Nery Martinez

Ken Hansen
HIST 1700
May 2, 2016

How did the United States benefit from the Civil War?
The Civil War was one of the most eventful wars that took place in American
History. It was bloody and brutal, but most of all effective. The Civil War was a war that
occurred to end the enslavement of the African American population . It was fought
between the years of 1861 and 1865 . It started when the seven southern states of
America succeeded from the union so that they could continue with the use of slaves in
their lives. These states then named themselves The Confederate States of America .
The war commenced when the Confederacy attacked the union at the Battle of Fort
Sumter in April of 1861.
The United States benefited a lot from the Civil War the most prominent being the
passing of the thirteenth amendment , banning slavery in all states and territories . It also
included the passing of the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments , making every person
born in the U.S. a citizen of the United States and voting rights of all male citizens

regardless of race. These amendments were passed almost immediately after the war
and were beneficial to the wellbeing of the country.
The thirteenth amendment was perhaps the most valuable article to come out of
the Civil War, it gave the people a change to accept the African American population as
real people rather than just property. While it mainly freed the African American's from
slavery it also opened the doors to many opportunities to them and many other races
that live in America. It gave truth to the idea that all men are created equal and it helped
the American dream to flourish. By abolishing slavery, the thirteenth amendment
became a turning point in American history, the world would be very different today if it
weren't for this amendment. The thirteenth amendment states "Neither slavery nor
involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime where of the party shall have
been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any pace subject to their
jurisdiction." The establishment of this amendment unifies the country. It states that
everyone deserves to be treated like a person rather than a criminal . No one deserves
to be treated like a criminal unless they are one . It slowly led to the acceptance of other
races.
There were many other events from the Civil War that had a social and political
impact on the U.S., the reconstruction laws were passed, women's rights gained

momentum, the 1862 homestead act was passed, censorship of battlefield photos, Jim
Crow laws passed, and Federal law trumps states rights.
The Civil War set the stage for many medical advances , like the modern hospital
organization, safer surgical techniques, improved anesthesia, and organized
ambulance and nurses' corps. Before the Civil War they used to save limbs by using
doses of TLC, this quickly fell out of favor because during the war the number of
wounded was way too high. They discovered that it was much easier to simply lob of
the infected limb. Because of this new discovery of easy amputation , only about twenty
five percent of patients were lost during these war time conditions compared the
seventy five percent that it was previously. Another advancement in medicine during
this war time period was the anesthesia inhaler . Supplies of chloroform anesthesia were
in short supply by the confederate army because of the northern blockade . Dr. Julian
John Chisolm developed a two point five inch inhaler in which chloroform was dripped
through an opening on the side and onto a sponge inside . As the patient breathed
through this it mixed the chloroform with the air . This new form of anesthesia allowed
them to cut back from the usual two ounce dose to a now one eighth of an ounce . This
helped them ration out their supplies as well as creating a new method for applying the
anesthesia. When a twenty year old private suffered gangrene , causing the removal of

his right cheekbone from mercury pills he had taken to treat pneumonia , plastic surgery
was used to repair his face using dental and facial fixtures . Gurdon Buck is considered
the father of modern plastic surgery. During the war he made many advancements of
plastic operations on injured soldiers.
Before the Civil War ambulances were driven by drunks or cowards who had no
clue how to treat an injured man. Jonathan Letterman implemented a system to
evacuate the injured becoming what we now use as the ambulance system .
There are many ways that American society has benefitted from the Civil War in
cultural ways. For instance, we get Memorial Day and Emancipation Day from the Civil
War. There are thousands upon thousands of books relating to the civil war as well as
multiple national historical war sites. There are tons of toys out there regarding civil war
soldiers and movies made relating to civil war time events .
The Civil War also brought along many advances in the field of technology . It
resulted in fifteen thousand lines of telegraphs stretching all the way to the west coast .
As well as battlefield photography and mass production of canned foods . The war
resulted in a lot of medicinal advances but as far as technological advances , a
transcontinental railroad came out of it. This made the world of travel so much further

and farther than it had before. This railroad was known as the pacific line. This
connected the east to the west, expanding the country.
The Civil War made advancements in our everyday lives, it made fun creations
that helped to improve our lives. The can opener was invented during this time as well
as the development of home delivered mail. Clothing was now mass produced in
standard sized small, medium, and large. A national paper currency was set in to place
and left and right shoes had a different shape to match feet better .
Some of the most beneficial things that occurred from the Civil War were the
military advancements that took place. The Civil War is when soldiers first started
wearing name tags. This became very beneficial for when soldiers were so badly
injured that they weren't recognizable anymore . The battle of Gettysburg is one of the
bloodiest and brutal battles in American history, thousands of soldiers died and this
being so, many were unrecognizable. The installation of military I.D. badges helped to
identify soldiers when they were so badly injured they couldn't be . Other wartime
advancements that occurred during this war were the first machine guns and repeating
rifles. It was the beginning of trench warfare and iron-clad ships , as well as the use of
hot-air balloons, submarines, and land mines.

Since this war was one of the bloodiest in American history , there became a
remembrance for the veteran soldiers of the war . The first national cemeteries arose
from this war. There became a way to honor the soldiers who had fought for this
country. There also became a social care system for the widows and children of the
veterans of this war. There was also a network for soldiers homes that then became the
veterans administration.
During the civil war the Homestead Act in 1862 granted that any U .S. citizen is
granted 160 acres of land by the government after living on it and caring for it for five
years. This gave land to every citizen of the United States and it being the thirteenth
amendment being passed, the African American population was given land to live on .
The U.S. benefitted a lot from the Civil War. Many advancements were made in
almost every field. The most prominent benefit from the civil war was the freedom of the
African American population and them being granted citizenship as well as voting rights .
The ending of slavery in the United States opened many doors for opportunity to all
populations of people. It encouraged people from other countries to come to America to
further their dreams as they followed the American Dream .

Bibliography:
1. "Civil War- 50 Ways It changed Life- Power of 50- AARP..." AARP. Accessed May 02,
2016. http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-o6-2011/civil-war-changedamerican-life.html.
2. "How Did the 13th Amendment Change Us Today?" "The 13th Amendment" Accessed
May 03, 2016. http://thritheenthamendmentnhb.weebly.com/how-did-the-13thamendment-change-us-today.html.
3. "5 Medical Innovations of the Civil War." Mental Floss. Accessed May 03, 2016.
http://mentalfloss.com/article/31326/5-medical-innovations-civil-war.
4. "How the Civil War Changed Our Lives-AARP." AARP. Accessed May 03, 2016.
http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-04-2011/8-ways-civil-war-changedlives.html.