The Effects of The American Civil War - Research Paper Example

Introduction  The so called war between states is a description of a war affair between the northern states in America and those in the south. The American civil war was wedged for close to four years with American and African Americans and even slaves alike. The onset of the war was in the 1860's and went through into 1865. The trigger of the war can be traced from the slavery issue and more so the extension of slavery into the western territories. The bloody combat that lasted four years saw the death of over six hundred thousand soldiers and the destruction of a huge part of the southern states' infrastructure. The resultant outcome was the death of the confederacy and the abolishment of slavery. The hard part came when the time to rebuild a broken nation arrived. The restoring the nation that had just been to war and creating national unity proved to be daunting the task to the American government back then. The American civil war For four consecutive years, the confederate soldiers fought and battled with the union soldiers. The war that is regarded as the bloodiest war in the history of America cannot be swept under the carpet. The depth of loss was felt by both these two sides. The loss of lives and the destroyed infrastructure took the United States several steps back. The immense and sheer number of deaths and tragedy that was brought by the civil war remains as a constant reminder to the American people as a profound insight of the past that they have seen. The economic, psychological and social impacts of the war went on to redefine what the future of the American people. Proclaiming the freedom of slaves and creating national unity was the hardest role that the American government had to play after the recovery from war. A more detailed analysis of the American civil war points to the start of the war being at the 1860 presidential election. The republicans who were led by Abraham Lincoln were not for the idea of expansion of slavery into the United States territories. After the republicans won and their anti-slavery campaign looked as though it would be successful, seven slave states that were being run of cotton based economies came together right before the inauguration of the president and formed a confederacy that would fight against the anti- slavery campaign. The confederacy was mainly against the idea of the fact that their source of labor for their cotton plantations would have to be paid for (Parish, p. 103). The civil war in actual sense was not a struggle of class or anything close to that, but rather a sectional combat that had spread its roots varying from economic, social and political elements. In as much as historians and scholars would want to consider the war as an unnecessary conflict, the point is that, it is the very civil war that shaped and redefined the American history and future. Today the United States of America are held together by a common interest that once seemed like a distant concept. Sectionalism began way back during the American Revolution and went ahead to become stronger as time went on. The south was mainly agricultural and had an economy that was built on slavery and plantation systems. Industrial expansion was more advanced in the north and they also had agricultural resources and it was more advanced in terms of commercialization. The southern states could not take the fact that the slaves who were working for them would be free men and women of the American states. For an economy that was being run on cotton plantations living without workers meant that they would fail. Lack of slaves would mean that they would lack employees or they would have to pay for the services of workers on their plantations. The seeds of discord were as a result of the thought of free slaves in the southern states, who were the sole source of labor. The northern states were more liberal and were open to the idea of having free slaves in their states. As a matter of fact, a number of them had already freed slaves. Positive effects of the American civil war The war of the American civil war was fought a thousand different places, from the New Mexico, through to the coast of Florida, Texas to Pennsylvania, Virginia and Tennessee just to name but a few. The American civil war had many negatives to the Americans, but the positives cannot also be ignored. Each and every person present in the United States felt the effects of the war. The African Americans and the Americans themselves had a hand in the eventual outcome of the war. Beginning with the positives of the American civil war, the civil war impacted positively on the Americans, and the society cannot blame everything wrong on the civil war. In as much as it was tragic and many lives were lost as compared to any other American war, in the long run, the American society has to consider the important and positive consequences that resulted from the conflict. One of the positive effects of the civil war is that it saw an end to the age old act of slavery. The emancipation proclamation that was made by the president and the resultant acts and amendments that were made after the war saw the abolishment of slavery from the United States of America. The second positive outcome was that the southern and northern states of America were united. After the ending of the war, the defeated counterparts in the south had no option but to meet the demands of the north that had won the war. The idea of seceding that the southern states were fighting for was cut short by the eventual outcome of the war. When the northern states emerged victoriously, they had a controlling power and for this reason the southern states had to remain united with the north giving birth to the United States of America. Another important aspect that was as a result of the civil was the fact that the federal government of the United States got to prove itself over the differing states (Smith, p. 156) Realistically, the conflict and resultant war was over federalism and state rights and whoever emerged as the winner of the war was the power of the national government. It asserted the impact of the force and control that the government over the states. The destruction and loss that was experienced during the civil war had been huge. Property and lives had been lost in great numbers. A very negative attribute of the civil war, but considering the positive, the reconstruction of the American states and nation began right after the civil war came to an end. The pain of loss and the evidence of destruction brought the Americans together. They managed to work together as a united nation and the outcome was a rebuilt country that had gotten up from the depths of a destroyed nation. The final and most significant outcome of the American war can be regarded as an industrial and technological development that ensued during the war. The war that was going between the northern and southern states led to an increase in war time production. Both the armies from the north and those from the south were engaged in the production of war artillery and machinery. Industrialism in the United States began as a result of the increasing demand for tools and equipment to be used in the war. New technologies were developed and inventions made during this period. Negative outcomes of the American civil war The Sothern states were destroyed completely, their economic sources were dilapidated. Many cotton plantations were burnt and neglected due to the demands of the war. Destruction of property and livelihoods was prevalent all over the south of America. The northern states war strategy involved destroying and burning property and this led to disastrous outcomes in the south. The loss of people's lives and livelihoods were another great negative impact of the civil war. Up to six hundred thousand lives were lost during the American war; this number was not even close to people that were injured physically. The social and emotional impacts of the civil war were to be felt even decades after the war had come to an end (Wolseley, p. 117) The conflict and war undermined the constitutional pledge of one indivisible nation. The seceding that the south was fighting for meant that the American nation was no longer indivisible. Conflicting interests and the war all retarded and trampled upon this pledge of a united nation of America. The war's negative attributes are not only linked to the sheer loss of lives and destruction of property, but also the social and emotional impact that the war had on the inhabitants and citizens of America years on after it had come to an end. The southern states for instance, their property and sole source of livelihood was destroyed. It went beyond the basal pain of loss, but the resultant emotional and social repercussions that these people went through. The recovery period of the southerners and the America nation at larger was a painful experience. Conclusion The civil war by the American states has always served as a reminder to the American people; the cost of a united nation. Four years of battle resulted in what is considered today as the United States of America. The bloodshed and loss of lives can never be forgotten as it forms the perfect lesson to the American people. Decades later after the war and no other conflicts or battles have equaled the loss of lived during the civil war. The impact of the civil can still be felt even today. The effects of the civil war were both positive and negative, and in as much as the American society might want to dwell on the negatives, the war has numerous positive outcomes as noted above. Work cited Parish, Peter J. The American Civil War. London: Eyre Methuen, 1975. Smith, Adam I. P. The American Civil War. Basingstoke [u.a.: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print. Wolseley, Garnet W. The American Civil War: An English View. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2002. Print. Read More