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Why did the North win the Civil War?
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The North won the Civil War due to its industrial strength, extensive railroad network, and larger population. The North's diversified agriculture and manufacturing capabilities provided essential supplies and weapons. Superior transportation infrastructure facilitated troop and supply movements. Additionally, the North's control of shipping and international support from European countries like France and England further bolstered its position. The North's larger population, including fleeing slaves joining the Union Army, provided a manpower advantage over the South.
There are many reasons why the North won the Civil War over the South. For one, the North had more heavy industry than the South, which had remained largely agricultural leading up to the war. However, the North's agriculture was more diversified than the South's. Secondly, the North had many more miles of railroad than the South, aiding in easy transportation of troops and supplies. Lastly, the North had more manpower, especially with slaves fleeing the Confederacy to fight for the Union Army at Lincoln's urging.
Starting in 1800, the North had industrialized rapidly, while the South had chosen to remain largely agricultural. In 1793, Eli Whitey's Cotton Gin was created. This machine allowed cotton to be cleaned and refined far more quickly than before. This raised the demand for cotton and thus slave labor. As a result, the South's cotton industry was booming and would become the biggest cash...
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crop market in the world.
With such a lucrative slave- and plantation-based economy, the South was reluctant to make any major changes to their way of life. Meanwhile, the North was building factories and becoming an industrial and manufacturing power. However, the North did have agriculture, and it was more diversified than the South's. While the South had focused on a few cash crops, the North had a rich variety of agricultural products they could use to feed and clothe the troops.
When the Civil War began, the North's ability to manufacture textiles and weapons gave them a considerable leg up. As part of Henry Clay's American System, tariffs on imported manufactured goods would force Southerners to buy more expensive American made products (like textiles), stressing their economy. By the mid 1800s, the North produced more than 94 percent of the US's pig iron and 97 percent of firearms.
Moreover, the North controlled shipping and railroad lines, allowing them to easily send troops, foodstuffs, and weapons during the war. The North had twice the length of railroads per square mile as compared to the South. The Erie Canal (1825), also allowed the North a shipping shortcut from the breadbasket in the Midwest to European markets, facilitating a fruitful trading relationship across the Atlantic. All of the ingredients for manufacturing gunpowder were imported from Europe into the bountiful harbors of the Northeast.
France and England were consequently more friendly with the North and thus supported them in the Civil War (and not the South). Although the South had plentiful agriculture, transporting food to troops was a huge issue because of a lack of railroad lines. Southern troops often lacked food and basic manufactured goods like uniforms, boots, and weapons. It was also easy for the North to blockade Southern harbors.
Lastly, the North had a much larger population than the South and thus more people to fight. The Union had more states on board than the South. Four slave states had remained with the Union and many from the 11 Confederate states were not loyal. The North had a population of 22 million and the South had 9 million (half of whom were slaves). Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation (1863) declared that all slaves in the country were symbolically free and called for blacks to run away and fight for the North. Many heeded the call and crossed over, providing more Northern manpower.
Overall, the North had more advantages than the South and used their many resources to win the Civil War.
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