American History Essay Sample: Fighting for Peace

The American civil war was a major landmark in Americas history. The war was became a great factor that has united the country and forced the development of harmony. The two antagonistic sides had different ideologies that have influenced Americas political views to date. The Union comprised of the twenty Free States on the North. The North had autonomy in the war as they enjoyed recognition from other countries and support from the majority of the states. Their opponents were the Confederacy, which comprised of the southern states and fought for the interests of the south. The war lasted between 1861 and 1865 and had great impact on the policies, structure and beliefs of the United States (Wolseley, 1964). While the Union fought for survival of the United States of America, the Confederacy fought for the independence and autonomy to control their own affairs. This war threatened to separate United States of America into two nations but the correct handling of the events of the war prevented the success of such a divisive occurrence.

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The Union was the favorite to win the battle because they had many forces that favored them. The north had a large population that supported their course in the war. These states had close to 22 million people compared to their rivals who had a population of only nine million people. They had superior industrial abilities and economic strength that enable hem enjoy great levels of firearms manufacture. Their high population and availability of firearms gave them a big advantage over their rivals from the south (Crane, 1982). The Union had good agricultural production that provided them food during the war. Attempts by the Confederacy to win over European support failed as the Union had all the resources that would interest investors from Europe. The south faced another blow to their quest as four slave states decided to fight for the union to attain the favors from them. Despite their advantages, the Union faced a very difficult time in the war against the south. The Confederacy was well organized to tackle the advantages of their enemies.

From the beginning of the war, the Confederacy faced serious disadvantages and was aware of their disadvantages. They therefore were keen to capitalize on the weaknesses of the Union in order to improve the chances of their victory in the war. One of the factors that favored them was the vast land they occupied. They had occupied close to &750000 square miles. They did not attack the Union but instead defended themselves (Oates, 1974). They capitalized in the use of guerilla tactics to frustrate their enemies and gain advantage over them. The topography of their land gave them an advantage in conquering different battles (May, 2013). They used their slaves to their favor to prevent the deaths of their white people. Their main strength was their organization and the use of guerilla tactics that enabled them win battles over their enemies. The fact that they were defending their homes and lands gave them a psychological advantage over their enemies and increased their zeal during the war.

The war not only affected the social setting of the people in the state but also influenced the economics of these states. The cotton industry was badly affected by the war and affected the South significantly. Despite the weaknesses in the economics these states, they remained strong in defending their homes and society. The Confederacy was able to defend their land and resist being conquered by the Union. However, the war had exhausted many of their resources and made these sates poor for close to a century after the war.

References

Crane, S., & Binder, H. (1982). The red badge of courage: An episode of the American Civil War. New York: Norton.May, R. E. (2013). The Union, the Confederacy, and the Atlantic rim. Gainesville: University Press of Florida.

Oates, W. C. (1974). The war between the Union and the Confederacy and its lost opportunities: With a history of the 15th Alabama regiment and the forty-eight battles in which it was engaged ... the war between the United States and Spain. Dayton, OH: Morningside Bookshop.

Wolseley, G. W., & In Rawley, J. A. (1964). The American Civil War: An English view. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.