American History: the Old South Development Report (Assessment)

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Updated: Dec 24th, 2023

The old south

The old south developed as a distinct region during the period between 1820 and 1860. Slavery was still widely practiced in the south because the region was primarily agrarian. There was emergence of various social classes and cultures despite the reliance on agriculture. The upper south saw a slow growth of business classes including merchants and manufacturers. Key industries such as iron manufacturing, flour mill, and textile grew in the south.

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There were also urban and commercial centers that emerged in the region. However, one distinct feature of these commercial centers was that they used to serve the needs of purely agricultural southern residents. Therefore, it was possible to find items such as farming tools, fertilizers, and seeds being sold in these commercial centers.

The social class of brokers emerged because of the need to find market for some of the crops produced in the south such as cotton. The merchants also played an important role of providing farmers with financial support in the form of credit. Financial support became necessary to farmers especially when the prices of their produce declined in the market. However, the banking system in the south had not developed and in most cases, they used to rely heavily on the north for banking services.

American history - housing where the slaves lived.

Slavery played a key role in shaping the south. Planters owned huge tracks of land and they used the services of their slaves to cultivate and conduct all agricultural business. A good number of the slave holders used to keep a maximum of 10 slaves. The slaves were mostly expected to do domestic work and a few other tasks in the farms.

Due to the size of their plantations, large planters used to have more than 20 slaves for their farming activities. The slaves in the south were considered to be freer than the free laborers of the north. They had a good working environment that did not enslave them as much as the freed laborers in the north. The old aged people and children were really not expected to work at all.

They experienced comfort and received wage in return. They had free food and accommodation. Similarly, women were less involved in heavy work. Their masters protected them from any harassment and despotic treatment from their husbands. The only people who were involved in heavy duties included the stout boys and the men. On averaged, they worked for less than nine hours every day. The open fields had good weather and fresh air which they were exposed to on daily basis.

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Reconstruction

The reconstruction era involves the process of rebuilding the country after the civil war. It also considers the transformation that occurred in the southern states to make them conform to the reforms that had already began taking place in the north. After the war, the lives of African Americans did not change much, even though they began to experience freedom.

Technically, African Americans were free people however there were specific laws that prevented them from fully experiencing their freedom. Their rights were still limited compared to their white counterparts. A few amendments were done to the American constitution, which were aimed at providing equal opportunity for every American citizen.

However, none of these amendments helped African Americans to immediately realize their freedom. At the same time, the group was considered inferior economically. African Americans were therefore in a position where they failed to achieve what white Americans achieved economically.

Basically, white Americans were given priority when it came to privileges and opportunities such as education, jobs, and owning properties. The inequality undermined the lives of African Americans to the point where they remained an inferior group. President Johnson was among the first leaders to make an effort towards empowering the African American community or the former slaves (Davidson, 337).

He set aside land which the formers slaves were relocated. However, there were still challenges that the group faced in terms of farming resources. They had no equipments and at the same time, the land was unsuitable for cultivation. Wide spread discrimination was witnessed not only to African American farmers but also the African Americans who ventured into other professions such as politics and business.

African Americans - Slaves and a wight woman.

The relationship between white Americans and African Americans remained unchanged for a long time in the south even after the end of the war and the constitutional amendments. Due to the inferior economic status of African Americans, white farmers came up with a system known as sharecropping. It entailed giving accommodation, salary, and a piece of land to an African American family. The family was expected to cultivate the land and grow crops but a large percentage of the yield was to be given to the land owner.

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With regards to voting, African Americans who had the privilege to vote were always intimidated to vote for the changes they wanted to see. The Republican Party came up with laws that sought to ensure the rights of minority groups in the country were upheld. However, in the south white Americans were against passing of such laws and they would always discourage African Americans from voting for republicans through intimidation.

The reconstruction was a success in the efforts made to create a free environment for every citizen. The efforts were made from a legal and public policy point of view. The biggest success was the freeing of slaves and retention of the union. The 15th amendment is a key event that contributed to the success of the reconstruction period.

This amendment lifted suffrages by giving every citizen the right to participate in voting irrespective of the servitude, condition, race, or color. The major failure of the reconstruction period was the lack of political willingness and solution to reconcile and bring healing to the nation. This made the tension between the north and the south to continue. Similarly, the oppression of Africans in the south also continued for some time.

Trade

Trade is an important topic throughout American history because it is the one issue that has helped to build the country into what it is today. At the same time, trade has also had negative effects that have contributed towards dividing the country. Trade has been a key activity in the country from the time European explorers set foot on America.

The Colombian exchange is considered to be one of the first trading activities that took place during the colonial period. The most noteworthy change that took place during this time was the displacement of the locals from their land. Five other tangible things have also been described to be major exchanges that took place during this period.

They include sugar, disease, horse, potato, and corn. The intangible items that were exchanged include ecology, corporate structure, and liberty. These ideas have had a lasting impact which is still witnessed today. Globalization can be attributed to the exchange of ideas that took place during the Columbian exchange.

Trade has helped to develop America. One of the major goals of the colonialist was to find market for their goods in addition to producing raw materials to sell in their home countries. America was seen as a country of freedom from domestic persecution in Europe. Most of the colonies had a free trade policy whereby trade barriers were not imposed especially to the locals. The same policies are still evident in America today.

Another aspect about trade that helped to build America was economic specification. Different states and regions specified in the production of particular goods. The north was mainly industrial while the south was agricultural.

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This created a situation where the country could support itself even without engaging other countries. For instance, the north was a readily available market for the goods produced by the south. Similarly, the south was a ready market for the goods produced by the north. In this way, the country could support and build its economy.

Trade with other countries was also key in building America’s economy. In the early 19th century, trade was used to build a market economy in the country. There was emergence of new transportation systems, factories, commercial farms, and growing cities. The first factory built was that of spinning cotton.

There was immense technological development in the cotton industry with building of machines that helped gin and spin cotton. The industrial revolution was boosted by the innovations in the textile industry. Technological concepts used in the industry were applied in other areas.

On a negative note, trade has been used to divide the nation on several occasions in history. In the colonial era, it was the one aspect that was used to separate the colonialists and the colonies. The need to engage in trade forced the colonial masters to forcefully grab the land that did not belong to them. It was issues to do with trade that divided the interests of Americans and led a few to mobilize the whole society to fight for their independence.

Another reason for the political consciousness that led to the struggle for independence is that the colonies wanted to expand their markets to other counties. They wanted to engage in trade partnership with other countries. However, the colonial government could not allow this to happen. In addition, the colonies were required to pay taxes to the colonial government. The taxes remitted were extremely high and this angered some of the colonies.

Lastly, one can argue that trade also played a role in the development of the civil war. There was conflict among the country’s leadership over whether to base the country’s economy on agriculture or on industry. As a result, this led to division between the north and the south.

The slave trade business found a huge market in America. African slaves were sold in the country to work on large plantation firms. The discrimination against African slaves also contributed to the civil war. Later after freeing of slaves, there was open division between white Americans and black American communities.

Women

In the colonial era, the role of women in the society varied from one states to another. In the New England colony, women were expected to be submissive to men and to rear their children in a Godly way. Women were also not allowed to work in the plantations. In colonies such as Pennsylvania that was occupied by German settlers, women were expected to work in the field. This was the same with colonies occupied by Dutch settlers. The women in these colonies had so much control and authority over property. In the Hispanic states the role women in the society was mainly dictated by the norms of traditional family life.

During the era of the American Revolution, the role of women in the society also varied from state to state. There was a dramatic change in the way women were treated in the society. Women were also helpful in playing supportive roles during the revolutionary war. They played the role of nurses and were responsible for taking care of wounded soldiers.

After America became a republic, the idea of using mothers to raise-up children in line with the ideals of the republic became necessary. If the new country was ever to be successful, the citizens especially children and youths were to be instilled with the values of republicanism. Since women had the responsibility of raising children, they were best positioned to facilitate this need.

During the 19th century, women were mostly involved in movement that sought to establish their rights in the society. Some of them also used their position in the society to call for abolition of slavery. There were women writers and public speakers who used their roles to campaign against slavery and other forms of discrimination in the society.

It was also during this period that women suffrage was realized in America. Therefore, the reform period of the 19th century had the most impact on women. The events and changes that took place during this period set the stage for the realization women’s rights in America.

Politics

The colonial period had a vibrant political culture. Many young and rich men were attracted into politics. During this period, politics was mainly centered on issues such as suffrage. Only the elite of the society were allowed to take part in electing political leaders among themselves. Political parties also emerged during this period however the parties were not stable.

Politics in America developed further during the revolution period. It was the need to be independent and have a government that led to the war of independence. Most of the issues that surrounded the war were mainly political. Even after the war, politics and governance took center stage in keeping the country together. The constitution helped to further shape American politics throughout the 19th century until now.

Basically, the period that was marked with a wave of reform all across the American society had the liveliest political discourses. This is because it set the stage for most of the political events that took place later in America. For instance, the need for democracy was first realized during this period. At the same time, critical amendments were made to the constitution to create a freer society. In today’s political environment, the country enjoys the efforts made during the reform period.

The early America had values that basically developed from religion. Religion was the basis for the formation of dominant culture in early America. At some point in history, religion was even used to bring together various cultures in the country. Most of the European settlers came to America to escape the political and religious conflicts in their home countries. In America, they could easily practice their religion and this formed a central part of their lives.

The constitution was also based on the bible which further illustrates how important religion was in building societal values. However, the demands of the American environment played a role in neutralizing the strong alignment to religion. For instance, the social and economic needs dictated whether or not one should be deeply rooted in religion.

Extra credit question

Fighting the civil war

It was foolish for the south confederation to think that they could win the civil war. The primary reason for this is the obvious fact that they were less advantaged than the north. At the time of the war, approximately 9 million people lived in the 11 southern confederation states while approximately 21 million people lived in the 23 northern confederation states. The south had the advantage of slaves however they still could not outnumber the north. It was like a minority group fighting a larger group.

In addition to the huge numbers, the north had the advantage of being industrialized. Most manufacturing facilities were located in the north. This gave them the advantage especially when it came to manufacturing of firearms and weapons. Transport materials were also important for use during the war.

The north controlled manufacturing of transport facilities. The shoe and textile industry was also controlled by the northern states implying that the south was limited in terms of weapons, firearms, transport facilities, and uniforms equipments.

American history - American military.

In addition, the northern confederation controlled the seas and the major ports for importing and exporting goods. The south could easily suffer if it were not allowed to use the seas for trade and foreign affairs.

On the side, the southern states were advantaged by the fact that they produced raw materials and food that was used in the entire country. However, if the south refused to share their food, the north could easily import because they controlled the navy and the seaports. Another advantage for the south was the training facilities for soldiers. 90 percent of those facilities were located in the south giving the south the advantage of highly skilled and trained officers.

The war strategy and mission also favored the south. They were focused on defending their territories and their lifestyle. This is unlike the north that focused on making the south conform to a different lifestyle. The north, which supported union agendas, had to push for these agendas by attacking and conquering the south. However, the south was comfortable with the cessation, slavery, and their agricultural lifestyle.

The emancipation proclamation was an event that proved the level of seriousness the union had in regard to pushing for its agendas (Davidson, 318). The south also created a parallel government and hoped that it would receive the support of England. However, England never supported any of the two sides during the war.

Works Cited

Davidson, James West. US: A Narrative History, Volume 1: To 1877. New York:

McGraw Hill, 2008. Print.

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