Essay about Civil War

Submitted By jharrrr156
Words: 758
Pages: 4

The War Between the States, or better known as the Civil War, was a time when the southern states wanted to secede from The United States. After the war came to end, America, as we know it, began to change. I strongly believe that actions taken after the Civil War were primarily beneficial for American society. The changes led the United States in being actually “united” once and for all. From approximately 1865 to 1910, changes in American society such as the time of reconstruction, immigration, industrialization, and urbanization were constructive in making America a new and better world. Reconstruction was the period in the United States history that followed the American Civil War. It refers to the process by which the Union restored relations with the Confederate States. It is very controversial whether it was a success or a failure. The reconstruction era was a success for many reasons. It helped develop the role of the federal government in protecting citizens’ rights. It was also the effort for African Americans who where formerly enslaved to obtain full freedom and claim their rights as citizens. The Reconstruction started fixing all the problems caused by the war and inequality issues. Reconstruction helped give African American’s civil rights. The rights including: the right to vote and later on equality. The radical republicans pushed for equal rights for everyone during Reconstruction and believed in “equality before law” David Blight, "Ending the War," 30. It was an enormous success because it helped reunify the country. With out this period in time, states within America would still be at war with each other, and the ratification of the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments may have not of happened.
Industrial expansion after the Civil War brought significant changes. The states became increasingly urban. The cities grew in population tremendously. By the 1920’s more people lived in cities than rural areas. Masses of people moving to cities resulted in the new ideas of telephones, trolleys, and electric light. New inventions are what allows these cities to develop and allows more people to live closer together. The size of the cities also grew. Skyscrapers pushed cities upward and new transportation systems pushed them outward. The “peasant villages” were now transformed into “elevated trains and deep tunnels” Mark Wyman, "Coming and Going," 86. The population growth was due to immigration in the United States. Cities were the main place that the immigrants settled. With America becoming more urban and industrial, it played a huge part on how humans now would spend their free time. If the states in America did not become more industrial, the world in general would have been set back. It would have been longer before we would have electricity, transportation, and technology.
Migration and immigration was extremely popular after the war. Everyone was moving into the cities to economically grow. African Americans migrated because of the effects Jim Crow Laws created. They were looked at harshly by police,