Part 1: How did the Civil War change from being a limited war to preserve the Union into a total war to abolish slavery?
Part 2: How did the North and South each handle their economic and human resource needs? Why were the economic consequences of the war so different?

             At the outset of the Civil War, the union sought to preserve the country’s integrity and fortitude. Lincoln took office after seven states had already departed, with eight more on the way. However, as he once said, the North and the South were Siamese twins: inseparably bound to one another. Thus the fight to maintain the stability of the nation was on, and the dire need to succeed was of the utmost importance. Europe was delighted to hear of the possible split as it would weaken the entire Northern continent and permit them to once again be able to capture lands. Violence erupted at Fort Sumter when the South finally took violent action against the North. The war had begun. With the war’s aim still concentrated on preserving the nation, the North sought to win over the Border States. These states were crucial to overtaking the South once again. Without them, the South would take the advantage. Failure to achieve this, combined with superior military leadership, gave the South some headway, but more importantly, prevented the North from successfully preserving the union.

            Being incapable of using limited war tactics to achieve success, the North needed to take more extreme measures to ensure victory. After failing to take the lead in the war, the decision to use total war and extreme measures was enforced by taking on the moral goal of eradicating slavery. They believed in order to defeat the South they needed to destroy their way of life. Knowing the slaves were crucial to their way of life, the North used this idealogical motive as fuel for the spirit of the war on two fronts. By appealing to the abolitionist, the war effort was being promoted throughout the North as it became more than just a war to preserve the nation. This strategic maneuver swayed those who were not absolute proponents of the war to the side of the North. Also, the direct attack on the Southern way of life allowed the North to ruin the economic infrastructure of their opponents and debilitate the way of life.

            The change in motivation of the war and attitude toward the war soon brought forth the necessary changes in strategy that would enable the North to emerge victorious. One of the major challenges encountering both sides of the war was the management of resources. In the South, the amount of usable resources was severely hampered by the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed all of the slaves in the South. Not freeing all of the slaves in the North revealed the strategic maneuver it made rather than the ultimate moral message of freeing the slaves. By reducing the total amount of resources eligible to those in the South, the North was strengthening their cause by diminishing the capabilities of the South. The war effort was now being hindered by a restriction of the number of resources made available to the Southern soldiers. Moreover, the overflow of freed slaves to the North gave them an advantage of more manpower. By being able to strike at the heart of the South, the North made it capable to ruin the possibility of winning.

            The economic hardships incurred by the South were far greater than those facing the North because of the use of total war tactics. Aided by the weakened infrastructure and lack of resources, the use of total war tactics completely destroyed the South and everything that would aid them at all during the war. Sherman’s march to the Sea through Georgia left the entire state ablaze without any remnants of civilization. This march illustrated the use of total war by destroying everything in sight. Not just defeating the enemy, but demoralizing became the theme for the North’s war effort and strategic plan. However effective these methods were to convincingly defeating the South, the economic hardships left after the war were severe in the South. Total war meant total destruction, leaving nothing for those to return to in the South after the war was over. This made the reconstruction period in the South far more critical than in the North, a fact that made reuniting the nation far more difficult after the war.

The Civil War was first established as being a war to preserve the Union.  However slavery was a part of it from the beginning.  After different events the war turned into a war to abolish slavery.

Even though the war was at first a limited war that was being fought to preserve the Union, it did have many aspects that included slavery.  One was the fact that groups found in both the North and South supported the opposite side.  The Border States and the “Butternut” region of southern Ohio, Indiana and Illinois were all in favor of slavery; they would have willingly joined the Southern forces if the war was against slavery.  The South also gained support from many of the Indian tribes, especially from the Five Civilized Tribes.  They supported the South because many of the Indians owned slaves and felt connected to the Confederacy.  The “mountain whites” of the south supported the Northern side since they also did not agree with slavery; they sent around 50,000 men to assist the Northern army. 

If General George B. McClellan successfully captured Richmond during the Seven Days’ Battle in 1862, the war could have probably ended in that year.  The Union would then be restored with little damage to the South.  Slavery would also probably have endured for an amount of time longer.  However General Robert E. Lee won, causing the fate of the war to change.  It was now evident that the war would only end when the South was completely destroyed and when slavery was abolished.  Lincoln did not want the Confederacy to be able to lose without being significantly harmed; he wanted to take away slavery as a punishment for the South.  Instead of being a war to preserve the union, the Civil War then turned into a total war to abolish slavery.

After the Seven Days’ War, Lincoln began to write the Emancipation Proclamation.  This document would also change the purpose of the Civil War.  Lincoln now declared that the war would now be fought to abolish slavery as a punishment to the South.  The Emancipation Proclamation, issued in 1863, stated that the slaves in the south would be liberated.  However this group of slaves would consist only of the slaves living in Confederate states that continued to be in rebellion.  The slaves living in the Border States and in some areas in the south were not part of this group.  The Emancipation Proclamation did not actual free any slaves though.  Lincoln liberated the slaves in an area that he was not in charge of; the slaves that were to be freed lived in the Confederacy, which was not a part of the United States at that time.  Even though it did not legally set any slaves free, the Emancipation Proclamation did contribute to the change of the war from a war to preserve the union into a war to abolish slavery.  This document caused both sides to see that the war would not be ended by a settlement, but it would rather be a “fight to the finish.”

The Civil War began as a war to preserve the Union, but traces of slavery were always seen in it.  The Civil War turned into a war to abolish slavery because of two main events.  These were the Seven Days’ War and the Emancipation Proclamation.  This change caused the war to not be able to be solved by a settlement.        

 Chapter 20 Part 2:          The North and South gained money for the war by selling bonds and by issuing or increasing taxes.  To gain larger armies they used drafting and volunteering.  However their economic consequences were very different.  The North actually prospered because of the Civil War while the South lost a lot of money. 

The North handled their economic needs by issuing different tariffs and by borrowing. Congress increased the excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol.  Also the first income tax was charged.  Congress passed the Morrill Tariff Act in 1861.  This tariff was issued in order to raise more money to help with expenses for the war.  The treasury also issued greenback paper money.  However this money could ultimately be considered worthless since it was inadequately supported by gold.  Through selling bonds the government was able to acquire $2,621,916,786.  The National Banking System was also created due to financial needs during the war.  Established in 1863, it encouraged the sell of bonds and also provided a standard bank-note currency. 

            The South was not as rich as the North was at this time.  They raised their money by increasing taxes and by imposing a ten percent tax on farm produce.  They were able to raise almost $400 million by selling bonds.  The Confederacy still was in a great need for money.  They were forced to print blue-backed paper money.  The value of this money lowered, and by the time of Lee’s surrender, it was worth only 1.6 cents. 

            At first the armies of the North were consisted solely of volunteers.  However when the demand for more soldiers became greater, the government issued a nation wide draft in 1863.  The rich were able to buy their way out of war.  They could pay three hundred dollars to not fight in the war.  People throughout the North did not agree with this conscription.  In 1863, a riot broke out in New York because of the population’s anger with the draft.

            More than 90 percent of Union troops consisted of volunteers.  Federal, state, and local authorities began to pay volunteers in order to attract men.  The South also had to turn to conscription after volunteering abated.  A man would be fit to fight if he “could see lightning and hear thunder” (456).  Men from the ages of seventeen to fifty were also drafted.  Similar to the North, a person could buy their exemption from fighting.  Also if slave owners and overseers that had more than twenty slaves could also receive freedom from being drafted. 

            The war brought very different economic consequences to the North and the South.  The North had a sort of economic boom during the war.  New factories grew because of the protective tariffs.  Also new machinery helped the North to economically grow.  The Civil War also caused a millionaire class to grow.  The South lost a lot of its money because of the blockade and because of the destruction from the war.  The different consequences occurred because of two main reasons.  One was because the North was more industrial then the South.  Also because the North still had the same economic policies as before and they only needed to refine them for war.               

Part 1: How did the Civil War change from being a limited war to preserve the Union into a total war to abolish slavery?
The Civil War changed its purpose from preserving the Union to abolishing slavery when the North realized they would win.

Part 2: How did the North and the South each handle their economic and human resources needs? Why were the economic consequences of the war so different?

             The North had plenty of economic and human resources because of the immense amount of immigrants and factories. The South on the other hand, didn’t have very much of either. The economic consequences were so different because of the make-up of each section’s economy. Since the North’s economy thrived when the factories were working longer and making materials of lesser quality, they benefited from the war; well, at least the company owners did. The South’s economy was destroyed when the crops and the slaves went.

          The war caused two very different outcomes, speaking economically.  The north were obviously the victors of the civil war, therefore received remunerations.  There was also much less damage done to the northen states, because most of the battles fought had  taken place in the southern states.  A whole new millionaire class began to grow in the north, which also increased the economy.  The economy in the south suffered because of the extreme damage that would be needed to be payed for.