11.3

Analyze how the war changed the economy and society in the North and South. Discuss how northern and southern soldiers experienced the war. Explain the impact of the war on women.

The Home Front in the North The Home Front in the South The Life of the Soldiers Women and the War

Read section 11.3 Answer questions 4 and 6 on page 378

The war had a huge impact on northern industry. The drop in cotton production severely damaged the large cotton textile industry. Some business flourished in the North due to the war, where some suffered dramatically. Paying to supply the war was a major economic challenge for the North.

At first there was an income tax established on all income over $800 per year. As the war continued the tax increased. The biggest source of wartime funds came from the sale of government bonds. If a person bought a bond, in return for the purchase price the buyer received a certificate promising to pay the holder a larger amount of money at a future date.

The Union sold billions of dollars worth of bonds to banks and individuals. To increase the amount of cash in circulation to increase war bonds, Congress passed the Legal Tender Act in This allowed the Treasury to issue paper money called “greenbacks” this was the first time the United States had a single common currency that people could use to purchase goods.

The Homestead act in 1862 allowed people to move out west and buy land to farm at a very low cost. During this time the first “draft” occurred or “conscription” any male was subject to military service. However they could pay $300 to hire a replacement. This lead to several lower class working men to have riots and create factions against the war. This lead to the copperheads who wanted to undermine the War and cause issues to end it.

The Civil War made great economic demands on the South as well. The problem with the south was that it did not have the resources to meet these demands. The largest issue was the Union Blockade of southern ports. It was very effective in preventing re-supply.

The South also issued paper money but many did not account it of any value. Hardships quickly began to take a toll on the South. Many families were beginning to starve and resorted to stealing from each other. Unity was very difficult for the South because the hardships made each state try to look out for itself. So troops often would only fight to protect their state and would not go to the aid of another

Just under half the eligible men in the Union and four out of five eligible men in the South served in the military during the Civil War. The War gave many young men the opportunity their first opportunity to travel. They would train for war constantly in rough conditions with little sleep and food. In their downtime they would play games and write letters.

Soldiers had to face death on the battlefield as well as infection in the camps. For every one man that died in battle, two died from disease. Also men had to fight a mental battle, the new weapons would cause drastic bodily damage. This was often times to much for men to handle after a long period of exposure.

Between the death, malnutrition and long periods of time away from home, soldiers had very difficult life during the Civil War. Also many soldiers die in prison camps, the worst of which was Andersonville in Georgia. 12,000 Union prisoners died from disease and malnutrition.

Many women had long sought an active role in public life. The Civil War offered them new opportunities. With men gone off to war women had to go into professions once dominated by men. Most teaching jobs had been taken over by women. The most notable military role for women was nursing.

The profession of nursing began slowly, as small groups of women formed organizations to assist returning soldiers from battle. Beginning in 1861 Clara Barton took the effort one step further. She was able to get President Lincoln to approve the formation for the United States Sanitary Commission. This authorized women in the hospitals and military instillations for medical purposes.