The American Civil War the bloodiest, most devastating
conflict ever witnessed in the history of this young nation, with casualties
surpassing one million overall, exceeding all other wars combined that
Americans had been involved in, up to Vietnam. This war brought about
base alterations to the way of life, and the very thinking of a nation,
permanently changing the economic, political, and social structures thought to
be secure at that time. Some of the changes were good, others not as much, but
we as Americans are still feeling the impact from the Civil War to this very
day, decades after the last surviving veteran of that awful, bloody clash
passed away.
If you were to ask most people today what the biggest,
lasting impact the Civil War had on America, they would most likely
reply with something about freedom for the slaves. However, this is not the
case, as this writer will explain later in the paper. Slavery was abolished due
to the Civil War, yes, but it really was a minor player until the latter half
of the conflict. Even without slavery being in effect, the amount of racism
prevalent in the South after the war was as bad – if not worse – than before,
since many of the plantation owners sought to reassert their control over the
region, keeping the freed blacks on the bottom rung of the social ladder. Slavery
had been such a pivotal part of the South's economy, that trying to cope without
it was a struggle for many, so they fell into slightly modified versions of
their old habits. This was only partially successful for them, as the very
social system of the South was undermined by the Emancipation Proclamation and
Reconstruction, and the social institutions that had long ruled the South were
no longer pertinent. ("Race and segregation,") Eventually, the
radical white supremacists would come to power in the South, leading to a civil
rights battle that continued on to the 1960's, and to an extent, this very day.
An even bigger change brought about by the Civil War was
that of economic control given to the Federal government. The National Bank
Acts of 1863, '64 and '65 created a uniform currency, and forced any state-run
banks to join the national system, something that former President Andrew
Jackson had fought so hard against. These acts would eventually lay the
groundwork for the private bank known today as the Federal Reserve System, or
the Fed. The government, now with newfound control over the economics of the
nation, began to pour money into businesses they thought fit, and to
industrialize both the North and the antebellum South. A "Second
Industrial Revolution" was sparked, with the Federal government rerouting
money into public transportation – especially railroads – and also into communication,
to allow for both easier and swifter transportation and contact with the Southern
overseers. In addition, the government also strong-armed their choices for
manufacturing and other businesses into power, mainly by tariffs, favorable
loans and various subsidies. However, this did unify the recovering nation's
economy, bringing the capitalist's market system into the South, finally doing
away with their agrarian, semi-sustenance economy. The gears of industry had
finally found their way into the South, and with the support of large,
established economic enterprises, were there to stay.
This
industrialization of the South was primarily put into effect by President
Abraham Lincoln, under his 10% Plan, but upon his assassination by John Wilkes
Booth, Vice President Andrew Johnson – a Democrat from Tennessee – took over the Reconstruction
process. Johnson seemed to take up the mantle of his predecessor well, but then
seemed to give in to the radical Northerners by publicly attacking planter
aristocracy of the South, and maintaining that those who participated in the
rebellion should be punished. He decided not to enforce Lincoln's
plan, instead implementing much harsher terms, disenfranchising
all former military and civil officers of the Confederacy – not just the major
players, as Lincoln's
plan had – and anyone who owned Southern property worth $20,000 or more. To add
seeming insult to injury, President Johnson made all of their estates liable to
confiscation. (Weatherby, 2011) He justified this by saying it was to force a
necessary shift in political and social power, from the old plantation
aristocracy to smaller, localized artisans and farmers, and it would cause an
essential alteration in Southern society.
So, with Congress adjourning from April to December 1865,
Johnson implemented his plan using the interim governors he appointed. The
Southern states were all required to hold conventions that either repealed or
voided their declarations of secession, acknowledged the abolishment of
slavery, and – with the exception of South
Carolina – renounced all Confederate debts. The newly
elected legislators from these states, excluding Mississippi, then ratified the Thirteenth
Amendment, assuring freedom for all freed blacks. By the end of that year,
every former Confederate state except Texas
had reestablished a fully-functioning, autonomous civil government.
In short, the South would be a much different place, even
today, if Booth hadn't assassinated Lincoln.
The term "Reconstruction" implies that it was merely fixed, just put
back together the way it was before. That, quite frankly, is not the case. The
South was broken completely to its core, and was rebuilt from the ground up,
forever changing a Southerner's way of life, even to this very day. Was it Lincoln's, or even
Johnson's intention to fundamentally shift the groundwork upon which an entire
region was constructed? Was it their wish to see a people have to completely
start over with their way of living? This writer would assert both yes, and no.
It was their intention to break the South's dependency upon slaves, and to
begin the industrialization of the region; however, it was never their
intention to crush the people in a way to make them resentful. Even to this
very day, the flag of the Confederacy may be seen flying in various locations
in the South, and an intense irritation when certain memoirs of the Civil War
are displayed or played, proof of a deep-seated anger and resentment for what
they consider to be a mishandling of the Reconstruction after the War. But it
was merely the product of fallible men, doing what they believed was best for
their country.
References
Discuss the Political,
Social, and Economic Impact of the Civil War on the US. (2010, 12). StudyMode.com.
Retrieved from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Discuss-The-Political-Social-And-Economic-521346.html
Race and Segregation in
Post Civil War America.
(n.d.). Retrieved from http://instruct.westvalley.edu/kelly/Distance_Learning/History_17B/Lecture02/Lecture02_p01.htm
Weatherby, E. (2011,
December 19). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://pipenslippers.wordpress.com/2011/12/19/social-and-economic-reconstruction/
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