The Advantages and Disadvantages of the North and South in the American Civil War

From colonial times there were differences in geography that gave rise to variations in culture and economy in the United States. Due to the differing characteristics, a sectional economy molded the United States into two distinct regions: the north and the south. The north, a commercial society, which supported industry and commerce while the south, an agrarian civilization, flourished in the production of raw materials with use of slaves. The two economies were both self-supporting and capable to create a stronger, more productive nation. The regional differences sought to build America, in turn threatened to destroy it. Many Historians believe that the Civil War was constructed over the issue of slavery. However, the concerns of states'

The North’s economy was based on textiles, shipping, and skilled trades. Their climate was not suited for the same type of agricultural products that the South produced like cotton, sugar, rice and tobacco. Northern states like New England manufactured and shipped goods like guns, clocks, plows and axes (page 399). One reason for the South’s dependence on slavery is because their economy relied on the existence of slave labor. For example, the cultivation of cotton depended largely on slave labor, with 75% of the crop grown on plantations,

Railroads are not nearly as popular in the United States as they are in European countries. Prior to the American Civil War, railroads were a fairly new, and untried, invention. Compared to carriages and the other modes of transportation at the time, the railroad was far superior. Due to this superiority, they were used to transport soldiers, food, and supplies. A systemic railroad began to spread all across the nation, and both sides of the war used them to their advantage.

From 1861 to 1865, the United States of America was fighting itself. The northern part of the United States, known as the Union or simply the North, was trying to end slavery in the southern part of the United States. The South seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. The North consisted of Maine, New York, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, California, Nevada, and Oregon. The South consisted of Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. The North wanted slavery to be abolished, but the South needed slaves for their economy; the conflict started war. The North and the South were both prepared for war.

As the war continued on the industrial capabilities of the North would prove to become one of the greatest contributing factors to their ability to sustain military operations. Tied directly into the industrial capabilities of the North is the economical superiority that they held over the South. "The economy was the greatest Southern weakness; it was the North's greatest strength. The North was not only a huge farm but a sprawling factory as well" (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey pg. 439). Wars are expensive, and in order to sustain military operations especially one that would drag on for four years money would become of great importance. The North was comprised of approximately 75% of the nation's wealth, and they were able to maintain their trade with Europe which kept the money, and weapons pouring in. The South's inability to raise money took its toll on the pocket books of the Southern States, and in turn would be one of the major contributing factors to their defeat. A lengthy war on the other hand favored the wealthier and

Throughout the 19th century, the distinctions between the North and South in the United States were controversial. Prior to the Civil War, the North consisted of business owners and middle-class men. The South consisted of mostly farmers. The North was industrial, using railroads and factories. The South was agricultural, with mostly farms and plantations. The North paid their labor workers. The South used slaves. Not only did their opposing views on slavery and the separation of the two cultures, tensions arose that eventually led to one of the most gruesome wars in history.

ship the cotton but this meant that the South had to pay the North to

For example, farming was the main source of income for the Confederate states. The main southern chief crop which came to be known as King Cotton, accounted for 57% of all U.S. exports (“Civil War”). However, in order to produce these large amounts of cotton, the southern Confederate states depended heavily on slave labor. Since cotton production began to dominate and fuel the southern economy, the South felt that they did not need to industrialize like their northern neighbors did. This caused the South to manufacture very little goods and caused them to purchase manufactured goods from the industrialized North or to purchase imported goods from overseas.

The Civil War was unlike any other war ever fought in America and had many effects on the home front for both the North and the South. It is stated to be the first ever total war, which is a war against not only the civilians but also the armies. The Civil War is also considered the first modern war fought by the U.S. troops. Lincoln asked volunteers to sign up for only three months. Many people thought the war wouldn’t last long. However, the war continued on for four years. The Union armies had around 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men and the Confederate army had approximately 750,000 to 1,250,000 men. The entire North and South society was affected by the war and desired for many social and economic assets. The Civil war brought new military

A frequently, and sometimes hotly, discussed subject; the outcome of the American Civil War has fascinated historians for generations. Some argue that the North's economic advantages proved too much for the South, others that Southern strategy was faulty, offensive when it should have been defensive, and vice-versa. Internal division in the South is often referred to, and complaints made against Davis' somewhat makeshift, inexperienced, government. Doubts are sometimes raised over the commitment of Southerners to a cause many of them were half-hearted about. Many historians have argued that the South lost the will to fight long before defeat was inevitable. However, many of these criticisms could easily be applied to the North, had the

“A house divided against itself cannot stand” (Abraham Lincoln). In other words, the United States, which was split into the North and South, could not stand with the uprising of conflict. The wise words of Abraham Lincoln foreshadowed the Civil War, which would become one of the worst wars in the United State’s history. Disagreement between the northern and southern states began long before the Civil War; in fact, as far back as colonial times. The North and South were not able to accept each other’s differences and come to a compromise, so they divided. During the early years of the republic, these differences between them grew greater as their distrust in each other intensified. Throughout the time period leading up to the Civil War, the

620,000 American men tragically lost their lives fighting against themselves. The Union won the four year long war after many long and deadly battles. There were points in the war when the Union could have ended it, but they failed to do so. If the Union wouldn’t have won the Civil War then life today would be totally different. Nobody knows if the south would have survived as a lonely country, or how many more wars would have occured.

During well known American Civil War that was fought from the years 1861-1865, the North had the advantage in terms of the population. The South had a small population, with very few citizens , 9 million citizens people to be exact lived in the Confederacy(South) while 22 million people lived in the Union(North). With the North having nearly triple the amount of people as the South, it allowed them to field a much larger combat army. When it came down to men of fighting age, the Union had the edge by about two to one. Before and during the Civil War, approximately seven out of every eight immigrants settled in the Northern states. It was in 1860, when the North's population totaled approximately 23 million, while the South's was

During the American Civil War, the Union was successful because of their numerous factories, population, and transportation. The Confederate was unsuccessful because of their economic failures. They started out strong and failed during the war during The Civil War. They could really only make cotton. The Union came up with a plan called the Anaconda Plan to shut down the Confederate economically and it worked. This plan was an idea to make the Confederate crumble economically. They used their navy to surround there harbors and the Mississippi to stop any imports or exports to the Confederate. The Union had more factories than the Confederate allowing them to be able to produce goods way faster. This also allowed them to make guns, clothing, and railroads. The union had more people fighting in the war giving them more troops to fight in battles, and all of the troops had supplies thanks to their numerous factories. The Unionerners had better transportation than the Confederate giving them the ability to travel through the country faster. This also allowed them to transport goods faster. The Union and the Confederate both had their strengths and weaknesses but at the end of the war the Union showed that they were stronger than the Confederate.

One of the setbacks were the Union had to invade unknown territories of the South. In the Civil War, the North also had some disadvantages. They might have had control of the seas and a bigger population than the south, but they had to unknown territories of the South, while all they had to do is stand there ground and wait it out. Also, military colleges were mostly located in the Southern part of America leaving them no access to to them. Another disadvantage, was “The Union states actually needed a victory. The Confederacy just had to hold off the Union states for as long as they could to secure their lands and rights. The pressure - economically, politically, and socially - to make such a feat had to have weighed heavily.”("Advantages, Disadvantages of the Union - Advantages and Disadvantages of the North and South during the Civil War"). Even though they were in aiding unknown territory, the Union still managed to conquered the