The war of the North and South in America has become one of the bloodiest stages in the formation of modern American society. Over the 5 years of armed conflict, the yet-unformed United States, despite the myriad of casualties, has managed to create the ground for its future existence and development.
USA in the XIX century and its collapse
The first and main reason for the military conflict between the states originated at the dawn of colonization. In 1619, the first African slaves were brought to Virginia. The slave system began to take shape. After a few decades, the first signs of a future conflict began to appear. Individuals began to oppose slavery. The first was Roger Williams. Step by step, the first legislative acts began to appear, facilitating and regulating the life of slaves, who gradually received "human" rights, often violated by their owners.
In the 19th century, when the war of the North and South in America became inevitable, Congress nevertheless tried to find a compromise by peaceful means. So, in 1820, the Missouri compromise was signed, as a result of which the area of slavery was expanded. The border of slaveholding regions clearly appeared. So, the South completely opposed itself to the North. In 1854, this agreement was canceled. Also this year, the Republican Party was formed on the platform of organizations fighting slavery. And already in 1860, the representative of this political force, Abraham Lincoln , became president .
In the same year, the United States lost six southern regions, which announced their withdrawal from the federation and the creation of the Confederation of States. A few months later, after the Confederate’s first victories at Fort Sumter, another 5 states announced their withdrawal from the United States. The northern states have announced mobilization - the Civil War of the North and South in America has started.
American South and its traditions
What was such a sharp confrontation between states that existed side by side for centuries? This is not to say that the South was completely slavery and inhuman. On the contrary, at the beginning of the 19th century a large number of oppositions against slavery took place here, but by 1830 they had exhausted themselves.
The disposition of the southern states was radically opposite to the North. After the Mexican-American War, the States received huge land holdings. Fertile soil was necessary to cultivate. The planters found a way out by buying slaves. As a result, the South has become an agrarian region, requiring a permanent labor force, in which there was a significant shortage. Due to cheap labor, the war of the North and South in America began. The essence of the conflict, as many historians claim, lay deeper.
Northern states
The northern states were the exact opposite of the bourgeois South. The business and entrepreneurial North developed thanks to industry and mechanical engineering. There was no slavery, and civilian labor was encouraged. People from all over the world came here dreaming of getting rich and making money. In the northern regions, a flexible tax system was carried out and established; charity existed. It should be recognized that, despite the status of free citizens, African Americans in the North were second-class people.
Causes of the North and South War in America
- The struggle for the abolition of slavery. Many historians call this point just a political trick of Lincoln, which was needed to strengthen their authority in Europe.
- The difference in mentality of the population of the northern and southern regions.
- The desire of the northern states to control the southern neighbors due to the majority of seats in the House of Representatives.
- The dependence of the industrial revolution on agricultural products of the South. The northern regions bought cotton, tobacco, and sugar at lower rates, forcing planters to survive rather than succeed.
The course of hostilities in the first period of the war
In April 1861, the Civil War of the North and South in America began. For a long time, historians could not understand who started the armed conflict. After comparing the facts of shelling with artillery, it became clear that the southerners had unleashed a war.
The first battle and victory of the Confederate forces took place near Fort Sumter. After this defeat, President Lincoln placed 75,000 volunteers “in the gun”. He did not want a bloody resolution to the conflict and suggested that the southern states extinguish it independently and punish the instigators. But the war of the North and South in America was already inevitable. Southerners were inspired by the first victories and rushed into battle. The notions of honor and valor of the brave southern guys did not give them the right to retreat. And the South had more advantages at the initial stage of the war - a sufficient number of trained soldiers and commanders, as well as weapons depots, remained after the war with Mexico.
Lincoln declared the blockade of all states of the Confederation.
In July 1861, a battle took place on the Bull Run River, during which the Confederate forces won. But instead of launching a counterattack on Washington, the southerners chose defensive tactics, and their strategic advantage was lost. The confrontation escalated in the summer of 1861. Nevertheless, if the southerners were more savvy, the war of the North and South in America would have ended. Who would win at this stage of the conflict is certainly not the Federation.
In April 1862, one of the most bloody battles in the Civil War took place, which claimed the lives of six thousand people - the Battle of Shiloh. This battle, although with heavy losses, was won by the Allied forces, and already in the same month entered New Orleans and Memphis without firing a shot.
In August, the troops of the northerners approached the capital of the Confederation, Richmond, but the army of the southerners, led by General Lee, half the size, was able to repulse them. In September, troops again fought on the Bull Run River. There was an opportunity to capture Washington, but luck again did not accompany the Confederates.
abolition of slavery
One of the secret trump cards of Abraham Lincoln, which he taught as the main reason for the confrontation between the states, was the question of the abolition of slavery. And at the right time, the president took advantage of it, abolishing slavery in the rebellious states, since the war of the North and South in America 1861-1865 could drag on for a longer period.
In September, Lincoln signed a proclamation on the release of slaves in states at war with the Union. In peaceful areas, slavery persisted.
So, the president killed two birds with one stone. He declared himself to the whole world as a man fighting for the civil rights of a black population. Now Europe could not help the Confederation. On the other hand, with the stroke of a pen, he increased the size of his army.
Second stage of the war
In May 1863, the second phase of the military campaign began. The war of the North and South in America resumed with new zeal.
In early July, the landmark battle of Gettysburg began, lasting several days, as a result of which the Confederate troops were forced to retreat. This defeat claimed thousands of lives and broke the morale of the southerners, they still resisted, but without much success.
On July 4, 1863, Vicksburg fell under the onslaught of General Grant. Lincoln immediately appointed him commander of the northerners army. From this moment, the confrontation of two tactical generals began - Lee and Grant.
Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston - city after city passed under the control of Union forces. President Davis sent Lincoln a letter proposing peace, but the North needed South obedience, not equality.
The war of the North and South in America in the 19th century ended with the surrender of the Confederate forces, the noble South fell, and the business and greedy North won.
Summary
- Abolition of slavery.
- The United States remained a holistic federal entity.
- Representatives of the northern states got the majority of seats in the House and pushed laws necessary for business and industry that hit southerners' wallets.
- More than 600 thousand people were killed.
- The beginning of the industrial revolution in the southern regions, total industrialization.
- Expansion of the US single market.
- Development of trade unions and public organizations.
The North and South war in America led to such results. The name she received Civil. There was no longer such a bloody confrontation between their citizens in the United States.