The United States is currently one of the main political and economic powers in the world. However, the current administration model comes from a bloody episode in its history – the Civil War. better known as the American Civil War.
Occurred in the early years of 1860, the conflict was fought between the states of the South and North, being the first of the modern era to use war tactics, with trenches and battleships. The starting point for the beginning of the battles was in the slave culture of the south and the difference of interests of the two parties.
Index
- What was the Civil War - American Civil War?
- What were the causes of the American Civil War?
- How did the Civil War started?
- Aftermath of the American Civil War
What was the Civil War - American Civil War?
THE secession war or American Civil War it was an armed conflict that took place between 1861 and 1865. The battles were fought between the states of the South (Confederates) and North (Union) for the unification of the country. The last side was victorious and, from there, they began the structure of the current model that transformed the United States into a great power.
We emphasize that the American Civil War formed the first modern conflicts to adopt war tactics such as trenches, submarines, battleships and aerial reconnaissance balloons.
What were the causes of the American Civil War?
The main cause of the American Civil War is the conflict of interests between the states of the South and North, especially with regard to their economic model. The South also adopted an economy based on large estates, production for export and slave labor, while the North positioned itself in favor of abolition and focused on industry.
However, the roots of the divergences went back a long way, from the time of the colonization of the British Thirteen Colonies. From then on, there was distinct economic development between the two parties, largely due to the geographic difference itself. In the North, the cold climate and rocky soil allowed the development of the manufacturing trade.
The South, in turn, had a tropical climate and fertile soil, fundamental characteristics for the development of agriculture. In this territory, the plantation technique was adopted, that is, large monoculture properties that exploited slave labor and turned their production to export, especially cotton.
Thus, while the North enjoyed regional and industrial development, the South remained oriented towards a rural and aristocratic lifestyle, increasingly focused on agriculture and livestock. With that, they developed abolitionist and protectionist policies in the North, but liberalist in the South.
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Basically, the abolitionist interests of the North were in the expansion of the consumer market due to the industrial growth towards the West of the country. At the same time, they wanted to obtain cheap labor, going ahead with the profits expected by the southerners through the sale of slaves.
How did the Civil War started?
The conflict was triggered by the election of Abraham Lincoln, in 1860, by the Republican Party. As he represented the North, southerners feared that the president would adopt countermeasures interests and, therefore, they broke with the Union and formed the Confederate States of America, in 1861.
The conflict began in 1861 from military actions undertaken by the South. Commanded by General Lee, they had a military tradition and more experienced commanders. On the other hand, the North had more soldiers and better equipment. However, it is interesting to mention that the war started with the use of volunteers.
After some time, the leaders began to forcefully recruit the population, including the slave. The North, called the Yankee, had the support of 25 states and 22 million inhabitants. The Confederates were supported by nine million people spread across 11 states.
The most important battle took place in 1863, the so-called Battle of Gettysburg. It was there that the members of the Union consecrated their victory. But the final balance was bloody for both parties – 600,000 dead and 400,000 injured. Most of the casualties, however, were the result of illnesses contracted by poor medical and food hygiene.
In fact, this was not the only problem faced by soldiers during the war. Troops were poorly paid and poorly equipped, especially members of the Confederacy.
Aftermath of the American Civil War
The end of the conflict had the Union as the winner and, therefore, Lincoln decreed the abolition of slavery, a measure that came into force in 1865. In the same year, the president was assassinated by a southern fanatic. The southern states were ravaged by war and thus became economically and politically weak.
Through the abolition of slavery and serving the interests of the North, these states managed to bring great economic development to the country, making the United States a great power capitalist. On the other hand, freed blacks did not receive support from any government program to integrate into society.
Thus, even free, they continued to be marginalized and targeted by racist groups such as the Klu Klux Klan. The southern states remained militarily occupied until 1877.
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