New York City Before, During, and After the Civil War
In its long and illustrious history, New York City (NYC) has gone through tremendous change. From a small trading post on the tip of Manhattan Island, to the greatest metropolis in the world, NYC has continued to evolve over time. One period in particular that had more degrees of change than many others, was 1860 to 1865. The lives of the residents of the great port city would be completely changed forever.
The common life of a NYC merchant in 1860 was that of a well-rounded diplomat. One who was able to make deals with both the Southern plantation owner, who sold him the cotton from which the merchant made his money, and the European who the merchant sold this cotton to.
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With a Republican in office, there would be an end to slavery and their whole way of life.
Surprisingly it was the latter, that NYC adopted first. There are several important reasons for this. First, NYC merchants, fearing that if the south formed a new nation, it would lower its tariffs and make NYC's ports obsolete. There was a great fear that New Orleans, not NYC, would be the major port city to the continent, and would control all imports heading to the vast lands west of the Mississippi river and all cotton exports. NYC's dominance of goods imported and exported had lasted for almost 200 years, and many feared it would be over.
Another reason New Yorkers were southern sympathizers was the debt owed to NYC merchants by the south, which had accumulated to over 200 million dollars. Many feared if the sectional conflict had continued, the debt would not be paid. But if NYC sided with no one and was neutral, the difference between philosophies would not interfere with its commerce and payment of debt. The flow of cotton, which made so much money for NYC, would not stop. Many NYC residents also had families and owned homes in the south. What would these individuals do?
Then on December twentieth, 1860 South Carolina, after a special state assembly, declared that the state would secede from the union. In January to June nine other states joined them; Mississippi
The aftermath of the Civil War shook the nation. A new way of life was beginning for the people of America. A way of life that was beautiful and free to some and absolutely devastating to the rest. The country had changed and nobody did a better job at documenting this change than the authors. The authors used this new world to explore new and unique stories as well as capturing what it was actually like living in the post-Civil War times. This paper will examine post-Civil War Literature and its importance to documenting this period in history.
People migrated from the old world to the new world in search of many different things. As they came, so did their different lifestyles and ideas, causing many changes and growths in the New York area. The idea of fur trade attracted many people, increasing sales in the Americas. A group of native Americans, who were nomads, cleared a lot of land making it easier for colonists to create cities. The colonists took this land and cultivated it for farming, which was a new concept in this part of the world. Being that they were farmers, they lived near bodies of water for the resource and because the rivers served as highways. These are four different examples of how New York grew because of the different people living there.
The South seceded in part out of growing awareness of its minority in the nation. The Union held twenty-three states, including four border slave states, while the Confederacy had eleven. Ignoring conflicts of allegiance within various states, which might
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
to a busy merchant seaport in 1850 to the industrial metropolis by the 1900’s. The
In 1860 the South decided to secede from the Union. The reason that the South decided to secede was because they did not share the same views as the North. The South was in favor for slavery, unlike the North who up the Mason-Dixie Line had begun to gradually ban slavery. The South was more reliant on slavery for plantation matters. The North did not care much for the reasons why the South needed slavery, since they relied on cheap labor. The South had to secede because they would not be getting their slave economy if they stayed in the North. Once Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 the South seceding the Union vas creating their own Confederacy. South Carolina decided to secede for the Union first. Then they dispatched delegates
The division between the North and South states in the early American life was inevitable. The population in the Northern States were growing rapidly, while the population in the Southern States remained stagnant. The Northern economy was growing rapidly as well, as they were manufacturing goods that they wanted they to sell abroad, but more importantly, they wanted to sell these goods locally. The Southern States were a good market for these manufacturers. Their economy was rich from the sale of cotton, and they represented a prime, albeit small market. Northern manufacturers pressed for tariffs that imposed on imported foreign goods that could be made in the United States so they could ensure that the South bought the Northern goods. The Southern States, being predominantly agricultural, demanded there to be almost a status quo government, which would allow them to have more individual state rights, however, the Northern states relied on the government for help with their immigration and flourishing population. The two goals of the regions were
As a result, these states that seceded from the Union formed the Independent Confederate States of America in early 1861 (O'Brien 184). Besides, when the war broke out, four more states also seceded. These were Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas. Moreover, in 1st January 1863, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, which required all slaves in the Confederacy to be free. However, the absconding slavery did not become practical in the States under the Union (O'Brien
New York played a huge role in the Civil War as it was the biggest provider for tools, capital and soldiers during the war effort. New York was also the center of the Civil War Draft Riots. The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865 to determine the survival of the Union or independence for the Confederacy. The war lasted four years and it left over 600,000 Union and Confederate soldiers dead. In the end much of the South 's infrastructure was destroyed, the Confederacy collapsed and slavery was eventually abolished.
1. The American city was changed drastically in the first half of the 20th century with the beginnings of the industrial revolution and the ongoing flow of foreigners into an already crowded United States.
In the late 1800s , America became the land of new opportunities and new beginnings and New York City became the first landmark for immigrants. New York City was home to Ellis Island, the area in which migrants were to be handed for freedom to enter the nation. Living in New York City gave work and availability to ports. In time the city gave the chance to outsider's to construct groups with individuals from their nation , they were classified as new and old settlers. Old outsiders included Germans, Irish and, English. The new outsiders incorporated those from Italy, Russia, Poland and Austria-Hungary. In 1875, the New York City populace was a little 1 million individuals contrasted with the 3,5 million it held when the new century
Immediately after confirmation of the election of Abraham Lincoln as president, the legislature of South Carolina convened. In a unanimous vote on December 20, 1860, the state seceded from the Union. During the next two months ordinances of secession were adopted by the states of Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.
The Netherlands permitted so many non-Dutch to settle there, because few Danes desired to leave their country. Thus the Dutch East India Company recruited settlers from a number of European countries and transported African slaves. In 1664 the British seized New Amsterdam and renamed it New York, the city retained its remarkable mix of people. It is only fitting that New York would become the most diverse city in the world.
South Carolina and the other southern states to follow, announced their intentions to leave the Union. They believed that since they voluntarily joined the Union, they could voluntarily withdraw as well.[7] During Lincoln’s attempt to stop the secession, more southern states joined the Confederates, and thus due to, but not only to these political factors, the civil war was slowly induced.
New York City is the largest and one of the oldest cities in the United States, having been 'rediscovered' by Henry Hudson in 1609 while working for the Dutch East Indies Company. New Amsterdam, as it was then known, was settled in 1614 by Dutch fur traders and became the most important port in America. (Reed, 2011) The two rivers flowing on each side of Manhattan grant easy access to the ocean, and Henry Hudson remarked that the harbor was the best natural harbor he had ever seen in the world. For hundreds of years the city has been at the epicenter of world trade, and immigration to the new world. Millions of immigrants have filled the streets of New York, from Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, and elsewhere.