America's Post-Civil War Growing Pains - Academic Paper Example

The American civil war which is also referred to as the war of the states left the nation in a divided state. The differences of opinions on certain issues such as slavery between the north states and the southern states not only created tension among the states but also fueled the beginning of the war. However, Abraham Lincoln who had just worn the elections was determined to unite the states into the union and this was the main goal of his reunification efforts. In 1863, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation hoping to promote equality by abolishing slave trade and end the war.

Reconstruction and industrialization were among the major growing pains post-civil war. Railways, bridges, industries and farms had been destroyed during the war in the south and the lack of infrastructure had to be addressed for quick recovery. This proved especially difficult in the rebel torn south states where slavery had been rampant during the war. Among the conditions for the confederacy states to rejoin the union was that they had to integrate the slaves back into the society and a ten percent plan which stated that the southern states could only form a government if a tenth of its voters supported the abolishment of slave trade. This was met with rebellion since slaves were the majority of the workforce used in the cotton farms due to cheap labor. Industrialization had to be addressed for not only military strength determined the power status of a nation but the economic stability. Cotton was no longer a bargaining chip when it came to trade with Europe and France and there was a need to diversify the goods and services produced within the United States. Other than reconstruction and industrialization, the union of all the states was a priority as it was the key to the economic prosperity that America has today.