Civil War Economics

Civil War Economics

The Civil War was the war that defined the United States. It was a dispute between the Union and the Confederates. Many people believe that the Civil War was started because the Union wanted to abolish slavery, but that only played a part in it. Also it is a belief that the war was started over principle, but it actually was over power. Truly the Civil War began because the Union created tariffs that would have taken profitability out of slave-based economies. These tariffs would have helped Northern industries and the Southern would have been severely hurt.  
A main source of the Southern states economy was based off of slave based profitability as well as trading with European countries. The ways that these tariffs that the Union wanted to pass would have affected price of manufactured and imported goods. The Southern economic interests knew the effects of these policies and choose to leave the Union. Thus creating a new economic structure and society known as the Confederacy.
Both the North and the South derived their lives and wealth from railroads, rivers, roads, and canals. With these means of transportation both nations used them to move supplies, troops, and ammo. Even though there was a war being raged these lifelines they used continued to function as battle roared around them. Many soldier’s and even citizen’s blood was split in the struggle for these means of transportation. Some of the main areas that they were in are Manassas, Richmond and Gettysburg. Also in the East they were in Fort Donelson, Shiloh and Vicksburg, and in the West Chesapeake and the Ohio Canal.


An event that was set in motion for the Civil War was the 1860s presidential election. As the Confederates were taking their time choosing a candidate in Baltimore, Maryland. The Union nominated a lesser known man by the name of Abraham, Lincoln. It was said, “Lincoln won easily, although he did not receive a majority of the popular vote Lincoln: 1,866,452; Douglas:...