War History 132
Professor Bowerman
American Civil War
There are many reasons and events that led up to The American Civil War. Personally I believe that the number one reason had to do with economics. One of the reasons was the transition from an agricultural to an industrial economy didn't sit well with the Southerners better known as the Confederates in the war.
The Industrial Revolution dates back to about 1790 when Samuel Slater opened the first industrial mill. This also required the North to hire more labor workers which as the industry grew needed even more workers. The businesses turned to hiring women for these jobs because they were cheaper labor compared to men. These industries were able to increase production and therefore had larger revenue return. This caused the tension to rise between the North and South because of the labor dispute. This also concerned the Southerners because of the cost to start running industries and the labor associated. It would cause the plantation owners to buy, feed and house more slaves.
Many of the plantation owners did not want or did not have the money to front a new industry. Having credit in the South was much more scarce and difficult to obtain because there were very few banks in the South. The first attempt of banks and credit caused many to go bankrupt and essentially caused a six year depression in the early 1800’s.
The North became so economically strong in the mid 1800’s that the immigrant population boomed causing the total population to grow which meant that there would be more Congressman in the North and the South was getting out numbered and losing any representation to help fight for the Southern way of life.
The South did not have the infrastructure that the North had developed after the industrial boom and could not recover economically. The South didn’t have the shipyards, the railroad or the population to support local spending and their major export was to the North.
In the years leading up to the election of President Abraham Lincoln, the dispute over industrializing grew between the North and South which caused the South to consider secession. Because there were so many immigrants flocking to the United States based on their “freedom”, slavery became a major issue.
Northerners were sympathetic to the slaves after some highly publicized claims of slavery. With the election of President Lincoln, the Southerners knew he was also very sympathetic to slavery. The Southerners felt the only way to not lose so much money from paying for labor that the South decided secession was the only answer in order to keep their property (including slaves) thriving. Losing their main source of labor, slavery, they would be forced to hire laborers which most plantation owners could not afford.
Although slavery was a major reason, rightfully so, the reason that started it all was the Industrial Revolution and the differences it imposed economically in the North and the South.
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