The Civil War
In spite of political leaders' last-minute efforts to find a compromise over slavery that would preserve the Union, the election of Lincoln, followed by the secession of six southern states, pushed the country into war. The North had twice the resources of the South, and the ability to create an activist centralized government to tap these resources to wage a total war. The South, however, needed only to fight a defensive war and hope for a military stalemate to achieve its goals. As a result, initial fighting quickly escalated into a series of major battles, and then a total war involving a full-scale invasion of the South in both the East and the West. As Lincoln expanded the Union's military strategy to achieve victory, he broadened the goals of the war to include emancipation and the end of slavery. Through war and policy, the northerners relentlessly pursued a revolution of southern society. How far they would be willing to go to reconstruct the South after achieving military victory was a major question.Secession and Military Stalemate, 1861-1862 (pp. 442-449) Before Lincoln was inaugurated president in March 1861, six southern states seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America
The increased scale of fighting by 1863 transformed the Civil War into a total war. A total war drew on all the resources of opposing societies and economies in a struggle that often resulted in warfare against civilians. In the North, Lincoln's leadership of a strong party enabled him to create a strong central government that could mobilize the vast resources of the northern economy and society and wage total war. Southern leaders, lacking a strong party or a central government, and facing a confederacy of agrarian states suspicious of central government, would be less successful in waging total war. The Union Victorious, 1864-1865 (pp. 463-473) The enlistment of nearly 200,000 African Americans significantly reinforced northern forces. Though black troops faced discrimination and prejudice, they constituted about 10 percent of Union forces and fulfilled secessionists' worst fears of a war against slavery. Yet, despite exhaustion and a depletion of resources, the South fought on, defending its territory against a full-scale invasion by Union troops for another two years. Lincoln's new commander, Ulysses S. Grant, understood that to succeed in a modern war of invasion one had to use new technologies, overpower the enemy by accepting higher casualties, and wage war against civilians. The Republican government, following the principles of Henry Clay's American System, made full use of the superior resources of the North to support the war effort. The government instituted higher tariffs, centralized the banking industry, took control of industrial production, and supported the construction of railroads. It also raised taxes, issued bonds, and printed currency that, because it accounted for only 15 percent of the costs of the war, maintained its value to pay for the war. In contrast, southern leaders struggled to impose a centralized government on states that were opposed to such a government. Unable to tax the citizenry fairly or to borrow money, the Confederacy was forced to issue currency that deflated in value, and, finally, to seize property outright, to pay for the war.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1637
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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