, there were many disagreements that began to tear apart the country. The main issues that were debated were state rights, unfair taxation, and slavery. Slavery was the main issue because it caused a separation between the north and the south. The north had mostly abolished slavery by this time because it became an industry driven economy, while the south was made up of plantations that grew crops. Almost half of the southern population was made up of slaves because about one-third of families owned slaves. The southern states wanted to break away to start their own establishment and we able to have slaves if they wanted. The Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is located in the Charleston, South Carolina harbor, three and a half miles from the shore. Many events occurred leading up to, during, and after the battle to mark it as an important part of the Civil War.

The post-Civil War, also known as the extended period that came to be known as the Gilded Age, was largely centered around and influenced by big business and corporations. The newfound efficiency of resources and mass production resulted in a wide variety of available products but also a wide divide between classes and a misdistribution of power that led to the forming of unions and passing of anti-trust legislation. Big business employed money and power to control and manipulate the economy and politics to their own advantage through dishonest means and exploitation of poor immigrants. Americans such as Samuel Gompers worked on the creation of different labor unions to protect the common people and authors such as Jacob Riis and Stephen

The United States post-Civil War era from 1875 to 1900 experienced massive economic and industrial growth, especially in the North. The rise of new machines, industries (railroad, oil, steel), and buildings contributed to a major upsurge in the prosperity of the American nation. In 1860, no American city had a population over one million; by 1890, three cities had passed the million mark. New York City became the second largest city in the world after London in 1900. The substantial growth of the U.S economically can be contributed to a group of wealthy capitalists that ran businesses/industries and stimulated economic growth. However, historians have argued over whether these capitalists were “robber barons” that were corrupt and took advantage of the American people or “captains of industry” that helped the U.S grow at unparalleled speeds. Wealthy capitalists such as Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller were indeed “captains of industry” who enlarged American industry and businesses, used their wealth to better their communities, and elevated the United States to new heights as one of the leading industrial powers of the entire world.

The other major race that suffered during this time was African Americans. They had previously been released from slavery, but now they were facing social injustice. Jim Crow laws, were formed, which created stereotypes about blacks being inferior to the white race once again. White bathrooms, and water fountains were constructed along with separation in schools between the races. African Americans “were denied the most basic freedom that democracy promises”(Alexander) under these laws. Everywhere people went separation was found among the whites, and blacks. By creating these laws the American government set the process for the unity of the races backwards. People did not have the opportunity to unite because they were bound by law to be separated. This era created separation of the races, from the very beginning. The government, and white Americans were only concerned about their well-being, and therefore, separated themselves from anyone, and anything that they felt would harm their success and power.

Did the United States Change After the Civil War? On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Courthouse. The surrender of Robert E. Lee marked the end of the Civil War. After the Civil War, the 13th

The 12 years succeeding the Civil War composed of different presidents, elected officials, and law developing, the reconstruction of the south officially came to an end in 1877. Binding the south with the United States again came with challenges and successes that constantly altered the way of life. Post civil war reformation was intended to bring progress to the problems America faced, unfortunately due to the great resistance of change, the evolution of America quickly came apart at the seems.

The Reconstruction Era was looked upon with much optimism, considering that abolitionists and African Americans believed that this process would make it possible for them to achieve their goals. The project was generally meant to assist the South in reintegrating in the Union and in assisting African Americans to become equal to white individuals in the U.S. The Freedmen were apparently one of the main missions that the Reconstruction was designed for and it actually seemed that things would be much better for black people when considering the degree of discrimination that they suffered until that time.

After the American Civil War, African Americans believed that their lives would improve. The Union had won the war, and the United States was whole again. There was hope, and above all, they were finally free. Even things were changing inside the government. Before the Civil War ended, Abraham Lincoln realized the states needed to have government officials loyal to the Unionist cause if the war was to end. So, after encouraging Arkansas to ratify a new state constitution in 1864, Arkansas citizens elected Isaac Murphy as Governor in hopes that Arkansas would rejoin the Union. He proved successful. Arkansas rejoined the Union at the end of the war. Moving forward three years after war, Powell Clayton “became the one of the youngest governors in Arkansas history” at the age of 34. In his inaugural address, he explained to the citizens everything he intended to do while governor. He warned that if anyone was caught keeping voters from the polls, they would face “severe pains and penalties of an outraged law” , and he declared that he would form a militia. Clayton, also, encouraged immigration and the railroad, and encouraged citizens to pay off their debts. Most importantly, Clayton created the Board of Education and required the formation of better school systems. All of the ideas presented were great in theory. It made it seem that Arkansas was full of promise for everyone. However, due to several groups of people and certain events, white Unionists and

Taking a look through America’s history, even in the original thirteen colonies, there was a distinct line between the North and South. This line differentiated everything from crops to religion. As the country expanded and evolved this line not only become clearer but also started to cause more conflict. Eventually it became clear that the North was industrializing and the South wanted to remain an agrarian society. Leading up to the civil war was basically a sibling rivalry of push and shove. One day the South would start to implement slavery in a disputed or free territory and he next the North would be putting up factories in South Carolina. The main problem however is that the South pushed harder than the North. The South would ask for more benefits and complain more when the North got barely even anything. These arguments eventually led to fighting and then to the civil war. The South is clearly at fault for starting the civil war because of how it handled certain political decisions and arguments that had been going on at the time.

When Henry Woodfin Grady gave his speech in December of 1886 it had been right around twenty years since the end of the Civil War. The Civil War was the deadliest war in American history and happened due to the clear split in lifestyle and values between the North and the South. Grady compares the North and the South to the Puritans and Cavaliers. These two groups of people had completely different lifestyles and values. He acknowledges that the two groups eventually had to come together just like the North and South needed to. In order for the southern Cavaliers to succeed Grady believed it was necessary to come together as a group with the northern Puritans. At this point in time the South was progressing towards bridging the gap between the North and the South. The speech written by Grady could be said to be full of exaggerations and falsified statements. While the speech may not have been completely true it was the byproduct of a blend of opportunism and optimism. Grady was using his optimism about the South as an opportunity to encourage others to share his world views.

Following the Civil War, the Government acquired the task of reassembling the country in a way that would not destroy the peace that had come since the war’s end. Reconstruction centered around striking a balance between the rights of African Americans and white Southerners in order to create a sense of equality in America. Before his untimely death in 1865, Lincoln had begun the task of putting the country back together with the 10% plan. He aimed to pardon every southern Confederate, and readmit each state if 10% of its voters, determined by the election of 1860, took an oath of loyalty. Lincoln allowed the states to adopt a new constitution as long as it prohibited slavery (Ash n.p). Within the next five years, the Thirteenth,

In 1861, a horrific war began. Nobody had any idea that this war would become the deadliest war in American history. It wasn’t a regular war, it was a civil war opposing the Union in the North and the Confederate States in the South.. The Civil War cost many people’s lives on the battlefield and beyond. In addition it cost an extreme amount of money for the nation which possibly could have been avoided if the war had turned to happen a little differently.