Civil War Project 1

Civil War Project 1: The Lineups—North and South

The purpose of this project is to examine the question of whether or not the outcome of the American Civil War was inevitable. “Traditional wisdom” has long argued that with superior manpower, industrial and financial resources, the North (Union) was bound to win. We will test that theory here.

When the Civil War began, the two sides did not seem to be evenly balanced. Start your analysis by considering the two sides from the following perspectives:

To address this issue you will also need to have a clear idea of the objectives of both sides. You will also have to consider the possibility of involvement by a foreign nation in the American Civil War. Both France and Great Britain had interests in America, and other European nations were aware of the growing power and influence of the United States. In addition, Mexico was still smarting from the loss of Texas and the results of the Mexican-American War. Thus the potential for outside interference was real.

Many works are available on “why the Union won” or “how the Union won,” etc. For this project I recommend outside reading in one of hundreds of books available on the Civil War. On that score, you might want to browse my Civil War Bibliography.

A good place to start is the web site of a colleague at Virginia Western Community College, Professor David Hanson. His History 269—Civil War site has a great deal of useful information, including biographical sketches, links, and so on.