Civil War

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer discusses that both sides fought hard in the Civil War and claims that the Union victory was far from being a foregone conclusion. The writer notes that both the North and South boasted military prowess but for different reasons. The writer looks at the two sides of the North and the South and examines their various successes and failures throughout the war. The writer concludes that the turning point of the war at the Battle of Gettysburg proved that in spite of its initially tenuous leadership personnel, Union army generals like Ulysses S. Grant had what it took to capitalize on the North's many advantages to ensure victory.

From the Paper:

"The South, however, failed to solidify a victory for several key reasons. First, the South could have ushered support from Europe. As a major trading partner to both England and France, the Confederacy might have been able to use economic incentives to persuade British and French political and financial, if not military assistance. Although slavery had been abolished in Europe, the War of Secession was originally not framed as a battle for emancipation so European diplomatic support would not have suggested a conflict of interest. However, the South did not capitalize fully on its ability to woo the Continent."
"Another major reason for the South's eventual defeat was the very culture it wished to preserve: the plantation economy. The agricultural-based economy might have endeared the South to Europe, to which it traded a sufficient supply of cotton. However, agriculture failed to provide the Confederacy with the industrial strength it needed to win."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Debating Who Actually Won the Civil War." Dummies.com. Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 from http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/DummiesArticle/id-1229.html
• Feldmeth, Greg D. "Secession and Civil War." U.S. History Resources. 31 March 1998. Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 from http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/USHistory.html
• The History Place. "The US Civil War 1861-1865." Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 from http://www.historyplace.com/civilwar/
• "Why did the North Win the Civil War?" Retrieved Nov 19, 2006 from http://www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_35_Notes.htm

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