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How Did The Civil War Affect The Economy

Decent Essays

American History Short Essay

History has shown that war happens because of economics and any other cause or belief is secondary. The American Civil War followed this same history with the roots of the war growing from the different economic strengths and weaknesses of the country. The war was quite destructive with respect to the ruin of land and men and was the only U.S. war that took place entirely on U.S. soil. The American Civil War lasted for four years from 1861 to 1865 and resulted in over 600,000 casualties. The Civil War is usually recalled as a battle about slavery and rights of states, however, the war took place because of other issues and events. Dispute and dissension between the North and South over economic development, …show more content…

Alternatively, the South needed slaves because farming was the basis of their economic stability, with cotton and tobacco as the main crops.

It was these differences in economic development (urban vs. rural and factory vs. farm) that separated the North and South. Southern plantations were changing from growing crops to cotton, which was very profitable. As a result, the South became a singular crop economy, depending mostly on cotton, while the North was an economy based on factories that were purchasing the raw cotton and manufacturing it into clothing and other goods. This economic difference between the North and South resulted in different economic positions and outlooks and, ultimately, contributed to the onset of the Civil War.

The election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States in 1861 was another cause to the onset of war. Even before Lincoln was elected (Republican), seven states had seceded. Lincoln’s election triggered not only a geographical division in the country but also a division between North and South on attitudes of economics and acceptance of

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