Compare And Contrast The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Civil War

1108 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Economic difference between north and south that led to the civil war

The North and South had different perspectives. For a while these different perspectives only caused nonviolent arguments until neither could get past their differences and compromise. This led to the numerous battles of the Civil War and eventually the victory of the North. Both the North and the South had their strengths and weakness, however, in the end the North was stronger. Factories, the railroad, supplies, and population contributed to the strengths and weaknesses of both sides. The North was known for being industrial since it contained numerous big cities perfect for factories. 90 percent of the nation’s manufacturing output was coming from the North by 1860 (Arrington Consider quote). The South was known as the countryside …show more content…

Dowling The Civil War: Strengths and Weaknesses"). Having a small industrial economy did not help the South. The war was being fought on the Confederacy’s land and when the North was there they created blockades not allowing the farmers to sell their goods overseas and captured Southern transportation and manufacturing facilities (Arrington). Not only was the industrial portion of the North important for the Union, but it was important to the South because they focused primarily on farming. As states by Hinton R. Helper of North Carolina, “…that, owing to the absence of a proper system of business amongst us, the North becomes, in one way or another, …show more content…

The North had nearly 21 million people living in 23 of the Northern states giving the Union the advantage of a larger army (“Strengths and Weaknesses: North vs. South"). Not only would this mean they would have more people to join the army, but they would have enough people to stay and work in the factories. The people of the North not fighting in the war could grow crops and produce weapons and/or clothing for those in the war. The population in the South was much lower than that in the North. The South had a population of 9 million people in 11 Confederate states, 3.5 million of those people being slaves (“Strengths and Weaknesses: North vs. South"). Due to this small population, there were fewer people to participate in the war and not many people to work to make supplies for the Confederates fighting in the war. The less people to make these supplies, the less supplies made and the longer it takes to make those supplies. This is again a strength to the Union because they are able to have the advantage of having more supplies for those fighting in the war and having more people to fight for them, while the Confederacy has another

Show More
Related

  • Summary: Why The North Won The Civil War

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    The North entered the Civil War with many distinct assets that rendered them more competent than the Southern states. Those assets consisted of having more men, more financial stability, economic strength, and far reaching transportation systems. According to the book: Why the North Won the Civil War by Donald, David Herbert, and Richard Nelson the primary cause to the North’s success was given by, “the vast superiority of the North in men and materials, in instruments of production, in communication facilities, in business organization and skill – and assuming for the sake of the argument no more than rough quality in statecraft and generalship – the final outcome seems all but inevitable.” In many ways the north, during the Civil, was more economically dominant than the South

    Read More

  • Differing Perspectives of the American Civil War

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    The decades leading up to the American Civil War showed a great divide in the economic, political, and regional attitudes between the North and South. These divisions still plague the country today. However, there is a divide on whether economic anxieties or political differences were the major factor in the run up to the Civil War.

    Read More

  • Why the South Could Not Win the Civil War

    518 Words  | 2 Pages

    Another reason the South well fell short of a victory was the obvious difference in population between the South and the North. The North at the time had twenty-two million men while the South had a meager nine-and-a-half million, of whom three-and-a-half million were slaves. While the slaves could be used to support the war effort through work on the plantations, in industries and as teamsters and pioneers with the army, they were not used as a combat arm in the war to any extent. This cuts the South's manpower by a third, leaving a fifteen-and-a-half million difference in the population of the two areas. Give the South fifteen-and-a-half million more possible soldiers, and the outcome would have been different.

    Read More

  • What Caused The Civil War Dbq

    554 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the war began and the union blockaded all their ports the south was out of luck. They had very little industrial workers and manufactured goods compared to the north so during the blockade they could not make their own weapons or food other than corn. (Doc 2) The north had the advantage because they supplied the south with a lot of important items such as cotton-mills and steamships. (Doc 3) They also had better means of transportation. The north had better boats because they had factories equipped to make them and they also had more railroads to transfer weapons and equipment to soldiers. (Doc 1) The north was meant to win from the beginning and even though it took longer than expected they still beat the south and defeated slavery. No one document will tell you that slavery caused the Civil War, but if it had not been for slavery the war would have never

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The United States And Confederate States

    826 Words  | 2 Pages

    Formed at the eve of the Civil War, the United States (USA) and the Confederate States (CSA) were created for multiple reasons. The main reason of the formation includes that of political issues and slavery issues. Other ideas include the military, economics, etc. The USA was led by President Abraham Lincoln and the CSA was led under President Jefferson Davis. The CSA included the states of Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The United States and Confederate States can be compared based on their advantages and viewpoints in the fields of how and why they were formed, the rights of the federal and state governments, views on slavery, economic issues, and the military strategies.

    Read More

  • Key Factors That Led to Union Victory in the Civil War

    2114 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Civil War that took place in the United States from 1861 to 1865 could have easily swung either way at several points during the conflict. There is however several reasons that the North would emerge victorious from this bloody war that pit brother against brother. Some of the main contributing factors are superior industrial capabilities, more efficient logistical support, greater naval power, and a largely lopsided population in favor of the Union. Also one of the advantages the Union had was that of an experienced government, an advantage that very well might have been one of the greatest contributing factors to their success. There are many reasons factors that lead to the North's victory, and each of these elements in and amongst themselves was extremely vital to the effectiveness of the Northern military forces. Had any one of these factors not been in place the outcome of the war could have been significantly different, and the United States as we know it today could be quite a different place to live.

    Read More

  • Northern Advantages Of The American Civil War

    974 Words  | 2 Pages

    The North had about 2,129,000 soldiers while the South only has about 1,082,000 soldiers in their army. This means that in almost every battle in the civil war the South was being overpowered by the Norths numbers alone. The North's economy was much stronger than the Souths. The North's economy got so powerful because of their large amount of small farms and large factories. The North's production value was about $1.5 billion meanwhile the Souths was only about $155 million.

    Read More

  • The Battle of Gettysburg as the Turning Point of the Civil War

    1599 Words  | 4 Pages

    The South was fighting against a government that they thought was treating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government was overtaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their lifestyles even more expensive than they already had been. The North was fighting the Civil War for two reasons, first to keep the Nation unified, and second to abolish slavery. Abraham Lincoln, the commander and chief of the Union or Northern forces, along with many other Northerners, believed that slavery was not only completely wrong, but it was a great humiliation to America. Once we can see that with these differences a conflict would surely occur, but not many had predicted that a full-blown war would breakout.

    Read More

  • Why The North Won the Civil War

    1524 Words  | 4 Pages

    The North was just simply better at maintaining the two most important elements to win a war: men and weapons. They did not have better tactics or leadership, they just had more men. Therefore, the North won the American Civil War due to their possession of greater manpower and resources although the South maintained more stable and efficient military leaders and strategies.

    Read More

  • Sectionalism In The United States:

    1378 Words  | 3 Pages

    The most important difference between the north and south was the issue of slavery. The South was primarily agricultural, and the southern economy was based upon the existence of large family farms known as plantations. The plantation economy relied on cheap labor in the form of slaves to produce tobacco and cotton. Farmers on the plantation did not do the work themselves; they needed slaves in order to make the largest amount of money possible. The North, however, was primarily industrial in nature. The North believed that all men should be able to work and support themselves and their families, regardless of color. They also felt that if a man were happy doing his job, then he would be more productive. Therefore, both he and the business would make more money.

    Read More

  • Differences Between the North and South that Led to the Civil War

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Southern and Northern states varied on many issues, which eventually led them to the Civil War. There were deep economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. These differences stemmed from the interpretation of the United States Constitution on both sides. In the end, all of these disagreements about the rights of states led to the Civil War. There were reasons other than slavery for the South?s secession. The manifestations of division in America were many: utopian communities, conflicts over public space, backlash against immigrants, urban riots, black protest, and Indian resistance (Norton 234). America was a divided land in need reform with the South in the most need. The South relied heavily on agriculture, as opposed to the North, which was highly populated and an industrialized society. The South grew cotton, which was its main cash crop and many Southerners knew that heavy reliance on slave labor would hurt the South eventually, but their warnings were not heeded. The South was based on a totalitarian system.

    Read More

  • The Beginnings of the Sectional Crisis

    843 Words  | 2 Pages

    This economy, like many other agricultural economies, did not allow for a great deal of social mobility. The South also lacked factories, or much industry. However, this is not the main difference between the North and the South. Most troubling to Northerners was that the South used slaves as its main source of labor. Obviously, Northerners would be appalled by the barbarism associated with slavery, the beatings, the separation of families; but they were not.

    Read More

  • The Navy Of The Civil War

    1156 Words  | 3 Pages

    The South was at a disadvantage to the North throughout the war. The South was at a lack for manpower during the war, since most of the seamen in the US Navy were from the North and therefore stayed with the Union when the southern states seceded. The South was also found disadvantaged for iron plates for ship armor, since there was only one establishment in the South capable of producing them.

    Read More

  • The Secession Crisis

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the years leading up to the Civil War, there was great conflict throughout the United States. The North and South had come to a crossroads at which there was no turning back. The Secession Crisis is what ultimately led to the Civil War. The North and the South disagreed on slavery and what states would be free states. The South despised Lincoln's election and rose up in revolt by forming the Confederate States of America.

    Read More

  • Why Did The North Enter The Civil War Essay

    1207 Words  | 3 Pages

    “The two sections diverged in other ways industrialization of the North went hand in hand with the expansion of the transportation system, so canals and railroads were built. In 1860 the South had 9,000 miles of railroad, while the North had 22,000 miles. Industrialization also required a financial network: banks, insurance companies and corporations. The South needed only cotton factors to represent the interests of the slave-owning plantations” (“Encyclopedia of American Social History”). The changes in the population and demographics in the United States in the years leading up to the American Civil War were even more dramatic. The following quote outlines the dramatic demographic changes affecting the two distinct sections of the country. “While the South was slow to change, the North had enough change for both sections. Prior to the Civil War, the United States as a whole was an agrarian society, but the North was becoming industrialized and urban. In 1860, 10% of Southerners lived in urban areas; as compared with 25% of Northerners. The Southern white labor force remained 80 percent agricultural in the first half of the

    Read More

More about Compare And Contrast The Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Civil War

Open Document