Applied History Final Essay for Module 8 PDF

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Kassi Konopka HIS 200: Applied History Southern New Hampshire University October 22, 2021 The Union Victory of the U.S. Civil War One of the most well-known instances in American history is the Civil War. The Northern and Southern states were divided and established themselves as the Union (north) and the Confederacy (south). The more divided America became, the more these two sides clashed, leading to the beginning of the Civil War. Many of us know that the Union availed after a surrender from the Confederacy. However, many of us do not know the implications of battle and wartime, which is why it is important to examine factors that lead to victory in war. The U.S. Civil War that lasted from 1861 to 1865 is one of America’s most crucial and notable wars in all of American history. The Civil War was fought between the Northern and Southern states, which were very much divided during this time. The Civil War was fought due to clashing intentions and disagreement of economics, slavery, federal government versus state power and general cultural differences of Northern and Southern States. The result of this war was that the North succeeded in victory, allowing for slavery to be abolished among many other outcomes. However, what is often overlooked is exactly how and why the North won the Civil War. For starters, the northern army was far more industrious and more organized than the southern army. Secondly, the north had a much larger population resulting in a larger army. Lastly, the north had much more economic support to assist in the war effort, which allowed them to afford many supplies.

The Northern and Southern States of the United States of America during the years of 1861 to 1865 was the years of the Civil War, as we know the root causes of this war were caused by divided opinions and opposing cultures that were unique to the North and South of the U.S. The North was considered the Union and the South was called the Confederacy. One reason of the war was the idea of ending slavery. One such article called “The Causes of the American Civil War: Recent Interpretations and New Directions” states that the economics of slavery were one of the key attributes that contributed to the wealth of the Confederacy at the time.

Another reason why the Union won the war was that there was a much larger population compared to the Confederacy. The North had much larger cities, and in turn, allowed for a much larger army. Whereas the South had a more rural populations, meaning they had less people living per mile. According to the book “Why the North Won the War” written by H.S. Commager and D. H. Donald state that “The North’s industrious population gave way to more populous cities and towns, this let for the Union to create a much larger army” (Commager & Donald 2005). Since the South was more rural, with less people living in bigger cities, it was harder for them to gather an army comparison in size to the Union.

The economic wealth of the North was much more abundant than the South. Therefore, the North was able to afford supplies and ability to have a better army. Also, due to these larger industrious cities, the economic wealth of the North greatly surpassed that of the South. Why is this important? One such article “Wealth, slave ownership, and fighting for the confederacy: An empirical study of the American Civil War: American political science review” tells us how “the North was far more ahead as far as working towards a manufacturing and commercial economy”. Therefore, due to the North’s ample wealth in industry, this allowed for factories to create more

supplies at a faster rate, which ultimately led for the Union army to have this advantage of having better uniforms, guns, artillery, and other supplies. The American Civil War forever changed the future of the United States. There are numerous immediate and long-term consequences that resulted due to the war and its outcome. The immediate consequences had to deal with how the nation could repair and reform after the war ended and handling the aftermath it caused. Long-term consequences, on the other hand, were. Some of the short-term consequences were that the South had to change a lot of its culture after the war. For example, plantations were very common in the South and most of these plantations survived because of African slaves that were bought and sold to work on them. After the war, slavery became illegal and plantation owners had to give them their freedom. Much of the South’s economy thrived on agriculture and slave trade, it can be imagined how complex the transition from a particular type of culture and lifestyle to a new one for half of the country would be. In fact, this transition was called the reconstruction, which was a period after the Civil War where the United States aimed at reorganizing the Southern states and reintegrate them into the Union, all while millions of newly freed people were now assimilating into the general population. One such primary source to demonstrate the significance of this time is a personal account of a former slave. He writes in his journal about the trials him and many other former slaves are experiencing in this era during the reconstruction. He mentions how hard it is to find work and often ended up working on farms because it was just “what he knew” (Bryant 1870). In the article “Historiography and Civil War. The Historiography of Late Republican Civil War” written by Aaron Sheehan-Dean, the author gives an in-depth examination of the consequences of the war and how it affected the nation during that time, and how the long-term consequences shaped America to what it is today. The author suggests that the “long term effects of the Civil

War are the ones that set the foundation for innovation, advancement and significant change over the course of the next century” (Sheehan-Dean 2011). Some of the long-term consequences of the Civil War was that the Union was solidified, and the Confederacy was dissolved, and the United States became one as we know it today. Another long-term consequence was the beginning of Blacks’ rights. When 13th through the 15th Amendments were ratified, protecting African Americans rights after the Civil War, this allowed for the formation of the long-lasting fight for freedoms of black individuals all the way to the Civil Rights Era to the Black Lives Matter Protests. If the Union had not won the war, we may not have seen such a quick advancement in industrialization either. Since the north’s economy was mostly centered around industry, they were not dependent on agriculture like the plantation abundant South. This allowed for industry to spread throughout the South and helped to innovate new advancements in this area. The U.S. Civil War was an event that fueled great change in America. A once divided nation with differing morals, values, culture, economies, and politics, became one. However, it was a battle fought with blood and anger. The Civil War is a great example of a tragic and turbulent historical event that eventually proved to be a positive outcome for the nation. Many of the effects of the war are still presently seen in our culture today. Therefore, it is important that we are reminded of and appreciating the history behind our country. The tribulations and struggles of those before us should install knowledge on our citizens on how we can learn from history to move forward. The victory of the Union in the Civil War should be examined so that Americans can understand an important aspect as to the why and how the modern-day United States came to be what it is today.

References Commager, H. S., & Donald, D. H. (2005). Why the North won the Civil War. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks. Foner, E. (1974). The causes of the American Civil War: Recent interpretations and new directions. Civil War History, 20(3), 197–214. https://doi.org/10.1353/cwh.1974.0073 Hall, A. B., Huff, C., & Kuriwaki, S. (2019, May 23). Wealth, slaveownership, and fighting for the confederacy: An empirical study of the american Civil War: American political science review. Cambridge Core. Retrieved October 19, 2021, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/wealthslaveownership-and-fighting-for-the-confederacy-an-empirical-study-of-the-americancivil-war/5197A38881BAE7EB2F1C39D43DF3AC7E. Sheehan-Dean, A. (2011). Historiography and Civil War. The Historiography of Late Republican Civil War, 119(2), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004409521_002 Primary sources: Reconstruction (after U.S. Civil War): General. LibGuides. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2021, from https://cnu.libguides.com/c.php?g=23198&p=136497....