10 Consequences of the American Civil War

1. The wartime Passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments marked the end of slavery and the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. 2. Over 620,000 Americans lost their lives in the war and thousands of American families were traumatized by this loss. You belong to the first American generation that does not have any immediate familial connection to people that were impacted by this war. (I.E. Your parents grandparents knew people who were seriously impacted by the wartime suffering) 3. The War finally settled the questions of secession and states rights and marked the beginning of the Federal Governments growing ascendancy over the states. 4. The War transformed a Union of states into the American Nation. EX: The United States became a singular, not a plural noun.

5. The War marked the triumph of the North over the South. The Souths political monopoly on the Federal government ended and the South was transformed into an economic colony of the North. 6. The War created a powerful new Republican political party and ushered in a Republican political monopoly over the Federal government that lasted until the end of the 19th century. 7. The War vastly increased the power of the Federal government. The Federal government introduced a new national I.R.S., draft, currency, banking system and welfare system (The Freedmens Bureau). 8. The War introduced new military strategies/tactics. It proved that the new rifled musket gave a decisive advantage to the defense that would not be overcome until the invention of the tank. It also introduced or at least systematized rapid redeployment of armies by railroad and new trench warfare tactics such as massed, in depth attacks and the use of shock troops. 9. The War introduced or helped field test new weapons such as observation balloons, ironclads, combat submarines, grenades, machine guns, and repeating rifles. 10. The war introduced major public health and medical improvements including improved camp and battlefield sanitation (Listers Work), proper disposal of human waste, more frequent washing and sterilization of medical tools and facilities, a professional female nursing corps, large clean, well-ventilated hospitals and improved ambulances.