The Civil War Changes the Nation

The Civil War was instrumental in many significant changes in our nation. These political, economic, technological and social changes were both beneficial and harmful to the United States. The war also resulted in approximately 620,000 total deaths for both the Union and Confederates.
During the Civil War, the federal government had gained a lot of power over individual citizens in the United States. Because the government enforced its power so thoroughly during the war in the form of new laws and taxes, after the War, the states didn’t dare challenge the authority of the federal government with threats of secession again.
Although the war benefited the government, it caused a large economic gap between the U.S.’s North and South regions. In the North, the economy flourished from the trade and factory industry, but the economic situation of the South was much different. Because it had lost so much of its industry and farmland when the slave system was abolished, the South suffered gravely.
There were dramatic changes in technology during the Civil War. The Civil War was called the last old-fashioned war because most of these technological changes came in the form of warfare. New models of the rifle and bullets made war more deadly, and the hand grenade and land mine became more lethal.
Along with changes in warfare, the war changed the lives of many Americans, most of all, the lives of African Americans. Towards the end of 1865 the Thirteenth Amendment was ratified and stated that neither or slavery or involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States.
The Civil War made huge changes to the United States. These changes have made the nation stronger, but have also caused new dividing forces to emerge.