The Differences In The Economy After Civil War

THE DIFFERENCES IN THE ECONOMY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR 3
The Differences In The Economy, In The North And South, After The Civil War. Not only was the Civil War one of the worst wars America ever fought in, but it also changed many things in America. It abolished slavery, it broke the hold of the wealthy Southern plantation owners, and it also changed the economy. Before the war, the North and the South had moderate economies, but even before the figthing was over, the Southern economy was failing, while the Northern economy was flourishing. The South was nearly destroyed in the Civil War. Many of its towns were burned and ramshacked, and even worse than that, most of their fields were either burned or left
For starters, they didn't Industrialize, as simple as that. The North had five times the number of factories the South had (Historycentral.com, par 2), so the South depended nearly completely on other countries for their 'finished goods' and for their income, from the crops they sold. Also, they did not build many train tracks, less than half the tracks the North had, and these tracks were run down and neglected. So, when the North took the ports and the water ways, they took most of the South's transportation. Since the South thought they didn't need to industrialize, they brought about their own downfall and the loss of the war. As I stated above, the South was an agricultural society. They depended upon slaves to plant and harvest the cotton, tobacco, and other crops. When the Emancipation Proclamation was declared, and the slaves left, the Southerners had no one to bring in the harvest; and those rich men weren't going to go get their hands dirty, apparently. So, the South not only lost their ports, but they also lost most of what they had to sell, and
The Morrill Tariff, the Pacific Railroad Act, and the Homestead Act were all written and agreed upon during the Civil War. (*Apstudynotes.com, 'Congressional Reconstruction', par 4) Since none of these Acts helped slavery, the South blocked them. Once the South was out of the picture, the North started signing Acts in; as fast as they could, I am sure. The Morrill Tariff was an import tax, adopted on March 2, 1861. (*Wikipedia.com, 'Impact', par 1) It doubled the tax percentage, bringing in 345 million dollars, mainly for the government.(*Wikipedia.com, 'Impact', par 3) Though this may seem to hinder people, it can actually help. People buy local goods over imported goods, because they are cheaper. Not to mention, that it gives some extra money to the merchants and the government, which help them to make better goods. The Pacific Railroad Act was for a transcontinental railroad. Originally passed in 1862, it was changed four times, once a year, until 1866. This connected the East with the West, so the North would have more outlets for their products. The South did not like it, because the slaves could get away much faster and easier than if there was no train. The transcontinental railroad was not only good for the North at the time, but it helped the Westward expansion, which helped all of America