The Southern Home Front of the Civil War

By Roberta Baxter

This book explores the Southern home front during the Civil War.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781484665923

Book preview

Why We Fought: The Civil War: The Southern Home Front of the Civil War by Roberta Baxter

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Why did We Fight the Civil War?

Who Led the South During the War?

What was it Like to Live on a Plantation?

What was it Like to be a Slave?

What was it Like to Live on a Small Farm?

What were Southern Cities Like During the War?

Will These Inventions Work?

What Other Effects did War Have on the Home Front?

How did the Civil War End?

Can the Country be Reunited?

Timeline

Glossary

Find Out More

Index

Copyright

Back Cover

Cover

Title Page

Contents

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back cover

Why did We Fight the Civil War?

The thirteen colonies had united to fight the Revolutionary War. However, parts of the United States remained very different in culture, economy, and views. The North wanted a strong central government. People in Southern states stressed the idea of states’ rights. This meant that states had the power to determine their own laws without the federal government telling them what to do. The South felt that since the states united to form the Union, they could also make the decision to split from the Union, or secede.

A Union soldier holds up a battle flag with many rips and tears in it.

A soldier in the Union army lifts a battered flag. The Civil War was a long and bloody conflict between the North and the South.

Slavery in the South

Slavery was a huge part of the disagreement between North and South. Plantation owners in the South could only grow and harvest their crops of cotton, tobacco, and rice with the help of slaves. They had always owned slaves and saw no reason to change the system. Factories in the North treated employees little better than slaves, but they did pay wages. Immigrants flowing into the northern United States took low-paying jobs and worked their way up to the middle class. Industries expanded, bringing in more money and more jobs.

Meanwhile, the South continued on as before, with little growth. The people of the South knew that the North was quickly passing them in population and wealth. The North would be in control of the federal government, and