Civil War example essay topic
396 words
The civil war drastically altered American history. It would be difficult to find anyone who would disagree with the above statement. But, did the civil war affect the lives of Southern women as drastically? In my opinion, it did. Many people fail to realize that the outbreak of the civil war changed the lives of all Southern women - not just slaves. The women of the Confederacy, black and white, rich and poor, would see their lives changed forever as a result of the war that ensued between the North and the South during the years of 1861 to 1865. The fact is, that even though men were doing the fighting, the women were faced with the more intimidating aspects of the war - new challenges, deprivations, unforeseen dangers, and most importantly the uncertainty of their futures. The war required complete mobilization of resources and with three out of four men away at war 1, there were many gaps for Southern women to fill. ("Our Needles.) The affects of war were widespread and varied by age, location, and marital status, but the clearest and most significant delineations were by class and race.
As is the case with most national crisis's, the war seemed to have an almost leveling affect on social status - everyone shared a common hardship and suffering. The truth is though that women who owned slaves faced much harsher realities of war than those who did not. For slaveholding women, the civil war represented an evil that was slowly diminishing their privileges and affluence, and one that would eventually reshape their entire social identities. While the war disrupted the economy, as is normal, the bigger issue at hand was its attack on slavery.
This was most crucial, because the deterioration of a slave labor system was synonymous with the deterioration of wealth for many southern families. In part, the fact that slaves served as a relief from menial household chores and labor, was the foundation of wealth in the south and had a great deal to do with a Southern lady " sense of status. So as slavery began its' demise right before their eyes, Southern women of considerable status found themselves performing unfamiliar household tasks and consequently began to feel as if their wealth was slipping away.
