The civil war was a bloody destructive war fought between the United States and the confederate states of America. Following the war, the United States was faced with economic consequences that largely impacted American civilization and benefitted Robber barons. Although some may say that agriculture and labor were the primary economic consequences of the civil war, I argue that it was industrialization and transportation because they both affected Americans’ quality of life and created income inequalities.
The industrial revolution had a drastic impact on American society because of its rapid economic growth. Americans once heavily relied on agriculture but all that changed when slaves were emancipated and planters could no longer rely on
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The pacific railroad act of 1862 finalized the construction of the first transcontinental railroad. This railroad alongside many others made transportation much more efficient and increased westward expansion. It allowed for the mass distribution of raw materials and manufactured goods to travel to Asia and Europe allowing the United States to establish a national market for goods and services. The railroad industries eventually became monopolies plagued with corruption and farmers became their victims who had to suffer the consequences. For example, favored shippers were offered rebates whereas small farmers would be forced to pay much higher rates to move their produce. Due to the interest rates being too high, farmers fell into deep debt. As a result, the farmers arranged the granger movement which advocated for government regulation. The government was unsure of whether it should intervene or follow the political philosophy of laissez-faire. Nonetheless, the government decided to take action with the interstate commerce act which was intended to regulate businesses by banning pooling, rebates, and rate fixing; However, the interstate commerce act was not very effective because it was contradictory in many aspects and its laws could only extend so
The Pacific Railroad Act of 1862 authorized the construction of the transcontinental railroad which made it easier for settlers to travel West. Since it was more affordable and safer, it was easier for railroad companies to encourage western
After the Civil War, the United States had two distinct economies, which is quite significant. The Southern economy was completely damaged by the results of the Civil War. Southerners were forced to readjust their entire economy, because slaves needed to be liberated, leaving slave-owners with no workforce. Meanwhile, in the North, the need to supply Union armies with particularly daily supplies marked the start of an era of industrial development. Which giant corporations essentially emerged known as Big Business.
Faith Pasmore JWags PAPUSH 31 March 2023 Sectionalism and the Civil War In modern times, arguments encountered revolve around controversial topics, political opinions, and personal issues. However, most conflicts encountered on the daily are small, easily resolved quarrels between family, friends, and neighbors. In the past, these conflicts have not always been so low-key. During the Civil War, it was brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. People were so divided on issues like slavery, their diverse needs, and especially leaders for the country to the point where sectionalism swallowed the entire country and transformed it into two.
In 1862, congress began the pacific railroads act, it also provided funding for the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad. But, the other transcontinental lines came in shortly after. There were problems with finance in 1873 and 1893, which they had to immediately stop the process of construction; and many ventures were
The Civil War was a tragedy that affected every corner of the country in a myriad of ways. One such place that was effected was the state of Illinois, even though the state had no battles fought within it. The state of Illinois was a key player in the Civil War that contributed to the war effort greatly; After and during the war the state of Illinois had enormous changes to the states immigration, economy, and to a certain extent culture. One major thing that Illinois contributed to the war which drastically changed the outcome were the soldiers that the state supplied to the war effort. With the soldiers contribution to the war was also the effects of war on the soldiers.
The United States underwent a period of great change in the years after the Civil War. The steel and coal markets were booming and there was a lot of opportunity to be had to the west. Big companies were reaping the benefits of this boom, not leaving many scraps for the workers who did the dirty work. Workers demanded better treatment and wages in the decades after the Civil War, receiving hope of change during World War I, only for the red scare to tarnish their progress.
This resulted in growth economically since it largely generated markets for goods and increased railroad construction greatly (784). This act not only benefited millions of Americans, but also eventually gave opportunities to several African Americans. Western expansion was also facilitated due to the developing railroad systems of the time. The completion of the transcontinental railroads made the West a place “destined for prosperity” (833). The government
The economic advantages of the North were much greater with a population of over 22 million of which 1.3 million worked in factories, verses a Southern population of 9 million with only 110,000 working in factories (p. 585). The North also had the railroad system to move soldiers and goods (p. 585) as well as an established treasury from which to obtain loans and collect taxes, “while the Confederacy had few resources to draw from” (p. 608). Both governments printed treasury notes to offset the financial burdens of war, but only the North made them legal tender which meant they were essentially useless in the South (p. 608-609). The South was built as a plantation economy relying on slave labor and was not positioned well to fund or supply troops for a large-scale war over several years as opposed to the North, whose industrial economy benefited from the war. The Confederate’s unbacked treasury notes also caused a 9000% inflation rate, resulting in great suffering for many in the South who were also faced with the collapse of the plantation economy (p. 614).
Transcontinental Railroad Tera Richardson, 4336787 History 102 B008 Sum 17 Professor Traci Sumner American Military University July 22, 2017 Abstract The transcontinental railroad was one of the biggest advocates for the industrial economy and westward expansion. The railroads could transfer goods and people across the country with ease, and quickly. While some bad came from this miraculous progression, such as the panic of 1873 and a yellow fever epidemic, the good outweighed the bad as it enabled the United States to fulfill its Manifest Destiny through westward expansion.
or my History project I chose Option A. I believe that one of the biggest contributors to the start of the Civil war was economic issues. The economic start of the Civil War goes all the way back to the start of English settlement in North America. A new economy began in this era and it supported the use of slavery for labor to supply crops and cotton. Plantation owners in the South used slave labor for their own benefit to produce crops at a faster rate which made them more money.
The American Civil War demonstrates the significance of economic factors in the socioeconomic stability of a country. While the economic status of the North and South states was not the only factor leading to the Civil War, it was the leading cause of the war. The economy was in transition during the Civil war, from agriculture to industry, and the North and South were on either side of this transition. Nonetheless, the Union and Confederates were both successful economically despite the differences in their economic models. However, the North emerged superior to the South in a warring nation.
The War Between the States was one of America’s greatest wars—it was the fight for freedom, but it also impacted the economy. Because of this, America’s labor and transportation systems both took a significant turn during the Civil War, impacting America’s economy forever. In the end, the American Civil War greatly benefitted our transportation system, but devastated the South’s labor force. For a war to be fought strategically well, there first must be a form of simple, yet speedy, transportation. That is where the transcontinental railroad came in.
With the surrender of Confederate states in the U.S. and the ending of the American Civil War, one of the most technologically and scientifically impactful eras came to be a the Reconstruction of the United States. During this era, the trend of mass introduction surfaced, the telephone was invented, the cash register was created, motion picture camera, as well as the high-frequency alternator. While all of these changes intertwined with each other, they also brought about key times within the Reconstruction era, such as the Great economic depression of 1893. The diplomatic United States was affected greatly in economic ways by means of trade, culturally, as four million slaves were freed and certain technologies started as a luxury and later
Industrialization after the Civil War One of the most remarkable consequences of the Civil war was the industrialization of the United States, which transformed the economy of the country. While certain industries, such as textiles and clock making saw industrialization during the first half of the nineteenth century, it was not until the Civil War that industrialization spread throughout America. The Civil War spurred the process of industrialization and encourages new production techniques that would have the greatest impact after the end of the war. Some of the significant reasons for the delay of industrialization of America after the Civil War were social, economic, political, geographic and legal reasons. The industrialization affected various groups of the society belonging to distinct races and ethnic backgrounds.
This circumstance was the main cause of the military conflict that ended with the formation of an independent republic - the United States of America (War of Independence and the First American Revolution of 1775-1783). This civil war gave a great impetus to the further development of industrialization. US used British money for further industrialization. Increasing immigration also contributed to economic