Essay

I believe that the North had the advantage during the Civil War. They had immigrants, no slavery, more agricultural/manufacturing and railroads.

Immigrants give the North a huge advantage to the war. Most were either from Great Britain, France, or other European countries. These countries have all outlawed or have initiated the beginning of outlawing slavery. Not only will these people, in all probability, fight for or support the North, but their countries as well. Immigrants could potentially help the North prosper as well when in need of trade for cotton/supplies that the North would have lost due to the South attempting to break off. With more immigrants in the North, the South suffers a great disadvantage.

Having slavery in the South is a disadvantage to them in the war. Although one could argue the fact that they could make a profit with their slaves working on their fields, it's actually a large issue. With the amount plantation owners have to pay for their slaves and property, they'll also have to use ships to get it to anyone who will trade with them. Although it would be complicated to find a nation who would trade, considering that most countries who was already trading with the United States had banned slavery. If they aren't able to find countries to trade with, what profits would be made? They're country would collapse with slavery because not only taking care of the slaves would be an issue, but finding places to become an alliance with would be an issue because of the cause they're fighting for.

The North has agricultural and manufacturing advantages. The agriculture in Northern states was worth more than the South. In places like New York and Pennsylvania it was more than 600-700 million dollars than places such as Florida. As for manufacturing, the North had more people working. Massachusetts and Pennsylvania had over 200,000 manufacturers. North Carolina had only a little over 14,000 and Texas just over 3,000 employees. This let Massachusetts produce more and make a larger profit.

The railroad was a huge part of transportation in the 1800's. Before the cars and airplanes, trains were the most important/fastest way of transportation. They brought any sort of supplies/products to wherever they needed them to be. The North had more than the South, letting them get things to places quicker. This helps them make profits faster and in larger quantities, letting the North prosper better than the South.

The North had a greater advantage on the South. Yes the South may have had a better military commander(s), but the North had a greater chance on winning and surviving on their own.