Union and Division In 1787 the issue of slavery presented itself while the Founding Fathers drafted what would become the Constitution of the United States of America. This issue was not one that many wanted to address. Thus, it was put aside until the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which finally promised to solve the issue of slavery. This solution was no real solution, and only divided the quarreling North and Southern halves of the United States further. This issue would come to a head following the election of Abraham Lincoln, who, despite not being against slavery, believed that it should not be allowed to spread into new US states. Southern states saw Lincoln’s election as an existential crisis that would stunt their growth and development …show more content…
This would be the offset of the first Civil War. At the start of this war, the South seemingly had the better hand in terms of military power, economic security, and even morale. However, the North held the long-term advantages, and would eventually be victorious over their Southern adversaries. In the antebellum period, the South was the economic powerhouse of the entire United States, if not the world. In Doc 3 a disgruntled Southern Senator tries to convince the US Senate of the South’s key role in the financial security of the nation. He goes on to recount how the South provided more than half of the revenue generated by domestic products. Due to its vast land and resources, the South was a goldmine for natural resources, raw goods, and food. The North had been colonized for much longer than the relatively young South, and thus it did not have many natural resources that …show more content…
Thus, the South not only had better-trained soldiers but also had the advantage of fighting a defensive war. In Doc 7 General Robert E. Lee attempts to rally his soldiers before a battle by stating their military feats, and that they were defending their country. Lee proclaims, “sustained by prayers of those in whose defense you fight, let every man resolve to put forth his utmost efforts…” (Doc 7). Defending a home front is much easier than attacking due to the defending soldiers having high morale and knowing the terrain. While the South had high morale and well-trained soldiers, the North struggled to find fresh recruits who were willing to attack the well-entrenched Southerners. But conscription soon quelled this issue, and the North’s large population advantage began to take effect. To support its large production economy, the North had an extensive transport network, something that would offset the South’s seeming military advantage. Doc 2 highlights this overwhelming industrialization of the North as opposed to the South. Easy transport allowed the North not only to supply their army but to also reinforce the positions freed by casualties. The South attempted to keep morale high through the use of such songs as Doc 4, which attempted to raise Confederate spirits by claiming their cause was righteous. Even the South's propaganda could not dismiss the
Current lists several factors including the north having significant advantages in population, industry, and resources. He suggested that having these factors in the war allowed the north to wage, defend,
The North had many advantages. They beat the South in population they could draw soldiers from. The North had 22 million citizens where the South only had 5.5 million citizens. The North could transport supplies and people faster because of their roads, canals, and railroads. However the South disconnected from itself with barely any railroads and hard to move soldiers and goods from place to place.
The north had about double the amount of railroads than the south within each mile. This allowed the north to better move soldiers and goods where they were needed. The south had difficulty transporting soldiers and goods because of their lack of railroads and roads. The civil war was called the “first railroad war” so they became a helpful new technology that helped the union during the war.
The North was much better prepared for the Civil War, seeing that they were much more advanced than the South, and were much more strongly equipped with weapons and transportation as well. According to the article “Industry and Economy during the Civil War” by the National Parks Service, “ . . . The North, by contrast, was well on its way toward a commercial and manufacturing economy, which would directly impact its war-making ability.” Clearly, The North had an advantage in manufacturing that would allow them to replenish their supplies more easily and transport supplies and troops more effectively than the South. Additionally, “ . . .
The defensive position held by the Confederate Army was also deeply important to their successes. This is because they knew their environment and were incredibly motivated to fight against what they
The enormous size of the south enabled it to deploy a defense strategy in depth. When the forces of the Union advanced towards the south, they could at times retreat, leaving behind their troops dispersed and that put their ground troops in a vulnerable position of attack from the South. The South also had a longer coastline than the North. The only counteractive measure the north could do to prevent the South from extensively utilizing this advantage was to try to stop the entry of goods and weapons from Europe to the Southern
Another benefit that the North had for being a more commercial and manufacturing economy is that they were also able to produce more firearms for their solders, they were able to produce 3,200 guns for every hundred created by the South. This would have naturally leave the South
At the beginning of the Civil War, the Union’s advantages of a greater population and better industrial economy was perceived as though they were on a level far above that of the Confederacy. Though the Union did have the upper hand in those elements, the Confederacy had better trained officers who harnessed superior decision-making skills and battle tactics. While the North held distinct advantages economically, their one glaring deficiency was in its military. When the war began, the Union held 23 states totaling a population of 22 million, while the Confederacy held only 9 states with a population of 9 million, and approximately 4 million of them were slaves. The Union armies outnumbered Confederate armies by a ratio of 2-to-1, roughly.
The South had used slaves to its advantage by not paying them and they were able to have huge profits by doing this. The North was threatening the South's economy by trying to end slavery. Slavery and economic issues were a big part of the cause of the civil war but some would argue
During the Civil War, both the North and South had several advantages over each other. One advantage the North had over the South was their large population. Because of the North’s large population in allowed the Union to outnumber and outstand the South in major fights, as they could suffer from more casualties than the South could withstand. Another leverage the North had over the South was an industrial advantage. Since the North produced 97 percent of the firearms and had a crucial military asset with their advanced naval ships, it allowed them to easily access the center of the Confederacy through the Mississippi River.
Prior to the 1840s and 1850s, there was a precarious balance of slave and free states in the U.S. Legislation like the Missouri Compromise helped maintain that balance, but tensions continued to build as more states petitioned to be admitted into the Union. Additionally, societal changes inspired many Northerners to take a stand against slavery, with more Northerners embracing abolitionist causes. Southerners, on the other hand, clung to the institution and remained economically dependent upon it, looking to spread it to new states. During the 1840s and 1850s, Northerners and Southerners deeply disagreed about the institution of slavery, creating a deep divide between the two that would lead to war.
Even during its infancy, America was divided on the important issue of slavery. Divisions became ever more acute as the practice first died out and then was abolished in most of the North, while the South –in particular the cotton belt of the Deep South- it became an inseparable part of the section’s economy and society. This and the belief of many Americans in the western and southern states in a limited federal government was largely glazed over until the 1840s as more free states were admitted into the union. Southern states became increasingly concerned because they believed that the North might try to abolish slavery and further limit the powers of the state governments once they had a majority in congress. A series of compromises were
Transportation in the North was readily available; plenty of railroads were able to transport supplies and troops. Contrary to the North, the South remained an agriculturally-centered society for the most part. The South also lacked a formidable industrial presence like the North since most Southerners did not think there was any need to industrialize. In the article “The North and the South,” the author reports that “[o]nly 35% of the nation's train tracks were located in the South. Waterways proved useful to Southern port and river cities, but an overwhelming amount of inland transportation was underdeveloped in the South,” reinforcing the idea that Southerners did not take industrialization seriously.
The south was geographically blessed and had a heavy economic advantage over the middle and northern
The North had an excellent Navy that had the ability to blockade things that were headed to the Southern states. The South desperately needed food, weapons, and ammunition but weren’t able to get their supplies because the North had blockades that stopped the supplies they needed. The North also had gun factories, shipyards, and coal readily available at anytime which puts them at a huge advantage over the South. They had more money and were just more advanced in their industry, which helped them win the civil war.