Regions of US after Civil War :: essays research papers

The Civil War left an impressionable mark on the earth as a whole - physically, economically, and furthermore politically. Two of the nations regions most affected was the southern and the West. While the south gained political strentgh through a "solid south" Democracy, thier weak reliance on the crop lien system adversel affected thier econmy meanwhile the farmers migrated to the west because of the Homestead Act, thier preservation suffered in part because of over production, just united to form one of the most popular third parties in American history - the Populists.The Civil War is an example of a sectional fight whose results left most of American nation in a weak state, which is illustrated especially in the South. Upon the end of the Civil War, a new ideology of th south developed known as the "New South Creed," encouraging Southeners to diversify the economy by industrializing and become independant of northern manufactoring industries. Although the i ntial intent was well motivated, the South did not industrialized, whith exceptions to textile mills. Instead, because of the heavy reliance of staple cash crops such as tobacco and cotton, the South shifted into a new system of argicultural known as the crop lein system, which resulted in a cycle of debt that led the South further into debt. The system itself designed only to pay farmers once a year, was a nonstarter and a problem to the farmers because it forced them to buy thier tools and land on credit - adding to the exixsting poster war debts. Although the Southern region was weakened economically because of debt and dependance on "King Cottom," it did gain political strength through the use of "Solid South" Southern politics, after the Civil War, shifted directly into the opposing view of the North, and right away all of the Confederacy merged, politically speaking, into what has become known as the "Solid South" with most states voting always Democr atic.These dems in turn wanted an atenbellum South, besides could not achieve it constiutionally. While the South struggled through its failing argicultural system and gained victory in major supremem courty decisions, the Wests economy was aided through the opening of horse opera lands, as well as by the formations of a new and popular third partyt known as the Populists which contributed directly to the Democractic Platform.The west, known mostly as the macrocosm the most liberal region of the nation, was affected by the Civil War this region was plagued by low farm prices which in turn affected the economy and politics of the region.