How Did North Carolina Establish Itself At The Turn Of The Century?

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The Civil War was the bloodiest war on American soil. More people died during this four year period than all other American conflicts combined. While this time is remembered as one filled with conflict and death, much more occurred in the years following the war, during the reconstruction period of the Antebellum South. This “New South” may not have been so new after all. There were struggles that the south would endure for many years as they tried to rebuild and restore their former grandeur. The Civil War destroyed all the social and economic structure that North Carolina, as well as, the entire region had at the time. Like many of the southern states after the war, North Carolina struggled to find a good balance in the “New South”. Was North Carolina able to rebuild and reestablish itself by the turn of the century? …show more content…
At the beginning of the war there were two main political parties in the state, the Whigs and the Democrats. Both parties retained a good base of power in the state at the time. With North Carolina leaving the Union in May of 1861, the government would obviously change, but neither of the parties gained any political advantage by the succession. Both parties clearly believed that leaving the union was in the best interest of the state. After the war, the Confederate states were required to offer their oaths of loyalty in order to rejoin the Union. North Carolina was one of the first of the southern states to rejoin the Union after the war and with the help of the government was able to start rebuilding. While the state did struggle, physical reconstruction was generally