AFTER THE CIVIL WAR

Introduction

The American civil war happened because of the emancipation of slavery in the country. It is a war that was also fought for the unification of the country. The fight over slavery by the states of the south created tension in the country, and southern states created the Confederate states that demanded secession from the country. Slavery was a great economic activity in the south, but abolitionist movements, especially from the north, fought for freedom from slavery and complete abolishment of the economic activity. The war was fought and become the bloodiest the country has ever experienced. It had many casualties from both sides of the war. The end of the war saw great changes in the economic, social and political aspects of the war. African Americans who previously were slaves were now free, the economy of the south was now at risk because of the abolishment of slavery, and the country was in turmoil because of ravages of the war. The completion of the war gave rise to the beginning of reconstruction that was an error expected with the rebuilding process of the nation. Confederacy had the collapse, and more than four million slaves were now free. The completion of the war saw a great opportunity for the country regarding the restoration of unity, the establishment of civil rights for the freed slaves and the strengthening of the government after the unification. It also saw the rise of the American industrial revolution (Hirschman & Mogford, 2009).

Reconstruction

This is the period that precedes the end of the war and is mostly characterized by the efforts established for the rebuilding process of the states of the south. It is an era between the years 1865 to 1877. This is a period that had enormous implications for the economic political and social life of African Americans. The whites of the south were angered by the emancipation which now placed African Americans as equals to them. This era was therefore characterized by terror, violence, and killings of African Americans in the hands of white supremacists, especially of the south. This is the period that saw the rise of the Ku Klux Klan that was a racist group against African Americans. The reconstruction is considered as a failure (Christensen, 2017).

Industrial expansion

The end of the war also saw great developments in industry and agriculture. It saw the rise of the population and the spreading of settlements across the country. African Americans in the south were now free and migrated to the north to look for more economic opportunities. The North developed its economy into an industry based and thus attracted migration from all over the country as well as from nations from abroad especially Europe. The south was still agricultural based, and its economy grew slowly (Hirschman & Mogford, 2009).

Immigration

Rapid rates of urbanization caused by great industrialization attracted great levels of immigration, especially from European nations. They came mostly from southern, central and eastern Europe and all cape to seek better economic opportunities in America. Between the years 1880 and 1920, the nation received more than twenty million immigrants from all over the world. However, the start of the First World War saw a reduction of immigration especially after the introduction of quotas. The immigration process into the United States brought with it great levels of diversity as these immigrants were integrated into the American society (Christensen, 2017).

Conclusion

The American civil war was very devastating because of the degree of destruction and death. However, it brought to great levels of change. The northern states had established great economic policies that were hindered by the rebellious nature of the south however after the war; great economic expansion occurred in the northern states. The social, political, economic aspect of African Americans did not seem to change and as a matter of fact worsened especially during reconstruction. Immigration rates went high especially from Europe and led to the development of a highly diverse nation. The period after the civil war also saw the great industrial revolution in the United States(Christensen, 2017).