Strengths And Weaknesses Of The North And South Essay

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The year 1861 brought on great division between the North and the South. The North had many great advantages with thriving industries, a large army, and an experienced government. The South also had great advantages including a significant amount of land and a very determined army. The North, which was also identified as the Union, was for the emancipation of slaves. The South, which was also known as the Confederacy, wanted to continue in their practice of slavery. The North and South both held many strengths and weaknesses in the political, economic, social, and military categories. In the end, it was the North that prevailed. At the beginning of the Civil War, in 1861, the North had many political advantages. The North had a far more experienced The South had the advantage with their very motivated army. They aimed for the same common goal, to keep slavery. The North, however, was not so motivated. They had disagreements amongst themselves over the abolition of slavery. This was an absolute disadvantage. The North had the advantage with its large population. The population was a high 22 million in the North and a low 9 million in the South. This low population came as a disadvantage to the South because they did not have as many workers as the North had. The South carried advantage in their war motives. All they had to do was protect their borders and keep the Union soldiers out and try their best to, “not lose”. The North had a completely different war motive that was far more difficult. They had to completely surmount the South. The South was at a disadvantage in terms of food. They could find and produce food but they had a difficult time getting that food to their soldiers. They did not have as many rail lines as the North did. Also, because a majority of the manufacturing and industry was located in the North, and the North had effective blockades, Southern trade was

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