Civil War Impact through people | Teen Ink

Civil War Impact through people

May 6, 2022
By rynasung SILVER, Canaan, New Hampshire
rynasung SILVER, Canaan, New Hampshire
7 articles 0 photos 0 comments

         No matter how stable a nation is, there tends to be some discordant cacophony that is able to create conflict, tension, or civil war which often alters the course of said nation. In this case whether due to political beliefs, financial interests or such, it was the Civil War that impacted American society through people. For instance, the Civil War increased the nation’s patriotism by various campaigns and propaganda actions. The American people could establish a powerful and consolidated government and laid the foundations for America being one of the greatest superpowers in the world through the Civil War. Overall, the Civil War and its aftermath impacted America through mainly people as conflicts, tensions or sometimes development. The Civil War impacted people by culture too. As new technological advances raced through America such as railroads, people were affected as the Civil War went on. From the old ages European settlers, Americans significantly changed with their culture and understandings through the Civil War. It is no exaggeration to assert that the Civil War was an absolute revolution for the American nation. It is continuously debated whether wars always bring negative impact. Nevertheless, wars sure bring revolutionary changes as the Civil War brought changes to America. The North and South America terrorize each other during the war, by different cultures, ideas, and communities which all made the basis of the society we live today. It is the start of the significant impact towards people from the War.

Slavery was an extremely controversial and biased idea that led to clashes between certain parties after all. African Americans were simply not treated as normal human beings and were considered as one’s property. It brought out brutal history as the slaves were tortured and discriminated against because of their skin color. Accordingly, the Civil War was the main factor that caused slavery to end. The Battle of Antietam was one of the most significant battles during the war, not only did it have countless casualties, but it allowed President Lincoln to sign the 13th Amendment which terminated African American slavery. We can not imagine slavery being a part of the current society. Signing the 13th Amendment was just a game-changer for America. If the Union army did not win the Battle of Antietam, the pressure from the Confederates would threaten President Lincoln, thus he would procrastinate the treaty. The abolishment of slavery was a big game-changer for American society because there were side effects to it. Some of those were the Southerners’ inability to adapt to a non-slavery society. The challenge was usually confronting the Southerners to freed slaves and able to work with them. Also, not every single slave of America, especially those of the Union States. Slavery being abolished, there was new conflict such as racism, segregation, and unseen laws like the Jim Crow Law. A lot of these cannot be abolished by amendments which are still seen today. There is a quote, ‘It is not the differences that divide us, it is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.’ What if the abolishment of slavery worsened racism? Who knows? In the end, Slavery took a huge part in the Civil War as it is the main reason for the whole bloody conflict. The idea came to its end, however, there are other effects that we need to consider. 

The Civil War did a huge part in the drastic improvement of technology and countless inventions. As conflicts grew and grew, the necessity for advanced technology increased. These inventions not only impacted the war itself but also the American society for an advance to the next-gen level. The Civil War is known to be one of the deadliest wars in American history. The Civil War had approximately 620,000 deaths of soldiers and 384 battlefields. This number of casualties supports the fact that the type of war was a bit different than in the old ages with different tactics, weapons, and tools. Especially from the battle’s point of view, the introduction of bloody innovations was just the cause of the painstaking casualties. Also, since the Civil War happened inside the country, while not bothering the outside, the casualty rate is truly shocking. Communication systems(telegrams, railroads), trench warfare, various weapons and tactics(Gatling gun, ships, No Man’s Land, Anaconda Plan, Mississippi River control), and health systems(emergency care, sanitary, supply) were all types of innovations during the civil war. The telegram was loved by Abraham Lincoln as it was a revolutionary invention for the country as it drastically changed the way people send messages. It affected battles as it was convenient for soldiers to send messages from remote areas. It also affected civilians as it opened a new world of communications. The Civil War is also known to be the start of bloody trench warfare. It was way different than the old tactics where soldiers lined up in a straight line and marched. There is also a lot to explain about health systems too. It was drastically improved because of the government’s awareness of the unstable medical care for injured soldiers. It had to be improved on sanitary and supplies. This also led to the invention of ambulances and emergency rooms for society. One of the most important inventions was the railroads. It tied up the whole country together which made the trade, transportation, and communication way different and easier than before. During the Civil War, railroads significantly impacted the Mississippi river campaigns as they provided fresh supplies of arms, men, and medical supplies directly to camps or important areas that were quite difficult to reach on foot. Railroads were also a cheap way to travel long distances. Thus, during and after the Civil War, civilians and the whole American society started to heavily rely on railroads. The period is the Civil War and a lot of inventions came up and significantly impacted the nation. It should never be understated as it was a new opening towards a brand new generation of technologies.

The end of the Civil War which was theoretically the start of a unified American society, eventually builds up to the country we live in today, full of patriotism, rights, and competitions. The culture, land, and economy all originate from the Civil War which makes both North and South be proud and prize the American land as what it is today. America had to go through numerous barriers and conflicts, most known is the Civil War. It terrorizes the country itself with countless sacrifices. This is one of the most valuable reasons for the American people to be full of patriotism and simply ‘prize the American land.’ We hold certain rights to be scared because of the three amendments:13th, 14th, and 15th. Before the Civil War, the concept of justice for all meant little unless you were white and male. Going beyond the abolition of slavery, the 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments were the first extensions of citizenship and voting rights to minority groups. First, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to African Americans who were previously enslaved. African American’s liberty and property were recognized and considered as they were protected from the country. It was simply the start of diversity expansion. Second, the 15th Amendment allowed African Americans to vote, which was a huge culture change for America. Lastly, the 19th Amendment equalized the authority and rights of both genders. These all originate from the Civil War/Reconstruction, thus making a huge impact on the nation. Conflicts lead to ideas as ideas lead to groups. It is simply inevitable for human beings to survive and improve without groups. Accordingly, the Civil War was a war between two major parties: the Unions and the Confederates. These kinds of parties go through timelines and eventually can be seen today such as the Democrats and the Republicans. The theme of parties having ideas that go against each other is particularly seen today. More people means diverse ideas and diverse ideas resultantly lead to higher chance of success when solving a problem. Even though both sides might have tense relationships, their existence basically leads America. People prize the fact that the idea of two parties, the Democrats and the Republicans actually descend from the two rivalries the Unions and the Confederates. ‘The United States of America’ has the meaning of being united together in a group. We prize it, honor it, and be grateful towards it as all of its origins from the old Civil War ages. 

   It might be ironic how the Civil War not only impacted people in both positive ways and negative ways because in the end, it’s still a major bloody conflict. However, there is no doubt that the Civil War absolutely changed every part of people’s society and the American nation itself.  Slavery takes a supreme part in the cause of the Civil War between two tense parties with different thoughts towards slavery. Starting from the abolition of slavery, to its affects, it shows us that civilians of the United States America gone through a lot. Especially with drastic changes in laws, cultures, and the use of African American slaves. It makes sense that a conflict causes another conflict like a domino effect such as WW1 causing WW2 and the Cold War. If slavery itself considered a conflict, the effects of it to society which can make tensions and further conflicts is a domino effect. Also, it is shocking how it relates to the current American society. Patriotism, competition, and rights all truly originate from the Civil War too. It leads to current society as we all learn the history for it. It was a bloody conflict and some prefer to gloss over the grief. However, it should be considered that if the war did not occur, America would have been such a different nation. It was a true revolutionary for America.


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