Government During the War

Republicans in Union Congress enacted national reforms. The Confederacy adopted its own constitution and formed its own government.

The Union emerged from the Civil War with a healthy economy by funding the war with new taxes, printing money, and issuing government bonds.

The Southern economy was crippled during the Civil War by a self-imposed cotton embargo, Union blockades, and inflation.

Republicans were split between those who sought peace within the Confederacy and those who wanted emancipation for slaves.

Confederate politics were dominated by the tension between states' rights and the military needs of the Confederacy.