1. Effects of the War
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2. Changing nation 618,000 young men were in their graves
Widows left behind increased the proportion of unmarried women
How did this effect this generation of women?
The nation that emerged from four years of total war was not the same America that had split in 1861

3. Women North Pushed the boundaries of their traditional roles
Served in the rear-lines as army nurses and members of the Sanitary commission
Filled key positions in the administration of patriotic organizations
Broadened the beliefs about what women could accomplish outside of the home
South
Civil War forced them to shoulder a heavier burden at home
Wives of smaller farmers found it hard to survive at all
Loss of fathers/brothers, advancement of Union troops, and difficulty in controlling the slave labor force-destroyed allegiance to the Confederacy
However, the South remained more conservative in its views about a women’s “proper place”

4. African-Americans Union emancipated 4 million African-Americans
Hadn’t resolved that they would be equal
Northern states denied equality under the law and the right to vote
North granted more rights than the South but “equality” was still under question

5. Impact on White working people
Unclear
Industrialized North-suffered because prices had risen much faster than wages
Republican “rhetoric” stressing “equal opportunity” raised hopes that crusades against slavery would improve the lot of working people in general

6. Federal Government Federal Government was supreme over all the states
US was on its way to becoming a true nation-state with an effective central government
Retained a federal structure; states could no longer secede or nullify federal law, they still had primary responsibility for most functions of government
Questions would continue to arise about where federal authority ended and states rights began.

7. Broadened definition of federal powers
During the war, Republican dominated Congress passed a rash of legislation to give stimulus to the economy
Rejected laissez-faire
Enacted a program of active support for business and agriculture
1862-passed a high protective tariff
Approved a homestead act to encourage settlement of the west
Granted huge tracts of land to the railroad companies for a transcontinental railroad
Set up a national banking system

8. Long term effects
Shift in relationship between the federal government and private enterprise
Venturesome businessmen took advantage of the new national market and built larger firms operating across state lines (big business)
The Civil War was thus a catalyst for the great transformation of American society from an individualistic society of small producers to a more highly organized and “incorporated” America

9. Questions to ponder Please respond on a separate sheet of paper
Could the South have won the Civil War, or was its defeat inevitable?
What were some of the social and economic effects of the “total war” between the North and the South.
Could the Southerners have better defended their interests through a political struggle within the Union, rather than a military struggle outside the Union?
Do American social and ethnic minorities make significant gains during the Civil War? Explain.