The American Civil War

On July 4, 1776, U.S. won it's independence from Britain and Democracy was born. The road to the government the U.S. has today was a long road with many obstacles and battles. The American Civil War is one of the most significant and controversial periods in American history. The Civil War was caused by mounting conflicting ideologies, principles, and prejudices, fueled by differences and pride, and set into motion by unlikely set of political events. This essay will discuss the important concepts leading up to the civil war, while explaining why the United States fought the civil war. This paper will also address what the civil war accomplished.

The history of the civil war began with seemingly unrelated events during America's birth of a formed country. The growth of industrialization in both the North and south regions were quite different, due to location, ideologies, and environment. While the area in the north boomed with industrialization was based on manufacturing and capitalism, the south's industrialization was based on agriculture trade. The north saw an emergence in population and a growing economy with the invention and distribution of the cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. This invention aided the need for cotton grown in the south, thus beginning the road to a divided country.

Because the population grew so did expansion. As more states were joining into the union, the power struggle between the slave and free states grew stronger. The Missouri compromise in 1820 helped keep the balance between the free and slave states. The Line of demarcation was a symbolic cultural boundary between the Northern United States and the Southern United States. As expansion, population and economy grew, so did advances in science and manufacturing. Steam engines came to light during this time, in the 1830s. The first track was laid

to connect New York and Philadelphia. The popularity of the train grew quickly. In 1850, 9000 miles of track had been laid

on U.S. soil. In the north, the train system was mainly used for transportation of peole from city to city, while the train was used mainly for agriculture in the south, carrying cargo and crops to and from the ports and plantations. Toll Bridges were being built at this time as well. The Charles River Bridge (1785) was the first toll