Impacts of the American Civil War

Impacts of the American Civil War

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Impacts of the American Civil War

The American civil war began on 12th April 1861, when the Confederate ships attacked the Union Army at Fort Sumter. It ended when the Confederate leader, General Lee, surrendered at Appomattox. There were already simmering tension between the Southern and Northern states. It occurred at a point when the American economy was experiencing spectacular growth. The primary cause of the war was the status of slavery. The civil war left a mark o the country and had astounding effects. Aspects of war, slavery, crisis management, and the role of women in war and society are lessons from the war which shaped the country. This essay will emphasize these lessons learnt from the war and explain how they shaped the country’s politics, governance, healthcare, and society post-war to date.

Causes of the War

At the time, slavery was still in existence. Slaves played a vital role in the country’s economy as they worked in the industries and farmlands. The Southern states’ economy was centred around large scale cash crop farming, while the North had a pretty well established industrial sector, and farming was limited to small scale (History.com Editors, 2021). The South utilized the use of slaves more than the North. An abolitionist movement was growing in the North, and the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act by congress in 1854 added more fuel to the fire. The South grew in fear that slavery would be put to an end in reaction to the abolitionist movements in the North. They were of the view that their economy was under threat.

The election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President, was the last motivating factor for the war. McPharson (2021) cites that his election was of platform bent on keeping slavery out of the territories, which was not taken lightly by the Southern States. This led to the secession of the following Southern States; South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana. The Northern States refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the secession, citing it as the discretion of democracy. It would lead to a fragmented country and end the United States’ existence (McPherson 2021). These events led to one of the countries most dreadful wars.

Battles Fought During the War and Consequences of The war

The conflict between the Free and Slave trade began after the confederates raided Fort Sumter and tried to claim as their own. From this event, several battles were waged, with about a million armed men engaged in fierce fights by the end of 1861 ( McPherson 2021). The most significant battles were the First Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), the Battle of Shiloh, Second Manassas, the Seven Days’ Battle, and the Battle of Fredericksburg in Virginia and Antietam, Maryland. These wars led to a change in how the war was viewed, and the goals each side had were changed tremendously by these battles. The death tolls rose, and the battles dragged for longer. Scholars cite these battles as bloody and destructive conflicts that left many bitter memories (Eli et al., 2018). Managing healthcare during the war was a challenge, and it was up to the individual families to figure out how to handle these situations as the country was in turmoil. According to a study, medical care was heavily criticized during the war regarding the number of casualties during the war (Reilly 2016).

The war impacted American society more than any other event in U.S. history. Research cites that at least 620,000 soldiers were killed in the war, 2 per cent of the country’s population 1861 ( McPherson 2017). In the research, McPherson (2017) compares the death tolls of the gruesome conflict to significant events that happened post the civil and the results were astronomical. He cites that if the same percentage of the population were killed in a war in the current times, six million lives would be lost. In a report, it is cited that the number of casualties in the battle of Antietam was so large that it was almost impossible to compile (NPS, 2021), but the following data was collected

Status Union Confederate Total

Killed 2,100 1,550 3,650

Wounded 9,550 7,750 17,300

Missing/Captured 750 1,020 1,770

Total 12,400 10,320 22,720

(Data set on lives casualties in the Battle of Antietam (NPS, 2021)

The numbers alone are proof enough of how bloody this battle alone was. A lot was left to be done to pick up the pieces.

The war dragged longer than expected. The main goal of this war instigated by the South was to fight the North’s agenda of not allowing greater slave territorial reach. Lives got lost, and families were broken. It was generally thought that the war would last for a short period but lasted for four years. Families within which these states of battle and families of those in war faced an even more significant challenge. Grappling with the aftermath of the battles, relocation, dealing with sickness, and the death of loved ones was very tough, especially in times of war. The four years of conflict changed the public’s opinion on war and the government.

The Union victory in the battle of Antietam marked the end of the war. It stopped the Confederates advance in Maryland and had their General, General Lee, retreat into Virginia (History.com Editors, 2021). This meant the North won, and the slavery setup had to change. This also meant that the secession did not succeed, and the United States remained as one. The bloodshed was now over, signalling a new era of change for society and the economy.

The Emancipation Proclamation

A free nation was now set to be the future of The United States after the war. At the end of the war, after the Unions’ victory at Antietam, President Lincoln used the event to make a preliminary, The Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all slaves in the rebellious states (History.com Editors, 2021). Lincoln defined the decision as a wartime measure, so he only freed the enslaved in rebellious states and did not free those in states loyal to the Union. Several battle attempts were waged by the Confederates but did not bear fruit, and finally, Lee decided to surrender (History.com Editors, 2021).

The aftermath of the War and Lessons from The War. The war marked the beginning of the end of slavery. McPherson(2021) cites that “The war resolved two fundamental questions left unresolved by the revolution: whether the United States was to be a dissolvable confederation of sovereign states or an indivisible nation with a sovereign national government.” The secession of the southern states did not happen, and the Kansas-Nebraska act did not go through as it was aimed at, and slaves in some of the Confederate states were freed. This marked the beginning of the end of the slave era in the United States and left lessons for future generations. The racial caste system and slave labour were now set to end as it began with the end of slavery in the Confederate States.

The war set the pace for women’s recognition in times of battle. Even though most women during this time were not educated, their presence in battle cannot be ignored. In a recent thesis, it is noted that women abandoned their domestic roles during the war and joined in the battlefront, assuming several roles (Syamken 2018). These roles included serving in the U.S. Sanitary Commission, Nurses in Hospitals and even female soldiers entering the battlefront. Heroines noted from the war include  Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix, the Grimke sisters, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Sarah Joseph Hale, and Julia Ward. Their accomplishments are well praised in journals and history books. They changed the entire public’s opinion on gender roles in times of war.

The war-affected the American citizens’ ideology and mindsets, especially war veterans. During the war, many aligned themselves according to ideologies on enslavement according to their states’ stance, while some did not. The enmity between Union and Confederate veterans influenced Southern to Northern migration. That basis should be used in even considering the migration and settlement of veterans and regular citizens during the Postbellum period (Eli et al., 2018). This ideological alignment influenced their migration then and even after, as the memories were still etched in their minds.

In conclusion, The American Civil War, the bloodiest war in American History, changed the perception around war and enslavement. There is much to take from it as it was the most impactful war in the country to date as no other war ever claimed so many lives before and after the war. There is a need to remind ourselves of the war as the past is often a reflection of the future. Teaching ourselves about the war should remind us how far we have come as a country.

References

NPS. (2021, 19th October). Casualties – Antietam National Battlefield (U.S. National Park Service). Nps.Gov. https://www.nps.gov/anti/learn/historyculture/casualties.htm

History.com Editors. (2021, 13th January). Civil War. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/american-civil-war-history

Eli, S.et al. (2018). Ideology and Migration after the American Civil War | The Journal of Economic History. Cambridge Core. Retrieved 09–03, from https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-economic-history/article/ideology-and-migration-after-the-american-civil-war/AE78EA9B13858795334D57494DB23F10McPherson J. (2017) Out of War, a New Nation. (2017, 15th December). National Archives. https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2010/spring/newnation.html

McPherson J. (2021) A Brief Overview of the American Civil War. (2021, 24th August). American Battlefield Trust. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/brief-overview-american-civil-war

Syamken, M. (2018). “A Brave New Woman:” Print Media’s Portrayal of Women in the American Civil War – ProQuest. ProQuest.Com. https://www.proquest.com/openview/7f51d77ec16d3dcfd3f063c6a33af386/1?cbl=18750&diss=y&pq-origsite=gscholar