A Southern perspective on the civil war & why the North won

Essay by lilkateHigh School, 11th grade March 2004

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Good evening fellow southereners. My name is Josie-Lee Peterson, My partner and I own a small plantation just out of Thomaston, Georgia. So, the question youll asking is why did this war begin? The Civil War was caused by a myriad of conflicting pressures, principles, and prejudices, fueled by sectional

differences and pride, and set into motion by a most unlikely set of political events. Yes, slavery was a reason, probably "the reason" that led to our succession from the Union. But, I don't know that a reason is the same as a cause. Seems to me that the issue of slavery was merely the pinnacle of a whole mess of problems.

The Yankee didn't own slaves and was perfectly willing to go along with those who said the practice should be stopped. "Slavery made the nation look bad in the

eyes of God and the world." So it seemed reasonable to the Yankee that those folks with slaves should get rid of them.

All these do gooder abolitionists.

slavery was legal and always had been, what right was it of any

Yankee to tell us what to do? The Yankees were so opposed to slavery that they were willing to curtail the rights of slave owners to end it.

I know that on our plantation The invention of the cotton gin made the cultivation of cotton using slave labor a profitable enterprise

in the deep South.

The North had a clear advantage at the start it had a potential fighting and working force of 20 million citizens. It outnumbered the south 2.5:1. The North had better factory production 10 fold. Better textile production & better iron and coal production. The North was superior in transport in every aspect.

However the confederate had an advantage as she was...