Overview
This lecture concludes Unit 14 and the course by examining the costs and significance of the American Civil War, including its lasting impact on the United States.
Costs of the Civil War
- About 360,000 Union and 258,000 Confederate soldiers died during the Civil War.
- Approximately 275,000 Union and 120,000 Confederate soldiers were wounded.
- Property loss from the war is estimated in the billions of dollars, partly due to the end of slavery.
- The Civil War was the bloodiest conflict in American history, with more deaths than all previous and subsequent U.S. wars combined.
- Civil wars tend to be the deadliest events in a nation's history because all casualties are citizens of the same country.
Significance of the Civil War
- The Civil War is the defining moment of U.S. history, shaping the nation into its modern form.
- The war accelerated industrialization, the rise of big business, and expansion of railroads (Second Industrial Revolution).
- Racial issues and segregation that persisted into the 20th century can be traced back to the Civil War’s outcomes.
- The conflict put slavery on a path to destruction, culminating in the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.
- The Emancipation Proclamation helped preserve the Union, while the 13th Amendment resolved the fundamental cause of the war.
Preservation of the Union and Global Impact
- The most significant outcome was the preservation of the United States as a unified country.
- Slavery could not have ended without first preserving the Union.
- At a time when democratic republics were failing worldwide, the Union victory proved democracy could survive internal conflict.
- Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address emphasized that the war tested if a nation "conceived in liberty" could endure, affirming “government of the people, by the people, for the people.”
Key Terms & Definitions
- Emancipation Proclamation — 1863 executive order by Lincoln freeing slaves in Confederate-held territories.
- 13th Amendment — Constitutional amendment (1865) abolishing slavery in the United States.
- Gettysburg Address — Lincoln’s 1863 speech dedicating a battlefield cemetery, defining the war's larger purpose.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Take the Unit 14 quiz.
- Study your notes for the final exam (Module 3).
- Email the instructor with any questions.
- Prepare and take the Module 3 (final) exam when ready.