I.  The Political Economy of the War

• Financing the war
• South
• Confederate Congress
• worried about raising taxes, modest income tax passed in Aug. 1861
• bond issues (loans to government) originally eagerly accepted by South
• Treasury notes--paper money to be redeemed in specie 2 years after the war
• Paper money, printed both by Confederate government and the states, causes severe inflation
• Prices up 700 percent by early 1863
• By end of war, prices had risen over 90 times the pre-war levels
• Tax efforts -- beginning in 1863 was too little, too late
• Impact of inflation and taxes on civilians
• wages could not keep up with inflation
• people forced to leave cities
• food riots
• Poor finance hurt the Confederate war effort
• North
• North had a sounder economic base to begin war
• Legal tender act
• allowed government to print greenbacks
• were legal tender immediately--could be used as cash
• did not cause runaway inflation
• Diplomatic efforts
• Cotton diplomacy
• England and France (along with North) depended on cotton for their textile mills
• Combination of aristocratic kinship and need for cotton would cause Europe to side with Confederacy
• King Cotton
• South would withhold cotton early in war
• States placed embargo on cotton--kept what they had already grown and grew more food products following year
• Flaws of cotton diplomacy
• 1850s created glut of cotton in Europe
• British developed alternative sources--India and Egypt
• Even though textiles were hurt, demands for other goods (war materials) helped keep British industry alive
• Blockade
• Confederates argued that blockade would hurt Europeans
• British (chief naval power) protested the blockade, but took no action, even when British ships were seized carrying war materials (twist on War of 1812)
• Further diplomatic efforts
• Throughout war, Confederate commissioners try for diplomatic recognition, but fail
• Britain not keen on fighting U.S.--France and Russia follow British lead
• Confederates do succeed in obtaining much-needed supplies from Europe
• New men for the armies in 1862
• Confederacy -- conscription
• 1 year units reenlisted for war
• Conscription passed in April 1862
• Response and resistance to conscription
• Union
• Lincoln gets governors to ask him to call for more volunteers
• Reluctance to volunteer
• Conscription
• Conscription Act
• Bounties and substitutes--Rich man's war, poor man's fight
• Did the draft work?  Yes
• New York City draft riot of 1863--120 people killed
• Political developments -- 1862-Spring 1863
• Northern
• During first year of war, Lincoln able to avoid any serious crises
• Copperhead movement--grows as war casualties mount
• Spring 1863, Clement Vallandigham announces he will run as Democratic candidate for governor of Ohio--anti-war platform
• Gen. Ambrose Burnside is appointed military commander of the region
• Vallingdigham tried in military court
• found guilty of sedition
• transported to the South
• he leaves South and goes to Canada
• conducts unsuccessful campaign for governor from Canada
• Black soldiers
• Should African-Americans be allowed to serve?
• Would blacks fight?
• Pay for African American troops
• Southern
• Opposition mounted with conscription and other actions that put power in hands of central Confederate government
• Peace movement
• certain parts of the South began to oppose the Confederate government early on in war
• East Tenn.
• West. North Carolina and Virginia
• Northern Georgia and Alabama
• Tennessee Unionists actively fought against Confederacy, raising some U.S. units during second half of war--a few also from N.C.
• What was revolutionary about actions in the Confederacy
• Conscription
• Taxes--income, tax-in-kind, impressment
• Economic measures--getting farmers to switch crops, supporting key industries

• Women at war
• What was expected of women
• Women expected to show their support for the war, but remain within the gender roles already created for them
• Sacrifice their men for the army
• In South, women expected to help provide equipment and clothing at first
• Provide spiritual guidance for the men
• Provide support for morale--particularly in form of writing letters
• ** Support themselves and families to a large degree -- most important
• What women expected in return
• assistance in meeting their material needs
• protection from enemy attacks
• information from the front--especially news about family and friends
• honorable conduct by the soldiers
• Disaffection if expectations not met
• Lack of support for the war effort
• Active work against war effort
• urging soldiers not to enlist or to desert
• hampering efforts to find deserters
• aiding escaped prisoners
• Food riots -- especially in 1863
• Moving outside traditional roles
• Nursing
• Working in factories
• Farming, running businesses and plantations
• Education
• War effort could not be sustained without activities of women
• Result of war on status of women
• Did women's status during the war change
• Did these changes last after the war
• Emancipation and freedom
• By 1863, U.S. government forced to deal with emancipation
• Several states, including Maryland, Missouri, Louisiana, and Arkansas abolished slavery
• Although government worked to abolish slavery, it never developed any consistent plan for dealing with the hundreds of thousands of freedpersons
• Many former slaves were put in refugee camps which were a nightmare--poor food, poor sanitation, poor medical care, high mortality (as high as 25% in some areas)
• When did slaves seek freedom
• not all slaves immediately moved to seek freedom
• waited until they believed it was safe
• efforts to reach Union lines risky
• some did not seek freedom until Federal army arrived
• some remained behind in slavery because of family
• many cases, decision to seek freedom was carefully planned, with a clear idea of what freedom meant
• Status of freepersons
• Even when behind the lines, many newly free people found themselves still working on plantations leased to northerners
• Labor was forced to a large degree
• Making a profit was key issue to those in control, either in government or private concerns--cotton was big money
• Not all in government or private industry were bad
• Mass exodus
• Despite the efforts of slaveholders, army, government agents, and private employers, many free blacks moved
• Although many suffered during these exodus away from their homes, they still went away, however they could
• Army tried to prevent the large groups from following, as it hindered their movements
• Behind the lines
• Lincoln reelected (1864)
• reelection of Lincoln was overwhelming--55% of popular vote and 91% of electoral votes
• sent a clear message that war would continue on his terms
• Jeff. Davis tried to put a good face on situation, but knew there was little hope
• Desertion in the Confederacy
• At the end of 1864, over 200,000 men were absent from the Confederate armies--over 1/2 their strength on paper
• Many were absent without leave or deserters
• Change in southern armies came with loss of hope due to losses on the battlefields and the casualties that went with them, combined with letters from home
• Thirteenth Amendment
• After reelection, Lincoln renewed push for 13th Amendment--abolishing slavery
• Needed help of Democrats in House of Rep. to gain 2/3d's majority
• Jan. 31, 1865--House passes 13th Amendment--easily passes in Senate
• Within three months, 3/4's of state legislatures had ratified the Amendment and it became law
• South debates arming slaves
• By late 1864, as Davis looked at the weakened state of Confederate armies, and considered arming slaves
• Stiff opposition to the idea came from many parts of the South
• Lee's support for the idea--he believed slaves would fight for "their country" against the North--turned the tide in favor
• March 13, 1865--Confederate Congress agrees to arm the slaves
• South surrenders before idea implemented
• Final revolution of the Confederate experience