Civil war consequences

The Civil War was a long war between the northern and southern states. The southern states seceded from the union, creating the Confederate States of America with their president as Jefferson Davis. This caused many years of violence with the union fighting for a united nation, and the confederacy fighting for secession. The war ended with a union victory, but it brought many consequences. The most significant of these consequences are the destruction of lives and property, the emancipation of slaves, and the strengthening of the federal government. The most important consequence of the Civil War was the destruction of lives and property. More lives were lost in the Civil War than in any of the nation’s other wars. There were over 600,000 military deaths, and in all over a million were killed or seriously wounded. The direct monetary costs of the Civil War totaled about $15 billion. This doesn’t include the continuing expenses like pensions or interest on the national debt. (Kennedy, Cohen & Bailey) With the end of the Civil War, slavery was officially banned. This provided African Americans with the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Although they were free, they had to endure many years of racial violence. After being freed, poverty and hunger caused the death of many ex-slaves. African Americans resorted to creating home remedies to treat diseases because they couldn’t afford medical care. The 1900 Census reveals 30 per 1,000 African Americans died each year as opposed to only 17 per 1,000 whites. ("Being an african," ) The Civil War led to a much more powerful federal government. In order to help pay for the Civil War, the government began printing greenbacks for the first time. Also, the government began to sell bonds for the first time, and developed the first national banking system. Through the Freedmen’s Bureau (aid to former slaves in the south), it instituted the first federal social welfare agency. There were 5,837 federal

Cited: Kennedy, D. M., Cohen, L., & Bailey, T. A. The american pageant. (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. Being an african american after emancipation. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://historyengine.richmond.edu/episodes/view/5032 Rein, L. (2011, October 07). Civil war gave birth to much of modern federal government. Retrieved from http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-10-07/lifestyle/35279330_1_federal-government-civil-war-federal-employees