How Did The Civil War Changed America

On April 12, 1861 the once unified United States of America broke into war between the Confederate South and Union North with the aim for a short war over in a matter of months. Not a soul anticipated the nearly 4 year war that seemed everlasting. The foundational hope for the North to reunite the Union soon changed as the war moved at a tedious pace. They realized the abolition of slavery needed to be fought for. The Civil War changed Americans viewpoint toward the black population, political parties, and the economic development of the nation. Following the Civil War several amendments were passed with regards to slavery including its abolition and rights given to the now free blacks. The southern states that ceded had to ratify the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth amendments before gaining statehood back. These amendments included the abolition of slavery, the right to citizenship, and voting privileges. With the amendments set in stone the north felt
Even though the fourteenth amendments granted blacks citizenship, they didn’t get all the freedoms the whites had. Blacks needed a permit in order to carry a fire arm opposed to whites who didn’t need a permit. With the fifteenth amendment granting the right to vote to all male citizens poll taxes and literacy tests were derived by the southern state governments to keep blacks from voting. Since many blacks wouldn’t read or write it was made so only literate people could vote. Also, poll taxes were set as a prerequisite for voting which most blacks couldn’t afford. Labor contracts started to become popular in the south for blacks. Not because they were a great thing, but because they were the only option. With limited skills and little to no education to speak of the only way to make money or grow food for the family was to sign a labor