Difference Between The North And South In The Civil War

The North’s Wealth

In the American Civil War the North had an advantage for numerous reasons. The main and biggest reason was their wealth. The North was able to beat the South because of their wealth. It allowed them to buy more things than the South could and also supplied their troops. Since they had a lot of it, they had more options as well. In the Civil War the South had better army generals which allowed them to hold on, but in the long run the North’s money and power overcame them. The North had more wealth partly because the two places had very different ways of life. The South was agricultural compared to the North being industrial. While the South stayed rural, the North was turning urban. These differences caused the two’s economies to differ greatly. The North produced goods in factories and small farms while the south produced certain ‘cash crops’ through slavery that allowed them to prosper. In the entire country, the North held over 75 percent of its wealth leaving the South with under 25 percent. Within the Civil War the South produced different bills which would also influence their wealth in the future. The North would continue to produce the majority of livestock, corn, and wheat, as well as producing 94 percent of its iron and 97 percent of its coal. The North …show more content…
The North could supply more soldiers than it otherwise would as it could produce rations and tents for them. This was important as the North’s population was over double that of the South. The North also owned over 97 percent of the country’s guns. This allowed them to arm their troops more than the South. The North also had the majority of railroads with over 22,000 miles of track compared to the South’s with under 9,000. This allowed their troops to move faster and stealthier. The North also owned over 90 percent of the nation's merchant ship tonnage, giving them naval advantage as