The term Union was used during the American Civil war to refer to the United States of America. It specifically referred to the national government and five border slaves stated and twenty other free states. The union was opposed by the Confederacy that was composed of eleven southern slave states. The United States army soldiers were provided by all the union states (Blume, 2012). The area of the border sent large numbers of their troops to the Confederacy, and they also played a significant role as a base of supply for Union invasion of the confederacy. Industrial resources came from the Northeast and the produced a large number of munitions and supplies. They also provided finances for the war. More soldiers, financial support, food and horses and training camps were given by the Midwest. The Union remained prosperous during most of the war. The prosperity was aroused by establishment of a new national banking system and massive government spending (Clampitt, 2013).
The Union was stronger than the Confederacy, and that made them champions of the civil war. There are many factors that made the Union stronger than the confederacy. First of all, the Union had a larger urbanized and industrialized area compared to the Confederacy (Blume, 2012). They also had more advanced transportation, commercial and financial system than the rural south. These factors gave the Union many advantaged against the Confederacy. They had a manpower advantage of the ratio five to two at the start of the war. The manpower strength was encouraged by the industrialization that brought more people closer to the industrialized areas hence urbanization. Many people also came from the south to the north making the south weaker while strengthening the north (Clampitt, 2013).
With more time, the confederacy shrank even more, and they lost the control they had over the resources and population. The Union saw an opportunity in the situation and used it for turning its growing potential into a very strong military force. Much of the strength that the Union had was utilized in the garrisoning of the conquered areas and the protection of the railroad and other points that they considered as vital points. The great advantage that the Union had in population and industry played one of the most significant roles in making them champions over the Confederacy during the civil war. Even though it took a long while before the resources were fully mobilized, in the end the result were very efficient (Clampitt, 2013).
Another advantage that the Union had over the Confederacy was that of leaders. The Union was led by wise and strong leaders who occupied the seat of the president. Abraham Lincoln is considered a giant in leadership. He is acknowledged widely for his political wisdom, and he was regarded as a political genius. Military victory was his priority, and he invested deeply in it. It required him to master very new skills as a master diplomat and strategist. He did not let anything to go amiss, and he assumed a supervisory role. He did supervision for the supplies and finances in the Union. He also supervised the manpower, the choosing of generals and other leaders and also the path of the general strategy (Shade, 2002).
Lincoln worked very closely with the local politicians and the state. He rallied the public opinions and uttered a national mission that helped in defining the Union, and it is still effective now. Lincoln knew how to work with personal and political enemies. Washington worked smoother than Richmond because of Lincoln’s charm and willingness to collaborate with personal and political enemies. Many things that could have otherwise gone wrong were smoothened by Lincoln’s wit (Clampitt, 2013).The cabinet of Lincoln proved to be much stronger than that of Davis because Lincoln used to channel personal rivalries into a competition for excellence. He didn't consider it to be a platform of mutual destruction but rather made the best out of it. Lincoln had a very strong cabinet which he gave full control to destroy the confederacy. He only denied them the chance of monitoring the major appointments in the union
The congress is also one the institutions that gave the Union, an upper hand over the Confederacy. It was widely known as the Republican congress. It was important in the passing of major laws and policies that would make the Union a stronger force compared to the confederacy (Shade, 2002). The laws were important in reshaping the nation’s economy, the tax system, the financial system, education system and the land system. Some of the laws that were passed by the congress include the Homestead Act, the Morrill tariff, the National Banking Act and the Pacific Railroad Act. These laws contained policies that made the Union’s economy and infrastructure improve rapidly. The improvements made the Union become stronger than the Confederacy in both economy and population (Shade, 2002).
The president Abraham Lincoln concentrated more on the war issues, and he gave legislative issues less attention. He worked efficiently with some influential congressional leaders. Some example of the situations that he worked closely with the congress leaders include when he worked together with Thaddeus Stevens on the issue of taxation. Other leaders like Charles Sumner worked with Lincoln in the department of foreign affairs. Other important areas that Lincoln worked closely with the leaders include the legal department, loans, grants, tariffs, and finances. Lincoln considered these fields to be important for the country to be a stronger force against the Confederacy. Through such effective leaders, Lincoln was able to establish a government that stood so strong against the Confederacy in all possible aspects (Shade, 2002).
The congress was also involved in ensuring that everything was taking place in the right manner. They investigated all the processes that were taking place and if any problem is spotted they work on making it better. For example, the congress once challenged the role of Lincoln as the commander in chief. This was through a joint committee on conduct of the war that dominated by radicals that who were strongly against the Confederacy (Shade, 2002). During the thirty-seventh and the thirty-eighth congresses they investigated every part of the operations of the Union military. They had a particular attention on military defeats, and they sought to find the people responsible for the losses. They believed that failure was indicative of personal failure and evil motivations.
The economy is a crucial point to be considered while talking about the victory of the union against the confederacy. The economy of the Union prospered and grew even more during the war. The Republicans in Washington had a crucial vision of an industrial nation that had efficient factories, great cities, national banks, productive farms and a modern railroad system. The south did not do well economically because they continually resisted the policies that would promote economic growth. Some of them include the tariffs that would support industry and the homestead law that could encourage farming and, it is all because slavery would not benefit. The republicans passed new taxes that paid for part of the war, and they issued large quantity of bonds that were to pay for most of the other things (King, 1998).
The Union needed a lot of money to pay for the armies and the fleets that were raised to fight a civil war. They imposed Value added tax on each and every manufactured item. The taxing system became one of the primary sources of the finance needed. Tariffs and the first income tax which was only paid by the wealthy also added to the funds required for the war (Henrietta, et al, 2012). The government bonds came in second after taxes as a major source of finance. Bonds were sold to the people directly and, with publicity and patriotism. The most important measure that the north took was the establishment of a national bank system that provided a currency that was sound for the industrial expansion (Clampitt, 2013).
In conclusion, the Union was able to have victory over the Confederacy because first of all they outnumbered the confederacy by far. The industrialization and urbanization lead to further population growth and more importantly economic growth. The Economic and financial stability aided in funding the troops that went to war, and they had economic power over their opponents. The great leader who was their president then was also a wise and great leader who was able to lead the military victor. Lastly, the congress played a great role in coming up with relevant policies and in overseeing every important process.
References
Blume, K. J. (2012). Union combined operations in the civil war. The Journal of Southern History, 78(1), 180-181. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/921846768?accountid=1611
Clampitt, B. R. (2013). The civil war in the west: Victory and defeat from the appalachians to the mississippi. The Journal of Southern History, 79(2), 498-500. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1353078554?accountid=1611
Henretta, J., Edwards, R., & Self, R. (2012). America: A concise history. (5th ed., Vol. 1). Boston: Bedford / St. Martin's.
King, L. Y. (1998). In search of women and african descent who served in the civil war union navy. The Journal of Negro History, 83(4), 302-309. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/194476910?accountid=1611
Shade, W. G. (2002). The union divided: Party conflict in the civil war north. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 110(1), 107-108. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/195925780?accountid=1611
