The American Civil War: Background

Figure 1.--This Ambrotype shows an unidentified southern boy, we think anout 1861. He is not wearing a uniform and is too young to be even a drummer boy. The kepi shows his. or more accurately, his parents support for a their new nation. He of course could not comprehend the powerful forces swirling around him. The South by 1860 had become a separate nation. Although they shared a common history with the North, the ethos and economic system ws very different. It only remained to demonstrate their independence on the battlefield. The new Confderacy did not want a war. They wanted to separate peacefully. President Buchanhan eas porepared to accept this and allowed Condefderate militias to seize arms depots and Federal forts throughout the South. Presiudent Lincoln was not going to allow this to happen. Source: Steve Young Jr., Coast to Coast Antiques.

The United States by 1860 had developed into two destinct regions, essentially separate countries. The North and South had complimentary, but very different economies. Southern plantations supplied Northern textile mills--the beginning of the indstrial revolution in America. While complmentary, the economic systems were very different. The northern states with small, family-owned farms were becoming increasinly important indudstrial manufacturing and commercial centers, emerrging as the most imprtant capitalist ecomomy in the world. The North had all the features of capitalism: industrialization, technolohgical innovatiomn, enrepreurialship, important corporations, major banks, free labor, stock markts, urbanization, modern transport, public education, expanding middle class, and other features. Most northern states were free states, abolishing slavery. The southern states were primarily agrariamn societies with economoes dominated by large plantations worked by African slaves. The Southern econmy either dis not have the principal fatures of capitalism ot had thenm ti a far lesser extent. The Southern economy was not capitalist. In fact it was a continuation of the mercantilist economy. And the educated Southern panter class looked down on Northern capitalism. They were seen as monewy-grasping, uunprincipled people. English law and the Federal Constitution mean that capitalism could have developed in the South because private property is strongly prortected in both and pritection of prtoperty is a central feature of capitalsm. The primary reason that capitalism did not develop in the South was slavery. A capitalist economy is fundamentally characterized by the division of scoiety into two classes of individuals: 1) the mnonied class which owns the means of producing and distributing goods and 2) the working class who sell their labor to the capitalist class for wages. Slavery meant that the monied class owned a subsytantial part of the woirking class. As result capitalism nanf this the economy in the South to the extent that it did in th North. Most southeners did not own slaves, but the planter class dominated the economy and state governments. And free farmers and workers in the South were thus less prosperous than in the North. The modern critics of capitalism charge that capitalism was deeply involved with slavery. Now there are connectioins. The origins of capitalim did included capitalism, but not exclusively. The Dutch and English were involved in the slave trade. It is also impprtnt to note the Portugal and Spain and the largest detinaztion for caoptured Africans was Brzxil. The 13 English colonies in North nerica received a very small proprtion of the slaves. It is also trye that the Northern conomy benefited from the slave produced cotton. But notice that the Northern economy grew even faster AFTER the Civil War and emncipation. The forced labor of slavery was deeply inbedded in the economic, social, and political system of the south. [Levine] The economic issues could possibly have been resolved through political, constitutional processes. It would have been difficult, but within the realm of possibility. Slavery was, however, the basis of the economy for the planter class and the emotional debate surrounding slavery by 1860 had risen to the level that regional tensions exploded. Abolitionists had for several decades been stoking the fires. They could describe the evils of slavery. They could not, however, end slavery in the South. Southerners had begun to think of themselves as a distinct nation. Underminining the economic foundation of the planter class was a difficult enough issue, but abolitionists questioning their morality and values meant that rational discussion became impossible. This and fear of a large emancipated black population has essentilly created two nations. Here the head-strong southern planters made a serious miscalculation. State authority was inshrined in the Federal Constitution. And given the strength of the Southern voting block in the Congress and the difficulty of passing amendments, slavery could not have been abolished or altered without the consent of the Southern states as long as they remained in the Union.

American Debate on Slavery

The debate over slavery in the United States did not begin with the Constitutinal Convention (1787), but it was here that the issue first came to the fore. Some northern delegates were opposed to it. Southern delegates were committed to it. It became clear that there would be no Constitution without a compromise. The compromise was that a decission on the future of slavery wold be deferred. A curious arrangement was written in to the Constitution by which for voting purposes slaves would be counted as three-fifths (3/5s) of a person. Many delegates believed or at least hope that slavery would gradually die out as individuals states abolished it. Subsequent history was a series of compromises meant to difuse the issue. The centerpiece of this effort was the Missouri Compromise (1820). This worked for over three decades until promoted by Seator Stephen Douglas Congress undid it with the Kansas-Nebrasks Act (1854). The result was rising tensions, 'Bleeding Kansas', the and a the breakdown of compromise, John Brown's raid on the Federal arsenal, and at last a breakdown of comprosise and civil war.

Economics

The United States by 1860 had developed into two destinct regions, essentially separate countries. The North and South had complimentary, but very different economies. Southern plantations supplied Northern textile mills--the beginning of the indstrial revolution in America. While complmentary, the economic systems were very different. The northern states with small, family-owned farms were becoming increasinly important indudstrial manufacturing and commercial centers, emerrging as the most imprtant capitalist ecomomy in the world. The North had all the features of capitalism: industrialization, technolohgical innovatiomn, enrepreurialship, important corporations, major banks, free labor, stock markts, urbanization, modern transport, public education, expanding middle class, and other features. Most northern states were free states, abolishing slavery. The southern states were primarily agrariamn societies with economoes dominated by large plantations worked by African slaves. The Southern econmy either dis not have the principal fatures of capitalism ot had thenm ti a far lesser extent. The Southern economy was not capitalist. In fact it was a continuation of the mercantilist economy. And the educated Southern panter class looked down on Northern capitalism. They were seen as monewy-grasping, uunprincipled people. English law and the Federal Constitution mean that capitalism could have developed in the South because private property is strongly prortected in both and pritection of prtoperty is a central feature of capitalsm. The primary reason that capitalism did not develop in the South was slavery. A capitalist economy is fundamentally characterized by the division of scoiety into two classes of individuals: 1) the mnonied class which owns the means of producing and distributing goods and 2) the working class who sell their labor to the capitalist class for wages. Slavery meant that the monied class owned a subsytantial part of the woirking class. As result capitalism nanf this the economy in the South to the extent that it did in th North. Most southeners did not own slaves, but the planter class dominated the economy and state governments. And free farmers and workers in the South were thus less prosperous than in the North. The modern critics of capitalism charge that capitalism was deeply involved with slavery. Now there are connectioins. The origins of capitalim did included capitalism, but not exclusively. The Dutch and English were involved in the slave trade. It is also impprtnt to note the Portugal and Spain and the largest detinaztion for captured Africans was Brzxil. The 13 English colonies in North nerica received a very small proprtion of the slaves. It is also trye that the Northern conomy benefited from the slave produced cotton. But notice that the Northern economy grew even faster AFTER the Civil War and emncipation. The forced labor of slavery was deeply inbedded in the economic, social, and political system of the south. [Levine]

Moral Divide

The economic issues could possibly have been resolved through political, constititional processes. It would have been difficult, but within the realm of possibility. Slavery was, however, the basis of the economy for the planter class. And by 1860s, slavery had become far more than an economic issue. As a result of the Abolitioinist Movement, it had become a moral debate. Many in the Noth had come to think of slavery as evil. Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was the most powerful example of Abolitioist literature, but only one small part. President Lincoln on meeting Mrs. Stowe described her as "the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war." Southners of course were deeply offened by this. Thius the emotional debate surrounding slavery by 1860 had risen to the level that regional tensions exploded. Abolitionists had for several decades been stoking the fires. They could describe the evils of slavery. They could not, however, end slavery in the South. Southerners had begun to think of themselves as a distinct nation. Underminining the economic foundation of the planter class was a difficult enough issue, but abolitionists questioning their morality and values meant that rational discussion became impossible. This and fear of a large emancipated black population has essentilly created two nations.

Southern Miscalculation

As a result of Lincoln's election, the head-strong southern planters beginning in South Carolina made a serious miscalculation. State authority was inshrined in the Federal Constitution. For several decades, the anti-slaverry forces only gained control of the House of Represenatives. What was descrived as the Slave Power controlled the presidency and Supreme Court and a closely divided Senate. The election of President Lincoln, meant that the Slave Power was losing control, of the Federal Goverment. Contrrol of the presidency would evetually mean control of the Supreme Court. Even so, given the strength of the Southern voting block in the Congress and the difficulty of passing amndmrents, slavery could not have been abolished or altered without the consent of the Southern states as long as they remained in the Union. Slavery was not inshired in the Constitution, but the states wre given control over matters not specficlly granted to the Federal Governmernt. Thus pardoxally, only with sucession was emancipation possible. And notice that the Emancipation Proclamation is based on the President's war powers.

Sources

Levine, Bruce. The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil war and the Social Revolution that Transformed the South (2012).

Created: 9:37 AM 12/9/2014
Last updated: 4:33 PM 2/4/2022