Civil War Dbq

The great Civil War that engulfed the United States in 1861 resulted from a fundamental cleavage between its two most powerful sections, North and South. (Reid: 88) Prior to the American Civil War there were significant differences between the Northern and the Southern States in terms of social, economic and political preferences. The Industrial Revolution transported from Great Britain to the Northern States fueled this dichotomy. The society in the North was industrializing and urbanizing, creating a suitable environment for entrepreneurship and improved job opportunities. In addition, the enormous expansion of the railroad network, new means of communication and the politics of economic liberalization contributed to the formation of

In July 1854 The Republican Party was established by a group of abolitionists; creating a political view for many Americans, which saw the enslavement and inferiority of the black people as an un-American habit. The slavery discussion was a major part of the controversy between the Democratic south and Republican north. Due to the high dependence of the Southern economy on their slave labor force in the agricultural sector, they were increasingly anxious about the growth of northern abolitionist sentiments and worried that the federal government might impose free labor by force. The eventual election of the abolitionist Abraham Lincoln therefore caused immediate disruption, seven states seceded and created the Confederacy. Another reason for the secession was the Strong Republican government and the tariff policies which discriminated against the agricultural, staple-exporting southern states in favor of northern manufacturing interests. (Quigley: 45) The backbone of the southern states was the cotton export to Europe; this would be thwarted by the economic protective

(Dattel) The Confederacy was militarily outnumbered by the dominant Union States and therefore lost the Civil war. The outcome of the American Civil War demonstrated the strength of the federal government, as their legitimate approach caused the preservation of the American States as a unity. Additionally, they immediately set a foundation for the emancipation of the Black community by implementing the 13th, 14th and 15th amendment in the upcoming years. These amendments were part of the Reconstruction period, the period where the Republicans tried to protect the 'freedmen' and create political uniformity, in specific by impeding the rebellious South to progress in their return in the political system. The Reconstruction period was accompanied by an acceleration of the industrialization and the urbanization. These processes were characterized by growing social problems: ethnical and social differences in the growing cities; large-scale corporations gain more political-economic influence; the rise of political corruption; small-scale entrepreneurs faced unequal competition because of the mass production of corporations and the formation of cartels; fewer attention for the social and economic