Economic impact of secession on the North and South

Secession and Economic Impact on North and South

The secession of southern states from the union was a troubled time in American history, and it led to the Civil War, which had a strong and detrimental impact on the economy of both the North and the South and eventually led to the Reconstruction. When most individuals think of the Civil War and the Reconstruction period that came afterward, they think of African-Americans and how they were treated. This is, of course, one of the more important aspects of this issue. However, it was not the only thing that happened during the Reconstruction and it is important to understand that there were issues that Caucasian individuals had to deal with as well. There is much significance for today in what happened in the Reconstruction era, and many of the systems that are utilized today were acquired during that time and have since changed the economies of the various states -- both those that remained part of the union and those that originally seceded.

Originally, the Reconstruction was hailed as a terribly boring time in U.S. history, but much of it is rich with interesting information and recently some credibility has come back to it, designating it a part of history that deserves further study. Many believed that everything that was learned and accomplished throughout the Reconstruction had been lost before it was actually over and that the idea of social improvement that it carried ended up being a failure

. However, some of the things that were accomplished during the reconstruction and a great deal of what was learned remained with the country after it was over and built the foundations for many of the things that go on today.

The Reconstruction period was very valuable for many reasons and not all of these had to do with the emancipation of African-American individuals

. Examples such as the slaves who took care of Jefferson Davis's plantation after he died indicated that African-Americans were very much interested in the reconstruction and found it very valuable, from both a societal and an economic standpoint. Even though the plantation was eventually given over to Jefferson Davis's heirs, the African-American individuals who took care of it in the interim made sure that the plantation remained with it was when Davis was still living

There was still a great deal of bias against African-Americans at that time, however, and slavery had not yet been abolished. Naturally, African-Americans wanted to gain power. This was true politically, financially, and socially, but many of them were unable to achieve this because of the rules and regulations that the country had set in place not allowing them to do much more then be slaves for a white master

. Some believe that this was mainly due to Republicans such as Rutherford B. Hayes, who many believed almost put a complete stop to Reconstruction

. Had Hayes and others allowed Reconstruction to continue, issues such as the Jim Crow era could have possibly been avoided.

As it was, problems such as this continued for quite some time. Even though there was still much bias against African-Americans, the slaves were not dissuaded. They built their own churches and their own schools, and as slavery became less widespread throughout the country they begin to pull their family lives back together and even involved themselves in politics to some extent. The Reconstruction alternately created the beginnings of capitalism which helped indicate that it worked towards much of what is in place in society today. There are, however, some differing opinions about this issue. Some believe that African-Americans simply wanted their independence and that the Southern elite sabotaged this

. Had this not been the case, African-American individuals might have made a great deal more headway much faster than they actually did.

However, this is only one opinion and does not necessarily indicate that this is exactly what happened, although many historians believe this to be the case. It is largely thought that African-Americans were kept down by Caucasians so that Caucasians could advance their own positions

. There were also many small issues throughout the Reconstruction that often get overshadowed by the larger ones. These include how careful Andrew Johnson was with money and how he worked extremely hard to make sure that none of it was in spent on anything, even when individuals such as those who were affected at the time by the Irish potato famine needed it most.

Those who worked to defeat Reconstruction eventually became very violent. Hundreds of African-Americans were killed by vigilantes for no other reason than their color. One significant figure throughout all of this was Abraham Lincoln. Whether Lincoln was heroic or not depends greatly on the opinion of historians, but there were many worthwhile things that Lincoln did deal with during his presidency. Honest and open-minded, Lincoln worked to do what he could for everyone and even though he was not always able to accomplish as much as he would have liked, he was very fair with all individuals and did the best he could to provide what was right for everyone who sought his help

The Reconstruction is a significant historical time, but it is also a haunting tragedy. There was a great deal of suffering and pain on the part of African-Americans, and some on the part of Caucasians, that wind their way through this period in history. Sometimes, it is easy to forget that this was an actual time period and not just something written in a history book. It is not fictional, and all of the pain that individuals dealt with during that time was very real.

Even though there were many issues dealt with in the Reconstruction, the most significant would be the Emancipation Proclamation and how African-Americans reacted to this. When it came about, all African-Americans were freed in the rebel states

. Those that worked in the Southern states continued along in slavery for several months. This was due to the fighting that was occurring between the North and South. Because of this, the South was considered separate and was not subject to what the president in the North determined

. There were also many Southern people who did not want their slaves freed because they knew they would have to pay other individuals to work at that point. The African-American slaves provided the masters free labor, as long as the masters fed them and gave them a place to sleep. After the Civil War, however, all of the slaves in this country were free.

While this seemed to be a great day for African-Americans, there were actually problems with it as well. Many Caucasian individuals were very unhappy that the African-American slaves had been freed, and most of them were not afraid to show it. There was violence toward these individuals and they learned quickly that their newfound freedom came with a price. They did their best to settle away from Caucasians and try to cause little trouble. There was a hope that they carried that they might be accepted eventually. Education was a big issue for these individuals and during this time and they begin to work hard in order to learn things so that they could compete with their Caucasian counterparts

They learned that they would be able to negotiate for things like land, wages, and other issues that they needed to care for their families. Many African-Americans had very large families and in this way many family members could work and help support the entire family. They begin to found small towns where only African-Americans lived and therefore they did not have to concern themselves with what the Caucasian individuals were doing and whether they were safe in their towns. Unfortunately, many of the places they selected were not able to grow crops very well due to poor soil and the population and many of these towns began to decline. Since they were not willing to give up, other larger towns became more populated with African-Americans

This is true of many large towns such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. These towns are still today heavily populated by African-Americans. Even though they were spreading out into other areas of the country there was a lot of difficulty for them in an attempt to acquire land. They had little money and because many of them had not been educated as slaves they were at the mercy of Caucasian individuals and many of them got poor deals for the land that they were allowed to purchase.

Although the Emancipation Proclamation was clearly one of the most important parts of the Reconstruction, African-American individuals saw little benefit other than their freedom. They were supposed to be compensated for the years that they had lived in slavery but very few of them ever saw this and the Emancipation Proclamation did not always work well or at all, but there was no indication that the African-Americans who had been slaves and were now free were going to give up on their dreams.

Some of the slaves remained where they were and went to work for the masters that they had previously slaved under. They were paid wages instead of working for free, but they remained because they had gotten along well with their masters and knew that if they remained there they would be able to work and eventually buy land so that they and their family could have their own place to live. Sometimes the masters would even give the freed individuals that they actually liked a small piece of their land so that they could build something. This was one of the other ways that they were able to acquire land from Caucasians

Land grants from the government also gave them a chance to build churches and other buildings as they were still not allowed to share any of these with Caucasians. Many people believe that the Emancipation Proclamation work to make African-Americans more equal, but the only thing that it did was give them their freedom. There was still no equality and many Caucasians still had a very strong hatred of African-Americans which extended far beyond what any government statement could have removed from them

. In other words, these people believed that African-Americans were worthless and really no better than animals, regardless of the Emancipation Proclamation or anything else that could be made into law.

Most African-Americans took jobs that did not give them an opportunity to better themselves and very few of them could read or write. The opposition that was given to their freedom was extremely strong in the South and Caucasian individuals who lived in the Southern states worked to keep African-Americans down as far as they possibly could and not allow them to look for and find a way up the ladder of success

. It was ruled a crime to educate African-Americans and this helped Caucasians to keep African-Americans from gaining further ground once they were freed.

This did not last long, however, and schools for African-Americans were eventually built so that more individuals could be educated. The phrase 'separate the equal' came about during this time as many individuals struggled to stay within the confines of the laws while still ensuring that African-Americans were kept from doing many of the things that Caucasian individuals enjoyed. They were subject to Jim Crow laws and could not sit on the same train cars or ride on the same buses as Caucasian individuals. Some likely believed that they were better off as slaves because at least they had food and a place to live

However, most African-Americans worked extremely hard even though it was clear that Caucasians were trying to hold them down, and some of them actually succeeded in getting quite far although there was still a lack of equality that has carried throughout history. It still remains today in the hearts and minds of many individuals in this country. However, is clear that reconstruction in the South was needed very strongly and that it was important that it happened because African-Americans have been treated cruelly and used as slaves who were assumed to be little better than animals for many years

Naturally, not all masters were cruel to their slaves, and not all Caucasians hated African-Americans, but this was the pervading theme, especially in the South where slavery remained longer than it did in the North. The huge plantations and the need for people to keep them running smoothly likely contributed to this. The Reconstruction in the South would have moved along faster were it not for this issue, and it would have been helped greatly if the federal government had worked harder to enforce it once the war was over

. As it was, they left most of it up to the states to enforce, and the Southern states were not interested in doing any of that. Still angry and bruised after losing the war to the North, they rebelled and tried to keep African-Americans beaten down and in slavery as long as they could.

Freedmen in the North could find better jobs than those in the South, but they did not get enough of the jobs to greatly alter the racial makeup of the workforce. Most people were still reluctant to hire African-Americans, although employers were more open to it in the North than they were in the South, even once slavery in both areas of the country had been completely wiped out. The Reconstruction after the Civil War provided much insight into how the country works and what the more obvious shared values are, and it also allowed for a basis for some of the laws and ideals that are present today