Introduction Civil War forms part of the Curriculum Connections series Each of the six volumes of the set covers a particular aspect of the conflict Home Front and the Economy Behind the Fighting Weapons Tactics and Strategy Politics Battles and Campaigns and People About this set Each volume in Civil War features illustrated chapters providing in-depth information about each subject The chapters are all listed in the contents pages of each book Each volume can be studied to provide a comprehensive understanding of all aspects of the conflict However each chapter may also be studied independently Within each chapter there are two key aids to learning that are to be found in color sidebars located in the margins of each page Curriculum Context sidebars indicate to the reader that a subject has a particular relevance to certain key state and national history guidelines and curricula They highlight essential information or suggest useful ways for students to consider a subject or to include it in their studies Glossary sidebars define key words within the text At the end of the book a summary Glossary lists the key terms defined in the volume There is also a list of further print and Web-based resources and a full volume index Fully captioned illustrations play an important role throughout the set including photographs and explanatory maps 4 Home Front and the Economy
About this book Home Front and the Economy places the conflict that followed the secession of the Southern states in 1861 and the creation of the Confederacy in the context of its impact on daily life in the North and the South For many families in the North far from the fighting life went on much as normal In the South on the other hand the war caused shortages of food and other goods Many women were forced into work to replace men who were away fighting while many children found their education interrupted by a lack of teachers One of the main causes of the war was economic the reliance of the South on cotton and the reliance of the cotton plantations in turn on the peculiar institution of slavery Despite Southern hopes an embargo of cotton exports failed to force European nations to recognize the Confederacy Instead a Northern blockade of Southern ports stifled imports and exports and led to severe hardship When the conflict started the North had the advantage in terms of resources and industry Once the fighting began the North’s ability to produce more gunpowder weapons and ammunition medicines and supplies greatly benefited its military strategy Its far greater network of railroad tracks meanwhile allowed it to move large numbers of troops rapidly over long distances In one of the earliest examples of industrialized warfare the North’s economic superiority would prove decisive Introduction 5
Agriculture In the North farmers were able to profit from the high demand for food created by the war In the South however battles devastated farmland and the freeing of the slaves ended a prosperous way of life for Southern farmers and planters When the Civil War started on April 12 1861 more than half the United States population lived on farms Agriculture made up three-quarters of exports In the South large-scale farmers planters used slaves to produce cotton sugarcane and tobacco while small scale farmers grew cotton for market and corn for their family In the North farmers raised wheat and corn to feed horses cattle and hogs Dairy farmers provided milk for city dwellers Feeding the armies The Civil War created a great demand for food to feed both armies In the South Confederate leaders urged farmers to raise more corn wheat and livestock and less cotton Cotton could not be sold because the Union blockade of Southern ports limited shipments The blockade also limited the South’s imports of food Many Southern farmers did plant more corn to feed people and livestock The Confederate government needed farmers and men to serve in the army The Confederacy passed the first of three conscription acts on April 16 1862 Southern men aged between 18 and 50 had to leave their farms Only planters who held public office or who owned at least 20 slaves were exempt As men left agricultural production declined Production suffered as slaves became reluctant to work as they anticipated their freedom particularly after the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1 1863 granted freedom to slaves in all states in rebellion Curriculum Context The differences between agrarian development in the North and the South are studied in some curricula Curriculum Context Some curricula ask students to understand the significance of cotton in the Southern economy before the war Conscription The compulsory drafting of individuals for military service 6 Home Front and the Economy
Food shortages in the South By 1863 the South experienced food shortages In April high food prices and shortages caused a bread riot in Richmond Virginia when a mob of women shouting Bread or Blood plundered stores for food Soon other Confederate cities experienced food riots and shortages spread to the army With demand high Southern farmers tried to profit from the war by asking high prices They were undercut by demand from the government Farmers complained that officials forced them to sell produce too cheaply or took produce without paying Some officials offered a piece of paper that only promised payment by the Confederate government As a result some Southern farmers hid their crops and livestock others refused to accept Confederate money When Union troops arrived in the South they also took produce They destroyed farm implements and railroads making it more difficult to produce and distribute food in the South Curriculum Context What do the food riots tell us about conditions on the home front in the South Slaves sort through cotton in South Carolina in 1861 Southern cotton production fell during the war as farmers concentrated on growing food for the army instead Agriculture 7
