The American civil war began in 1861 during Abraham Lincoln’s tenure as the president of the U.S.A. The civil war resulted from the rivalry between the Southern states and the Northern states over the issue of slavery (Keegan 2). The Southern states, also known as the Confederate states, broke ties with the Northern states because the latter supported slavery. The civil war lasted for four years, during which, approximately six hundred thousand lives were lost. Some renowned historians have nicknamed the civil war as America’s second revolution (Keegan 3). I agree that the civil war has lived up to this nickname because of the change experienced in the U.S.A economically, socially, and politically.
The American civil war brought several changes to the economy of the nation. Abraham Lincoln authorized expenditure towards the war that resulted to changes in the financial system of the U.S.A. Before the uprising, the government did not permit the use of paper money. There was a chaotic financial system as state banks issued ten thousand different forms of currency. During the civil war, Congress endorsed a Legal Tender Act in 1862 to consent to the government’s issuance of paper money (Barnes 80). This generates the interpretation that the civil war led to the revolution of the U.S.A’s financial system.
The changes in the social environment are proof that the American civil war was a second revolution to the U.S.A. During the civil war, the confederate states seceded from their political union with the Northern states. During this war, the social environment change was evident as there was the diversification of women employment. Organizations started giving greater consideration for employment opportunities to the women population than before. Some of the permanent social changes in female gender development were the enforcement of women rights and advancement of nursing. Another significant change in the social environment was the elimination of the act of slavery after the American Congress amended the constitution; the African Americans were the major beneficiaries of this amendment.
In 1865, when the American civil war ceased, the nation became a government state. The south reunited with the north. A revolution refers to a change in people’s way of thinking and their way of life (Goldfield 19). During the war, the north thought that the south was wrong to enforce slavery while the south believed that the north was not justified in abolishing slavery. These conflicting ideologies changed after the revolution, as the then president, Abraham Lincoln led the nation to unity. The government banned slavery and the notion that some given states were better than others became outdated (Davidson 53). The citizens began adopting a sense of patriotism and one political authority, the federal government, took the initiative of ruling the nation. American citizens also started interpreting the constitution in the same way as opposed to the civil war period, when the Confederacy had the idea that the government violated their state rights.
Another proof that the civil war was a second revolution for America, is the existence of the unjust tariffs and quotas the Northern states placed on the Southern states to hurt their economy (Goldfield 24). After the end of the war, the north eliminated these tariffs, as the nation became one. This move had positive impacts on the economy; hence promoting economic growth.
The term America’s second revolution, as some historians put it, is a well-designated term to refer to the country’s civil war. This is because the nation garnered economic, social, and political benefits from the war (Barnes 47). The social, political, and economic pillars are the foundation of any nation, and upholding them is essential for the progress of a country. Economically, the war created tariffs: socially, citizens developed a sense of nationality, and women were treated fairly: politically, a federal government was established.
Works Cited
Barnes, Craig. "A Second American Revolution." Vital Speeches Of The Day 75.2 (2009): 78-82.
Davidson, Neil. "The American Civil War Considered As A Bourgeois Revolution." Historical Materialism 19.4(2011): 45-91.
Goldfield, David R. America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2011. Print.
Keegan, John. The American Civil War: A Military History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2009. Print.
