An Inevitable War
The Civil War was inevitable. With the impending ideal of imperial industry, the entire country breathed carbon in its race to world standing. Free wage labor brought droves of workers to jobs of little pay. The right to vote was misconstrued as an advancement of freedom. The land of opportunity dried up for the members of the working class. Futility was a welcome friend to immigrants searching for the fabled opportunity so grandly promised by propaganda. The squalid living conditions and atrocious pay were accepted as absolute by the American people. When European workers came to see the land of myth, familiarity fell as a stone into a stream. There was no difference between Europe and the United States. Industry was the same where ever one went. An animosity brewed between the prospering North and the unsystematic South. As the country grew and continued to expand, any lingering feelings of disdain were directed toward expansion. At the time, the economic structure was built in such a way to make the wealthy wealthier and the poor worse for wear. The inevitability of the Civil War was a danger that came with a capitalist economy, but it was only with the promise of economic success that the system continued to function and in the event of failure, violence was to be employed if its necessity was called for to retain the state of continued financial gain which, in turn, caused hostility between the North and South that led to what is known as the Civil War.
Modernization paved the way for several major economic advances for the country as a whole, but inflicted wounds of depression to the working class. In any form of industrial structure, present at the time of the Civil War in the United States, had no means of protocol for disposal of waste, or regulations on pollutants. Instead of bonding with other members of the working class, many distanced themselves with prejudice. Those problems were seen as an issue for a later generation, just as those who built the country viewed the impending civil war as a battle for another era. As the country grew, several questions arose about the direction the United States would be taking in terms of a government. The states became divided over whether to adhere to a centralized government or let the individual states govern themselves with allegiance to the country as a whole. This divide did not climax as the country expanded. The issue over what form the country would take once it had reached the end of its expansion was a question for when there was no choice but to answer it. Many of the states were concerned with foreign territory being close to home at the time, especially in regards to the slaves. With Mexico being so near as a country that promised freedom to all just a stone’s toss away from Texas, who employed slaves religiously, focused most of the opposition elsewhere for quite some time. However, once California was reached and the country settled into its borders, the people began to be critical of how the country was to be run.
The country went about dividing itself down the center. Half defended individualized governments unique to each state, known as Anti-Federalists, while the other side wanted a strong centralized government to oversee the country, known as Federalists. Protests flared with how the taxes were dispersed between the North and the South. Taxes passed to the Northern States, who had a higher white population, compared to the Southern states, with a lower population of white males, were warped. To negate the dissatisfaction in the North, the Three-Fifths Compromise was reached by Northern and Southern delegates at the Constitutional Convention to help even out the tax load between the opposing states. This was in 1787. Awareness of an impending civil war had gone as far back as George Washington. Even at its birth, the states were deeply divided over the value of a centralized government or individual states governing themselves. Henry Knox wrote to George Washington a detailed letter[1] explaining his concern and included a list of soldiers that could be used to defend the states sworn to the federal government in hopes of preventing a civil war. Of course, this was easily avoided in the country’s youth and almost 100 years passed before the Civil war actually broke out. But the political discord was simply patched, not repaired.
Federalists and Anti-Federalists became deeply separated. This was also the reason for the birth of West Virginia. Half of Virginia wished to stay with the Northern Federalists while half the state wished to join the Anti-Federalists of the South. Once the country finished its expansion, it was ready to fully industrialize and enter the world market as an industrial giant competing with Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Germany, Japan, and other European industrial empires. The United States, however, would not be successful without a concrete form of government. The time to be indecisive was long past. Without the distraction of expansion, the people had become more concerned with the way the country was run. The people of the South became dissatisfied with the demands of the North and felt they would be able to rely solely on contributions from foreign markets. The South chose to secede from the Union. Unfortunately for the South, this decision put them at a severe disadvantage. When the Southern states chose to secede, all representatives in the House of Representatives and Congress were removed from power. Later on, when it became clear that the North would emerge as the victors of the Civil War, the South was punished dearly for attempting to leave and they had no say about the matter because they no longer were able to represent themselves to the federal government.
A common misconception is that the Civil War was fought as a result of inflamed opinions towards racism. On the contrary, the extreme racism experienced before and during the Civil War was not a cause, but an effect. As far as slave trade was concerned, the North benefitted just as much if not more so from the slave trade. For all the North proclaimed about fighting for the rights of the free, its intentions were no more worthy than the South’s. In the South, racism was straightforward and openly acknowledged. If you were black, you must be a slave. In the north slavery was a banned practice, but those in search of financial gain knew there was much to be had in the slave trade. Many of the slaves were sent to other parts of the world as commodities with the North as the middle man. Of course, in the public eye, it was necessary to act as though the government of the North was favored as superior in terms of justice for the common man. “The instability, injustice, and confusion introduced to the public councils, have, in truth, been the mortal diseases under which popular governments have everywhere perished.”[2] Without public support, the country was destined to fall to ruin. Garnering popular support for the Union was especially difficult when concerning the state of the working class. Even the middle class women bothered themselves with the atrocious living standards of the impoverished. “The vice, the crime, the ignorance, the meanness born of poverty, poison, so to speak, the very air which rich and poor alike must breathe.”[3] Squalid living conditions became a mandatory price to pay in order to live in the land of opportunity for any member of the lower classes. This would be the brewing pot for much of the civil unrest leading to and finally exploding during the Civil War.
Civil disruption became a greater cause for worry when the industrial age was in its rise. Many of the jobs available in the land of opportunity were of meager pay. More immigrants poured into the States in search of hope which only saturated the job market with more workers than there were jobs available. With industry on a rise, the United States quickly became a Capital Industrial Complex. Where capitalism is concerned, there is only room for profit. The industrial tycoons were interested in saturating the domestic market with product and then opening shop on a much broader stage. To maximize profits, those with jobs to offer drove the wages of the working class down and decreased the amount of labor hired. Everyone in the working class fought amongst themselves for jobs worth almost nothing. Violence brewed and the job market became even scarcer as more laborers swarmed for just a day’s pay of pennies. For quite some time, the people struck and rioted. They even convinced their children to participate. Around the time schooling became mandatory up until sixth grade, the riots and protests from the workers were at an all time high. Those who came from Europe had been exposed to the trials of industry much longer. Limited entry into the country from European countries was instilled in hopes of preventing European workers from giving the American workforce ideas about demanding a better standard of living.
The Civil War was inevitable because not everyone could agree on the same thing. Even with the hope and promise of the idealized land of opportunity, a capitalist beast was born. Capitalism lives off of the suffrage of many to benefit the few. Every decision is made based on consideration towards cost effectiveness. Inflammatory racism building as a pretext to the Civil War and being blamed as the cause was simply a scapegoat for the governing bodies. Capitalist reign and the desecration of the lower classes brought by industry was overlooked. People were more concerned with the form of government that the country would have in the future over improving their living conditions. Tools of social control were implemented without protest. It was sickening to realize that with every supposed freedom given such as the right to vote or go to school we intended to smoother civil unrest before provoking an all out war. Stirring drastic feelings against different races kept the public in check and allowed the governing body to move without opposition. In many ways, the Civil War resulted in an American empire that had no rival. Industry, access to resources, and the ability to distribute were all in favor of the United States as a whole. The United States may have been better off admitting that all underlying intentions were imperial just as their English forefathers had taught. America was and still remains an empire.
Bibliography
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George, Henry. “The Crime of Poverty (April 1, 1885)”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. Seven Stories Press. New York: 2009.
Headley, Joel Tyler. “The Great Riots of New York (1873)”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. Seven Stories Press. New York: 2009.
Helper, Hinton Rowan. “The Impending Crisis of the South (1857)”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. Seven Stories Press. New York: 2009.
Knox, Henry. “Letter to George Washington (October 23, 1786)”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. Seven Stories Press. New York: 2009.
“Publius” (James Madison). “Federalist No. 10”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. Seven Stories Press. New York: 2009.
Williams, William Appleman. Empire as a Way of Life. Oxford University Press. New York: 2007
Unknown. “Events Leading to a War — A Civil War Timeline”. The Civil War Homepage. 2009, May 8, 2014, http://www.civil-war.net/pages/timeline.asp.
Unknown. “Four Documents on Disaffection in the South During the Civil War (1864 to 1865)”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. Seven Stories Press. New York: 2009.
[1] Henry Knox. “Letter to George Washington (October 23, 1786)” Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. (Seven Stories Press, New York, 2009): 105.
[2] “Publius” (James Madison). “Federalist No. 10”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. (Seven Stories Press, New York, 2009): 108.
[3] Henry George. “The Crime of Poverty (April 1, 1885)”. Eds. Howard Zinn, et. al. Voices of a People’s History of the United States Second Edition. (Seven Stories Press, New York, 2009): 216.