Free Sample Essays > United States History
Who won the Civil War
forms of threats, whippings, or even murdering individuals. These and similar acts were committed prior to the 1868 election to prevent black and white Republicans alike from voting in favor of Ulysses S. Grant of the Republican Party. To the KKK’s dismay, Grant won the election despite the violence and terror they had caused. In 1868 seven former Confederate states had elected Republican governments, approved the revised constitutions, and ratified the 14th Amendment. Congress passed the 15th Amendment in 1869 noting that the right to vote could not be denied due to race, color etc. Fearing that the amendment would not be ratified on account of discriminating loopholes Congress enhanced the chances of ratification by requiring the remaining Confederate states approve the 14th and 15th Amendment in order to be readmitted to the Union. Upon this final act Reconstruction was complete. However, despite each attempt by Northern Politicians and Congress to put an end to slavery in the U.S. Southern Politics were radically protected by the Ku Klux Klan. Though a withering organization, they are still a prevalent source of terror in America today.
Morally the North won the Civil War. In life, much like in war, the better things are going the higher the morale of each involved, thus keeping that group in the positive light. On the battle field the North won a vast majority of the larger battles and the South conquered smaller battles, thus making up the war. Most of the fighting also took place in the Southern states causing mass amounts of destruction to crops, homes, and complete towns as well as the families who lived there. Once the war was over the South trudged back home, at least to what was left of it, and the North triumphed, basking in the high spirits of the time.
Economically the North prevailed as well. Due to the fact that most of the fighting had taken place in the Southern states, as stated above, much of the best agricultural land lay ruined. This included fields in northern Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley, and huge areas located in Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. Retreating Confederates had destroyed most of the cotton crops on purpose during the war to prevent its capture by federal troops. What remained of the cotton was confiscated by the Union troops as war contraband. Richmond, Atlanta and other towns and cities were left in complete ruins. The destruction the Civil War had caused left the South in a huge economic set back that would take them more than a generation to overcome. Now that the war was over what used to be considered a measure of prestige and wealth in the South, cotton and slaves, held less meaning. In 1870 the South only controlled 12% of the nation’s wealth, down 13% since 1860 when they controlled 25% of the nation’s wealth. As for the Northern states, they returned to their factories thus retaining their industrial power [next page]