Social Upper Classes Of The Old South example essay topic

Should the Confederacy have won the civil war? Looking at the American Civil War ones must also look at the economics of the 19th century in the U.S. Hand in hand one must also look at the politics and battle plans of the war. The slave plantation owners' class was a minority in the Southern population but it controlled southern politics and society. Slavery being the biggest investment of the South, and the fear of slave instability ensured the allegiance of southern non-slave-owners to the economic and social system of the South. As luck would have it, slavery helped America become noticed as a world power during the 19th century. Many other factors must be looked at when discussing the successes and failures in the Civil War.

Decision made and actions that were taken all played a part in the final outcome of the war. The thought that the South could have positive outcomes from the war was doomed from the beginning. Slaves produced many good and services that were provided to the benefit of most white Americans absolutely or not absolutely. (1) Slaves were not just used for agriculture. They also were used for forms of production and trade jobs.

For parts of the 18th and most of the 19th century, slaves were the true work force of America. The existence of slavery was the reason that most white Americans had hobbies or did not worry about occupations concerned about farming or the need to earn an hourly wage. Because of this white Americans were able to get higher educations and (1) Schwartz, David G. "The South and Slavery" History 101. University of Nevada Las Vegas. March 30, 2004 skills to increase their generation income for themselves and their offspring. The development of a leisure class also developed the social upper classes of the Old South.

(2) In other words, other than the obvious, slavery produced gargantuan benefits indirectly for white Americans. Production was not a true concern of many plantation owners; since it was being handled it would always be handled as long as there were slaves on the plantation production system. While the South became extremely wealthy by using slavery for agricultural labor, the North focused on trade, commerce, banking, shipping, and manufacturing. But the question can one survives without the other comes up? The North was able to attain such success in commerce because of the South's cheap production of food and materials produced by slavery.

Because of the wealth of sales and manufacturing of products created from the South, the North supported the continuing practice of slavery which gave them goods they needed at a reasonably low price. (3) They both needed each other to make money and profits in the world. Since the Northerners depended on the materials from the South that was produced by slavery, it was no surprise that they opposed any one who threatened their system, livelihood, and future. Many Americans found ways to rationalize the contradiction of a free nation allowing the ownership of slaves. Some views of the people were that African slaves are not truly human beings, if they are being bought and sold in America. One may think, if they were truly human beings they could not be a possession or put up for sale.

(2) Emory M. Thomas, The Confederate Nation 1861-1865 (New York: Harper & Row, 1979). (3) Schwartz, March 30, 2004 Further more, if all men are created equal, then black men would have the same rights as white men. This would give them the right to not be held in captivity as a slave. (4) Therefore, in order for slavery to be allowed blacks had to be considered less than human beings. In addition, gave the North an excuse or humanitarian reason to start a war against the South. (5) Even though neither the North nor the South was prepared to fight a war in 1861.

The economics issues affect the tactical and actual battlefield operations embark on by both sides before and during the war. The North had a greater military power than the South. The North also had significant material advantages such as money and credit available, factories that were in place for decades, food production, mineral resources, and most of all, a more modern efficient transportation system. (6) All of these factors contributed to the overall Northern strength. One reason that this war went on for so long was that the North and South were so evenly matched. Where one had strength the other had a weakness, but a strength where the other had a weakness.

In other words the Northern troops were essentially better prepared for battle, but the South's lack of preparation and strategic blunders that can not be denied Robert E. Lee also could be considered responsible for the Confederates lost of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln offered the command of the Union forces to lee in 1861. After declining the offer, Lee resigned his position in the Union army to become the commander in chief of the military and naval forces of Virginia. There he served as Jefferson Davis's chief military advisor. (7) (4) Schwartz, David G. "Ante-Bellum Reform" History 101. April 1, 2004 (5) Schwartz, April 1, 2004 (6) Schwartz, David G. "Revolutions" History 101.

March 23, 2004 (7) Thomas, 192 He then became in charge of all the Confederacy's military forces in 1865. (8) Lee was not concerned with the unnecessary loss of personnel and resources during the war. The South needed to protect its resources, holding them in check, in order to outlast the Union and destabilize its morale. However, Lee spent way to much time working on his brilliant battle plans that were not specific enough for his lieutenants to understand, much less enact upon. Lee also should have reinforced the West not incapacitated from the South. Lastly Lee continued the war for far too many months.

Even after it was undeniably lost, he continued to the senseless slaughter. (9) However, Lee did believe that authority was for the masses were important. If he acted with authority over his men and enforces discipline among his officers, the entire army will have faith in his authority and will conquer the enemy. The Confederate army should have relied on guerrilla warfare tactics in order to overcome the strength and organization of the Union army. In order to do that, it meant total popular support from all of the social classes. Something the Southern aristocracy was not prepared to do.

The lower non-slave-owner class began to feel they were sacrificing way too much in the service of the upper class, which kept them nearly as enslaved as the literal slaves. With the start of the Confederate army draft in 1862, social tension and resentment grew because the non-elite classes believed that government powers were being abused by the elite class members. (10) The lower classes felt tricked into war by the upper class members. But with Confederate money considered useless because of the (8) Thomas, 295 (9) Thomas, 164 (10) Thomas, 291 skyrocketed inflation, soldiers felt they had to desert in order to care for their families. At that point the Confederacy went from poor policy decision making to the point that seemed determined to make the worst possible decisions. In conclusion, the reason why this war went on for as long as it did is because of how evenly matched both sides were, in other words lack of preparation.

In the end repeated mistakes were made that were grounded in arrogance and a determination to prove one group of people's pre-conceived ideas about states' rights and the certain rights of social classes. As the Southerners refers to the Civil War as 'The Northern War of Aggression'. It was doomed from the very beginning in any hopes of having positive outcomes for the South. The combination of economic factors, strategy, and the entire mindset of the American population created a situation in which neither military nor moral victory was possible for the Confederate Nation.

Bibliography

Schwartz, David G. "Revolutions" History 101. March 23, 2004 Schwartz, David G.
The South and Slavery" History 101. March 30, 2004 Schwartz, David G.
Ante-Bellum Reform" History 101. April 1, 2004 Thomas, Emory M.
The Confederate Nation. New York: Harper & Row, 1979.