Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Civil War 1
OK, read from the bottom of 478-486 in your textbook and provide two comments to the following prompt. Agree or disagree: The Confederacy had no chance of winning the Civil War because of the overwhelming industrial and population advantage of the Union. Be sure to give thorough answers to the prompt as well as in your second post in response to your classmates.
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The Confederacy had no chance of winning the Civil War because of the overwhelming industrial and population advantage of the Union. The Union states had tons more citizens and able militiamen while the Confederates were simple farmers and many slaves, who the farmers would not trust with a weapon. This caused a great dilemma to the Confederacy because with much less able warriors, winning a war would be very difficult without foreign help. The industrial advantage in the north also became a huge advantage because the North controlled all the factories and means of production. They controlled where these goods went and could easily cut off the South's supply.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Cnfederacy had no chance of winning the war against the Union because the North had more soldiers and industrial power. The Union had approximatley 22.5 million people living in their states when the Confederacy had a meer 9 million. The union also decided to enlist 180,000 black soldiers and 10,000 black sailors. This gave the Union a distinct advantage because it increased their numbers even more drastically. On the other hand the North had more factories and could easily produce more fire power then the South. The Union more people and better resources then the Confederate army. Under these circumstances the South does not stand a chance against the North.
ReplyDeleteDrewby makes a great point when he states that the Confederacy only had simple farmers who owned slaves. However these slaves were not allowed to fight because they could not be trusted with weapons. He also makes a valid point because most of the Southern goods come from the Northern factories. Having this advantage can allow the Union to stop any goods from getting to the South. Simple enough the Confederates don't stand a chance against the powerful Union.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Confederacy had no chance because the southern economy was absolutely drained. They did not have the industrialized goods like the North did and this hurt them in the fight. Also, the North did have more people, even though they were inexperienced, the North did outnumber the South. That was overwhelming and without the correct weapons and artillery due to the weak economy the South did not stand too much of a chance. Lastly, the weak economy from the blockades made it difficult for the South to focus on the fighting. They cared about getting around the blockade to boost their economy. However there was an extreme amount of inflation and this caused food shortages among the South, which in result, hurt the soldiers.
ReplyDeleteAaron mentioned that the North enlisted black soldiers and black sailors which greatly increased the number of people in their army. This was a large advantage that they had over the South. The South did not enlist their slaves, which was half their population. Also, Aaron mentioned the fact that the North had factories, which made it easier for them to produce the weapons they needed for fighting. This was another advantage that they had over the South.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the Confederacy had little chance of winning the Civil War because of the overwhelming industrial and population advantages of the Union. The Union states and the Confederate states had a difference in resources; however, the Northerns definitely were more qualified and prepared. Most of the industrial power was in the Union states, and on top of this, the Union had the advantage of a powerful navy. The North used this to effectively block Southern ports. Basically, the North had enormous advantages in men, equipment, railroads, factories, ships, natural resources, and governmental structure. The South had great agriculture, but I don't think that was extremely beneficial at the time.
ReplyDeleteCourtney makes a good point regarding the fact that the North had a much larger population than the south did. The North did outnumber the South; therefore, the North had more soldiers. Also, I had mentioned that the North blocked Southern ports. However, Courtney mentions that this was overwhelming. She is absolutely correct. Without the correct weapons (since good could not be exported or imported) and artillery, the South did not have too much of a chance. I also agree with Drew's point that the South contained farmers and slaves. I guess it is reasonable to think that maybe a farmer wouldn't be able to handle weaponry properly; therefore, if soldiers were inadequately prepared, the South would for sure fail. So, the South actually seems more unqualified than I had originally thought.
ReplyDeleteIt is true that the Confederacy had no chance of winning the Civil War. The Union clearly had advantage because of its stronger fighting forces and its better economy. Also, the Union had a lot more people which proved to be significant because they outnumbered the Confederacy's population. On top of this, the Union also had an advantage because of its general economic ideas. The North had factories which produced mass amounts of certain products. A lot of these products went to the soldiers, making the Union overall better than the Confederacy. The South's economy was based around slavery which wasn't as reliable as the North's. Because the South depended on the north for certain products and goods, it was easy for the North to cut off trade. This meant that the North had obvious control over the South.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra makes a good point about how the Union states and the Confederate states have different resources. Although it might not seem like much, resources played a big role in everyday life and affected the economy at times. With the Union's more stable economy and just its general flow of things, it is easier to see why the Union won.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the textbook pages it is very obvious that the Confederacy had little chance of winning the Civil War. A direct quote from the book is that ,"the southern industrial base was too slender to sustain adequate production". The railroads were too deteriorated that food could not reach the soldiers or civilians. As the northern economy grew stronger in factory work and preparation for the war, the South's economy weakened. Expecting a short war, the south issues limited numbers of treasury notes. This hurt them because the value of the notes began to decline. The south was too busy with the farms and slaves to buy war bonds. Financial issues prevented any substantial benefit over the North. Confederate ports were blockaded and this hurt their ability to import materials from abroad. Logistical efficiency that the Union had like the supply wagon train and their well-equipped army also showed how the Confederacy had little chance of winning. Although the Confederacy had a really strong morale, these other setbacks prevented them from winning in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Alexandra how she expressed in general terms that the South were simply just a lot more weak than the Union. Several different aspects made them most weak, yet this in itself prevented any success for them. Also, Aaron makes a great point when he explains why the Union had a lot stronger army. This was due to the fact that they enlisted black soldiers. In opposition, the south kept blacks as the slaves for the majority which meant a lot smaller populated army.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Confederacy had no chance because the southern economy was absolutely demolished. They did not have industrialized goods like the North and the North had more people. Also, even though the South was more experienced the North outnumbered them. That was too much for the South to handle especially without correct weapons and artillery due to the weak economy. The South cared about getting around the blockade to boost their economy however there was a huge amount of inflation and this caused there to be a lack of food in the south which in return hurt the soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney in the fact that the South cared about getting around the blockades and boosting their economy then taking care of their soldiers. This in the end turned around and cost them instead of helping them.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the Confederacy had absolutely no chance of winning because of the overwhelming industrial and population advantage of the Union. Unlike the North, they struggled to have the same industry, meaning goods and products, as well as having a huge population deficit. Also the Union used the blacks as soldiers which helped the increase there numbers and hurt the Confederates even more. In addition, to hurt the Confederates even more, they didn’t have the proper weapons to fight since their economy was so weak. Lastly, the supplies of food were scarce in the South because the North controlled the factories and where the goods went to, so it was easy for the North to stop sending goods to the South. Ultimately, with all these disadvantages, the Confederacy clearly had no chance possible to win against the Union.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Aaron and he brings up a strong point when saying, “The union also decided to enlist 180,000 black soldiers and 10,000 black sailors. This gave the Union a distinct advantage because it increased their numbers even more drastically.”I feel because of this, it separated the South’s chances of actually having a possibly of winning but since the North over killed them with the amount of soldiers, it only made it worse.
ReplyDeleteThe union had a huge advantage on the south because it was more industrialized. There were more trains to transport goods and supplies. The north aslo had factories to produce supplies more easily. Also the popultion was higher so more people could fight for on union side. The confederate economy was very weak. Anything could have happened but the facts show that the Union had a huge advantage and it was unlikely that the Confederates would win.
ReplyDeleteCourtney makes a good point. The south cared more about blockades and tactics to boost their economy than taking care of their soldiers. This caused inflation and a food shortage.
ReplyDeleteThe Confederacy had various social and economic factors that definitely decreased their probability of winning the Civil War. During this time the Southern population was less than half the population of the Union. Moreover, of this denomination nearly half of these people were slaves. This statistic is a huge component when entering a war; simply enough there is power in numbers, which the South did not posses. Furthermore, the South’s declaration of a separate country didn’t help its efforts. While they did form a government, economy, and army, the Confederacy in general lacked a cohesive structure, was very green, and in no way were they prepared for a war. The agricultural lifestyle of the south in addition was no match to the industrialized, developed north which allowed the Union more availability of goods. Even though the Confederacy had no chance of winning the Civil War, they greatly exceeded expectations and overall put up a well fight, stretching out an intended 90 day war into four years.
ReplyDeleteI agree with BMacellara and her statement on the south’s weak economy. The north supplied the country with all of its manufactured goods, including the south. Because of this the Confederacy was left without enough weapons or food to supply them through the war.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the Confederacy had the advantage just to prevent the North from destroying their armies instead of to invade, the Confederacy still had no chance of winning the Civil War. The Confederacy only had 850,000 men, opposing the 2.1 million men in Union army and doubles the number of federal troops. Besides, the North also had a stronger economic support base on the industrial development. They had longer railroads than the South. The blockade had increased the difficulty in exporting enough cotton to pay for needed imports. The North passed the National Banking Act to stabilize bank notes currency, as well as to finance the war. The act created a market for bonds and in combination with the greenbacks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with BMacellara about how the Union used the blacks as soldiers and didn't have proper weapons to fight hurted the Confederates more. Since the south was base on slavery work and farming, they didn't have strong economic as the industrialized North. The soliders were inexperienced, the army wasn't funded well enough caused the Union had better chance to win.
ReplyDeleteThe Confederacy had a chance at "winning" the war, though they were obviously at an advantage. The Union, with 21million people, outnumbered the Confederacy, which was home to 9million citizens -- 4million of which were slaves. Such a significant advantage gave the North power in terms of pure economic size (GDP), hence giving them the potential to have a larger military. It also benefited the Union that they were industrialized.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, in order to "win" the war, the South only needed to defend their territory, which is a lot easier than the North's job: conquering. So their lack of size, while problematic, did not mean they couldn't achieve victory and become independent.
Due to the fact that the Confederacy had half of the amount of infantry and cavalry regiments, the Confederacy had no chance. Even though the North was inexperienced within their skills they were able to thrive within their fights to fight for what they believed in. In addition to this the inflation that was occurring at the time caused food shortages among the South due the failing of their economy. However i believe that it was the unstable economy resulting from the blockades that made it extremely difficult to improve their fighting skills. By focusing on boosting their economy they were unable to resist the predicted defeat of their army.
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ReplyDeleteAaron makes some good points. Enlisting black men was an advantage for the Union, as the South did not practice this, making the population difference even larger (21-5 million free men), particularly for military purposes (more men in the army to fight, more men in the factories to supply the fighters). Ironically, the South's determination to sustain slavery was partially what kept them from seceding.
ReplyDeletePeter makes a good point. In order to win the war the South did not need to do much but protect what was theirs. The North however, took it upon themselves to conquer the Southern territory. This means that their size should not have been the deciding factor within their fight for independence. Their failed attempts however, led to future realization that fighting like this is not a way to run a country. By creating their own government they enforced that they knew what they wanted. However, they did not know how to defend it.
ReplyDeleteIt is surprising to see the south put up a very good fight against the north in the civil war because the Union had such huge industrial and population advantages. The northern factories were able to run without the south and create goods needed for the war. The southern economy however suffered without the help of the north and because of the northern blockade. The northern navy helped greatly in this aspect to create a blockade trapping the south and keeping them from trading. The north also had a much larger population and therefore ran more efficiently with people working in factories, on trains, and fighting the war. The Union troops outnumbered the Confederates, and their supplies came faster and were made better. These advantages are what ultimately won the war for the Union.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both CJ and Peter stressing the importance of the population difference. The north had almost four times as many free men as the south. That is a huge advantage in battle. The north was simply more powerful than the south because of this. The huge population allowed the north to power their industrialized economy, and make things move faster, which in turn allowed the north to prepare for war much faster.
ReplyDeleteThe South stood no chance at winning this war. The north controlled trade as they were the production half of the nation. Raw materials could be found in the south but the important factor was the final product and that was controlled by the north. Also, the population of the north was much more dense so, despite the north's lack of territory, it's population was easily able to handle that of the south's, especially since much of the southern population was taken up by slaves who usually took no part in battle.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Alynn's quote: "The southern industrial base was too slender to sustain adequate production." This excerpt from the book clearly defines what I stated in my earlier post. The north handled the industry and without it, the south suffered greatly.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the statistics that Pete used to support his point. It's true that less than 1/4 the population size (non-slaves that is) of the north occupied the south. This came to be a major disadvantage simply because there is strength in numbers.
The South had no realistic shot at winning the war due to the North's population advantage. Because the North had so many more people, it could keep replenishing its army's ranks. The South could not do this. So despite having better generals the Confederacy had no shot at victory. The North's industrial advantage was insult to injury for the South, since they did not even need an economic advantage but had it.
ReplyDeletePeter Fi raises a good point, that the South only needed to defend while the North needed to conquer; however, they needed to do so under so many disadvantages that they still had no chance of beating the Union. His statistics indicate that -- the Confederacy was outnumbered 21:4, and few armies in history have bested enemies five times their own size.
ReplyDeleteThe Confederates were taking a big risk at this war. They had half the men that the Union had and their resources were limited. They wouldn't be able to defend themselves as well as the union. Also, their weapons were less because the north had factories to make them these weapons and keep them supplied. The South's economy was poor and they weren't able to support them selves, despite the good fight they put up against the North, which was suprising.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jon. The north's navy did a very good job at blocking the South's trade keeping the economy even more down for the south which made a better situation for the North. I also agree that the advantages such as having weapons and supplies faster, being able to travel faster and keeping them selves in order helped them win this war.
ReplyDeleteThe South did not have a chance with winning the war. They had limited men and resources. The Confederate Congress authorized limited specie (gold or silver) within two years after the end of the war. People wondered if their government was going to survive. By the end of 1861, the inflation rate was 12% every month and by the time war ended, the Confederate dollar was worth 1 cent. However, the Union had a stronger financial base. For example, the National Banking Act of 1863 was creating a better market in the North. This means that the South was in really bad shape compared to the North.
ReplyDeleteAlexandra makes a good point in stating all the different ways (men, equipment, railroads, factories, ships, natural resources, and governmental structure) the North had advantages. The book mentions that the Confederates fought for stonger reasons (defending their land, homes, and families) and fought on their own land, however, I the North's advantages strongly outweighed all the advantages the Confederates had.
ReplyDeleteThe south's lack in industry lead them to a huge disadvantage in the civil war. They were unable to resupply themselves as easily as the north could. Also the population was far greater in the north especially due to a large portion of the southern population was black. The only advantage that the south had was it was on their own territory but it has been shown to not have that large of a deciding factor.
ReplyDeleteJon's post supports what i had previously stated, that the south had a huge disadvantage and literally no shot of winning, the fact they put up such a fight which he mentions is also a good point as it was so unexpected.
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