2. Sea power and international diplomacy was vital in securing victory for the Union. Sea power benefited the Union because it allowed them to execute a key maneuver as stated in the Anaconda Plan. This maneuver was to encircle the South’s coasts and enforce a blockade. the South could not export goods and get help, and other nations were warned to steer clear of helping the South. But even so, many foreign powers considered intervening with the South. However, these thoughts of intervening ended when the South lost the battle of Antietam. Overall, control of the seas allowed the Union to restrict the South and cut off their line of hope which was foreign support. And international diplomacy was vital because had other nations intervened on behalf of the Confederacy the course of the war may have been much different.
3. The Confederacy had many sources of dissent and rightfully so. For starters, the war was being fought primarily because a few large plantation owners owned the majority of the slaves. Most people did not have more than 100 slaves. Therefore, many people felt like they were being forced to fight on behalf of the rich plantation owners. The military draft did not help boost sentiment either, as people called it “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight”. There were also citizens in the Confederacy who were still loyal to the Union called Unionists. Another source of dissent was over the Homestead Act passed by the North, because many feared that these new states would become pro-Union. Economically, the Confederacy was suffering. There was rampant inflation as well as a decrease in agriculture and industry production by one third. A food shortage also became a problem since the Union blockade around the South (part of their Anaconda Plan) was taking its toll on the Confederate states. Generally, many Southerners wanted nothing to do with the war, since they believed it did not affect them at all because they were not slave owners. This is why they became angered when some of them were drafted, because they were being forced to fight in a war in which they were not technically a part of. Many women also showed dissent because they were forced to do unusual tasks due to the lack of men to perform them.
The North had its internal dissents as well. Many factories were angered when the government passed the Homestead Act, for they feared that they would be in lack of workers due to the workers fleeing west. To add to their discontent, many workers were also drafted into the army. As in the Confederacy, many in the Union felt as if this was “a rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” because they saw the politicians starting this war and them, the common people, the one’s who had to fight it. Reelecting Lincoln was also a huge source of dissent in the Confederacy because many anti-war Democrats (Copperheads) opposed Lincoln. Additional economic sources of dissent were the National Banking system and the protective tariffs. This would be the first National Bank since Jackson ended it. One of the biggest issues facing the Union was whether or not slaves should be emancipated. Lincoln did not want to justify the war as a war on slavery at the beginning because this would drive the border states away. But in the end, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation because it would give the Union a better moral clause and effectively end foreign support for the South. Without foreign support, which the South was hoping to get, the war would be difficult to win.
4. The most important battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Antietam. The outcome of this battle had many political, economic, and military implications. General Lee instigated this battle because he had a plan to invade the North. This plan involved using the North’s resources upon capturing them. This would have had devastating effects on the Northern economy, as their food supply was already limited due to the separation with the South. Lee also planned to capture factories and use them for the Southern cause. Therefore, it is clear that the victory at Antietam was huge for the North economically as they protected their economic resources. The political aspect of the victory was even more important though, as the result of the battle would determine the way the war went. Had the Confederacy not lost, they would have gained the support of foreign powers and this would have sealed the North’s fate. But the Confederacy did not win and in turn, this convinced foreign powers not to intervene on behalf of the South. Also, victory at Antietam convinced Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave the Union a higher “moral purpose” for the war. This motivated the Union and convinced other foreign nations not to intervene. Militarily, this would be a huge victory for the North and boosted morale greatly. It changed the tide of the war too, as Lee would never be so close to victory again.
3. The Confederacy had many sources of dissent and rightfully so. For starters, the war was being fought primarily because a few large plantation owners owned the majority of the slaves. Most people did not have more than 100 slaves. Therefore, many people felt like they were being forced to fight on behalf of the rich plantation owners. The military draft did not help boost sentiment either, as people called it “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight”. There were also citizens in the Confederacy who were still loyal to the Union called Unionists. Another source of dissent was over the Homestead Act passed by the North, because many feared that these new states would become pro-Union. Economically, the Confederacy was suffering. There was rampant inflation as well as a decrease in agriculture and industry production by one third. A food shortage also became a problem since the Union blockade around the South (part of their Anaconda Plan) was taking its toll on the Confederate states. Generally, many Southerners wanted nothing to do with the war, since they believed it did not affect them at all because they were not slave owners. This is why they became angered when some of them were drafted, because they were being forced to fight in a war in which they were not technically a part of. Many women also showed dissent because they were forced to do unusual tasks due to the lack of men to perform them.
The North had its internal dissents as well. Many factories were angered when the government passed the Homestead Act, for they feared that they would be in lack of workers due to the workers fleeing west. To add to their discontent, many workers were also drafted into the army. As in the Confederacy, many in the Union felt as if this was “a rich man’s war, poor man’s fight” because they saw the politicians starting this war and them, the common people, the one’s who had to fight it. Reelecting Lincoln was also a huge source of dissent in the Confederacy because many anti-war Democrats (Copperheads) opposed Lincoln. Additional economic sources of dissent were the National Banking system and the protective tariffs. This would be the first National Bank since Jackson ended it. One of the biggest issues facing the Union was whether or not slaves should be emancipated. Lincoln did not want to justify the war as a war on slavery at the beginning because this would drive the border states away. But in the end, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation because it would give the Union a better moral clause and effectively end foreign support for the South. Without foreign support, which the South was hoping to get, the war would be difficult to win.
4. The most important battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Antietam. The outcome of this battle had many political, economic, and military implications. General Lee instigated this battle because he had a plan to invade the North. This plan involved using the North’s resources upon capturing them. This would have had devastating effects on the Northern economy, as their food supply was already limited due to the separation with the South. Lee also planned to capture factories and use them for the Southern cause. Therefore, it is clear that the victory at Antietam was huge for the North economically as they protected their economic resources. The political aspect of the victory was even more important though, as the result of the battle would determine the way the war went. Had the Confederacy not lost, they would have gained the support of foreign powers and this would have sealed the North’s fate. But the Confederacy did not win and in turn, this convinced foreign powers not to intervene on behalf of the South. Also, victory at Antietam convinced Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, which gave the Union a higher “moral purpose” for the war. This motivated the Union and convinced other foreign nations not to intervene. Militarily, this would be a huge victory for the North and boosted morale greatly. It changed the tide of the war too, as Lee would never be so close to victory again.
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