The natural conditions for economical growth were different in the North and the South. The adoption of slavery and the violation of human rights eventually led to the confrontation between the northern and the southern states.
In the South the black workers on the plantations were the property of the white although the Declaration of Independence stated that “all men are created equal”. It was evident that none of the northern states in the Union could live with this discrepancy between principles and reality.
For the southern states the keeping of slaves was the backbone of their economy. Their reaction to Abraham Lincolns statement that he was going to put an end to slavery, showed that they were not ready to make any changes.
Firstly South Carolina withdrew from the Union and soon afterwards six other southern states followed this example. In the end as many as eleven states went together to form the Confederate States of America. It was a new union with its own constitution and its own flag.
The northern states would not let the southern states run away from the moral commitment they had pledged by entering the Union. Therefore President Lincoln called for an army of 75 000 soldiers to force the southern states back into the Union. But it was too late to avoid an open conflict. Already the day before, on April 14, 1861, the first shots of the American Civil War had been fired by the Confederate Army in an attack on Fort Sumpter.
These incidents had rallied the states on opposing sides, but the over all picture was not too favorable for the Confederacy. Eleven states had left the Union, twenty-two remained. The population of the Confederate States totaled about nine million, one third of whom were slaves. The Federal states had twenty-two million inhabitants with a steady influx of immigrants in addition.
If we compare communications and production, the South had only two main east-west railroads and a limited ability to manufacture new material. 92% of the industrial capacity and most of the raw materials, coal, iron and copper, were in the North. The Navy remained loyal and the merchant shipping was largely Northern-owned.
Considering the human and material resources on the opposing sides, the odds for the Confederates were in reality very slim.
These conditions and events set the stage for the most terrible war fought on the American Continent. The total loss of lives was at least 600 000! The material damage done was unprecedented in the history of the nation. The effects from the disruption of human relations and ties are difficult to measure, but it took generations to restore them to normal.
The famous Confederate general Lee surrendered his forces on April 26, 1865. After that other confederate resistance came gradually to an end and by June 23, the last part of the southern forces stopped fighting.
Four long and bloody years of fighting over constitutional principles, economical self-interests and moral rights were over. In the history of the United States, the Civil War has no equal.