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Causes and effects of the American civil war - Coggle Diagram
Causes and effects of the American civil war
Long Term Causes
Differences between North and South
North
Was heavily industrialized with factories
Workers were employed/ low unemployment
Many wanted to abolish slavery
Had 75% of the railroad, federal government controlled
South
Economy relied on slave labour and agriculture
Many in the south believed that slavery was necessary for survival
Believed that states had power to do what they want
Westward Expansion
As more people settled on the plains, new states were formed and must decide if they would be a free state or a slave state
South wanted slavery but the North wanted to abolish it
Missouri Compromise of 1820
Any states above the state line of Missouri had to be a free state, states south of it could be a slave state
Compromise of 1850
In 1846 the Us annexed part of Mexico. California became a free state with the other land becoming territories and the Fugitive Slave law was in place in the territories which returned any runaway slaves back to the south which made the south happy
Kansas Nebraska Act 1854
More new territories because people moved west, These territories could decide whether to be a slave state or a free state which caused anxiety in the south. These areas became a battleground for those in favour and against slavery
Anti-Slavery Rebellions
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe about the horrors of slavery, it increased tensions between the north and south
John Brown's Raid
John Brown led a raid on a weapons store in Harper's Ferry, He was hung for this and became a martyr for the campaign against slavery
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner led a rebellion against the whites which resulted in the deaths of 60 white people. Nat and 200+ slaves were executed and Virginia passed a law prohibiting slaves from learning how to read and write
Short Term Causes
Election of Abraham Lincoln 1860
South felt vulnerable
The southern states felt they had no representation or voice in the national government after the election - they feared Lincoln and his party wanted to abolish slavery
No Southern Votes
Lincoln was very popular in North but received no votes in the south but still had the largest percentage of votes
The Secession of South Carolina
The election made South Carolina to claim they had a right under the law to split from the union if the federal government failed to uphold it's obligations to a state
Within weeks of the election, South Carolina acted. On the 20th of December 1860 they seceded from the union, 10 more southern states would follow
Election of Jefferson Davis as president of the condferncy 1861
The Confederacy was vastly outnumbered, the South had 9 million people living there while the North had 22 million people there
Initially argued against secession, but when his home state of Mississippi seceded in January 1861, he changed his mind
He was elected president of the newly formed Confederate States of America and led the South though the civil war
Attack on Fort Sumter 1861
12th April 1861, Davies ordered the frt to be taken by the South. Confederate forces fired on the fort and the Civil War began
Davis wanted to take control of Union fort in the confederate territory
Fort Sumter was in South Carolina but the North was in charge of it
Impact of the civil war
Social Impact
Many men had died in the war
There were food shortages due to blockades. Many people faced hunger and riots took place
Women became nurses on the battlefield and cared for wounded soldiers
At least 400 women disguised themselves as men and marched off to war
Economic Impact
The South
The war destroyed the railroad in the South
There was 4 million bales of cotton produced in 1861, this plummeted to only 300,000 bales in 1865
By 1865 there was major food shortages and food riots took place in some cities
The South suffered from terrible inflation of 500% by 1865 as the government printed more and more money to pay for the war
The North
The cotton textile industry suffered as it lost access to cotten from the south
Industries that made weapons, uniform and the railroad all did well
Higher Taxes and inflation, wages were kept low due to women and boys who were happy to do the work for less money
Political Impact
Emancipation Proclamation - 1863 (slaves were freed)
Civil Rights Act - 1866 (All races except Native Americans were full US Citizens)
14th Amendment - 1868 (Freed slaves were protected by the law)
Civil Rights Act - 1870 (Reinforced the Civil Rights Act)
15th Amendment (Black could vote and stand for government office
Black Codes kept Black people separate from White and reduced their rights. The KKK is formed. Racism and lynching