The Civil War - Social and Economic Impact on Civilians
THE HOME FRONT IN THE SOUTH DURING THE WAR
ECONOMIC IMPACT IN THE SOUTH
1. The Union's ‘Total War’ destroyed Southern towns, railroads, and farms; soldiers ‘’ confiscated crops and livestock.
2. About 800,000 men (80% of white males of military age) joined the Confederate forces; enslaved people escaped North or joined the Union, and Exodusters moved West, creating a severe labour shortage and drop in agricultural production, especially cotton.
3. The Anaconda Plan wrecked Confederate , leading to a shortage of goods and weapons, contributing to economic collapse.
4. To fund the war, the Confederate government printed money, causing , with Confederate currency nearly worthless.
CIVILIANS IN THE SOUTH DURING THE WAR
1. The South suffered enormously due to economic collapse, shortages, loss of workforce, and high inflation. War destruction displaced people and caused hardship through invasions and sieges.
2. The Confederate government introduced several controversial measures:
• The 1862 Act called up males aged 18-35 (changed to 17-50 by 1864).
• A 10% ‘’ was imposed in 1863 on crops like corn and wheat.
• The Act of 1863 let the government purchase supplies at half-price.
Soldiers’ wives struggled with inflation; many pleaded for their husbands to come home, leading to 10% desertion.
• Shortages of food, clothing etc. There were bread riots in Richmond in 1863
• Rampant inflation (9000%)
• Destruction of homes and property
• Siege conditions (eg starvation, shelling in Vicksburg, where refuges were living in caves dug out of the hillside)
• Communities dealing with occupation by Union soldiers
• Displacement and refugee status
• Emotional toll from loss of loved ones
• Emotional impact of being cut off from loved ones
• Women having to do without menfolk or enslaved servants.
• Women having to managing farms/ plantations/ their workforce
• Women involved in nursing or joined the local Soldiers’ Aid Society rolling bandages, making cartridges and preparing sandbags
• Hundreds of women disguised themselves and joined up as soldiers; others served as spies.
3. Men unable to fight faced social pressure/ were sent petticoats.
4. Free Blacks faced racial violence and suspicion.
THE HOME FRONT IN THE NORTH DURING THE WAR
ECONOMIC RESULTS IN THE NORTH
1. Northern industries expanded, especially iron, steel, textiles, and arms; cities like Pittsburgh became industrial hubs, spurring a ‘Second Industrial Revolution’ and growth in corporations, stock exchanges, and cities, leading into the ‘ Age.’
2. The federal government expanded railroads to support the war, with the 1862 Pacific Railway Act leading to the transcontinental railroad, boosting agriculture and connecting Midwestern farmers and cattle-ranchers to Northern markets.
3. New federal taxes and policies helped fund the war: the 1861 protected Northern industries from foreign competition, the 1863 National Banking Act created a national paper currency (‘’), and income tax was introduced in 1862.
4. Union Army roles were filled by Black Americans and immigrants; labour shortages led to innovation (eg machinery like the McCormick reaper).
5. The 1862 Homestead Act encouraged Western migration and agricultural expansion, creating new markets for Northern goods.
6. The Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act (1862) funded agricultural and technical colleges, boosting workforce skills.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL RESULTS IN THE NORTH
1. Lincoln’s suspension of led to many arrests, especially around elections, raising accusations of dictatorship.
2. to high draft evasion and the New York City Riots by Irish immigrants.
3. The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation met opposition from ‘Copperhead’ Democrats, some accused of collusion with the South.
4. Black migration from the South led to racial tension; New York Draft Riots targeted Black residents, causing severe violence and destruction.
5. The war’s labour demand increased hostility toward immigrants, especially Irish, who faced suspicion and riots in cities like Cincinnati (1862) and Philadelphia (1863).
6. Industrial profits were not shared with workers, leading to strikes and the formation of the National Labor Union in 1866.
7. Women worked as nurses (in 1864, the Army appointed Clara Barton as 'lady in charge' of the front-line hospitals in Virginia); perhaps 500 joined up disguised as soldiers; worked the farms; NB the growth of female activism: the Women's (1863) campaigned for abolition, and the 1866 American Equal Rights Association sought equal rights, including votes for women.
8. Returning soldiers brought physical and mental wounds, and war deaths left many widows. The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and the of the Republic were formed to support veterans.
THE HOME FRONT IN THE SOUTH DURING THE WAR
ECONOMIC IMPACT IN THE SOUTH
1. The Union's ‘Total War’ destroyed Southern towns, railroads, and farms; soldiers ‘LIVED OFF THE LAND’ confiscated crops and livestock.
2. About 800,000 men (80% of white males of military age) joined the Confederate forces; enslaved people escaped North or joined the Union, and Exodusters moved West, creating a severe labour shortage and drop in agricultural production, especially cotton.
3. The Anaconda Plan wrecked Confederate TRADE, leading to a shortage of goods and weapons, contributing to economic collapse.
4. To fund the war, the Confederate government printed money, causing INFLATION, with Confederate currency nearly worthless.
CIVILIANS IN THE SOUTH DURING THE WAR
1. The South suffered enormously due to economic collapse, shortages, loss of workforce, and high inflation. War destruction displaced people and caused hardship through invasions and sieges.
2. The Confederate government introduced several controversial measures:
• The 1862 CONSCRIPTION Act called up males aged 18-35 (changed to 17-50 by 1864).
• A 10% ‘TAX-IN-KIND’ was imposed in 1863 on crops like corn and wheat.
• The IMPRESSMENT ACT of 1863 let the government purchase supplies at half-price.
Soldiers’ wives struggled with inflation; many pleaded for their husbands to come home, leading to 10% desertion.
• Shortages of food, clothing etc. There were bread riots in Richmond in 1863
• Rampant inflation (9000%)
• Destruction of homes and property
• Siege conditions (eg starvation, shelling in Vicksburg, where refuges were living in caves dug out of the hillside)
• Communities dealing with occupation by Union soldiers
• Displacement and refugee status
• Emotional toll from loss of loved ones
• Emotional impact of being cut off from loved ones
• Women having to do without menfolk or enslaved servants.
• Women having to managing farms/ plantations/ their workforce
• Women involved in nursing or joined the local Soldiers’ Aid Society rolling bandages, making cartridges and preparing sandbags
• Hundreds of women disguised themselves and joined up as soldiers; others served as spies.
3. Men unable to fight faced social pressure/ were sent petticoats.
4. Free Blacks faced racial violence and suspicion.
THE HOME FRONT IN THE NORTH DURING THE WAR
ECONOMIC RESULTS IN THE NORTH
1. Northern industries expanded, especially iron, steel, textiles, and arms; cities like Pittsburgh became industrial hubs, spurring a ‘Second Industrial Revolution’ and growth in corporations, stock exchanges, and cities, leading into the ‘GILDED Age.’
2. The federal government expanded railroads to support the war, with the 1862 Pacific Railway Act leading to the transcontinental railroad, boosting agriculture and connecting Midwestern farmers and cattle-ranchers to Northern markets.
3. New federal taxes and policies helped fund the war: the 1861 MORRILL TARIFF protected Northern industries from foreign competition, the 1863 National Banking Act created a national paper currency (‘GREENBACKS’), and income tax was introduced in 1862.
4. Union Army roles were filled by Black Americans and immigrants; labour shortages led to innovation (eg machinery like the McCormick reaper).
5. The 1862 Homestead Act encouraged Western migration and agricultural expansion, creating new markets for Northern goods.
6. The Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act (1862) funded agricultural and technical colleges, boosting workforce skills.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL RESULTS IN THE NORTH
1. Lincoln’s suspension of HABEAS CORPUS led to many arrests, especially around elections, raising accusations of dictatorship.
2. to high draft evasion and the New York City Riots by Irish immigrants.
3. The 1863 Emancipation Proclamation met opposition from ‘Copperhead’ Democrats, some accused of collusion with the South.
4. Black migration from the South led to racial tension; New York Draft Riots targeted Black residents, causing severe violence and destruction.
5. The war’s labour demand increased hostility toward immigrants, especially Irish, who faced suspicion and riots in cities like Cincinnati (1862) and Philadelphia (1863).
6. Industrial profits were not shared with workers, leading to strikes and the formation of the National Labor Union in 1866.
7. Women worked as nurses (in 1864, the Army appointed Clara Barton as 'lady in charge' of the front-line hospitals in Virginia); perhaps 500 joined up disguised as soldiers; worked the farms; NB the growth of female activism: the Women's LOYAL NATIONAL LEAGUE (1863) campaigned for abolition, and the 1866 American Equal Rights Association sought equal rights, including votes for women.
8. Returning soldiers brought physical and mental wounds, and war deaths left many widows. The National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers and the GRAND ARMY of the Republic were formed to support veterans.
