Impact of the Civil War: The Political, Economic, Social and Military Front

Name
Course
Instructor
Date
Impact of the Civil War
The civil war affected Americans on the political, economic, social and military front as hostilities escalated between the two opposing camps. The prolonged battles caused shortages, especially in the South where the economy was largely agricultural based. The fight for the right of self-determination resulted in the South supporting States’ rights. The human toll was huge on both sides, and women gained a more active role in public life unlike before where they were mostly at home. The question of slavery became contentious and agriculturalists could no longer rely on slave labor when many of the slaves started to flee from the cotton farming lands.
In 1863, the Southern troops were engaged in war having won some battles before, while the Union soldiers were largely demoralized and some deserted the army for lack of the pay. The War over slavery and State rights showed the divide on the issues, and this impacted on the peoples’ choice for the North and South (Burns Episode 5). There were increased calls for the states to determine their rights against the Federal Government. The freeing slaves also suffered having no place to their entire home, while there was rising opposition to freeing the slaves. Differences in perceptions about the causes of the war would rage on years after the Civil War, and the Southern forces seemed to be better prepared for battles.
In the Battle of Gettysburg, General Lee the Confederate Commander in Northern Virginia, rallied his troops to attack Northern Union members in Pennsylvania, having previously won but his mission failed (Burns Episode 4). This was one of the early victories for the Union soldiers who had been more reluctant to engage in battle. In the battle, the Southern forces also sought to force the Union to get out of Vicksburg, their stronghold in the South. The Civil War would go on to be fought in the South after the defeat of Lee’s troops, shifting the focus of the Confederates then sought to defend the South.
Even before the war began the economy especially, in the South had, started slowing down with the economies mainly being labor intensive. The war affected the agriculture industry since, farmers no longer had cheap source of labor, as slaves freed the south. The immediate impact of the War was disruption of economic activities, and as more resources were diverted to fighting, this affected the economic activities. With fewer people participating in productive economic activities, the inflation rate rose considerably and there was increased protest as goods became more expensive for the poor men (Burns Episode 4)...