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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2015 Industrial Modernization and the American Civil War Corey Patrick Gray Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES INDUSTRIAL MODERNIZATION AND THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR By COREY PATRICK GRAY A Thesis submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 2015 Corey Patrick Gray defended this thesis on April 27, 2015. The members of the supervisory committee were: Michael Creswell Professor Directing Thesis Ronald E. Doel Committee Member G. Kurt Piehler Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii This thesis is dedicated to my wife, who has been steadfast in her support and encouragement. It is also dedicated to Michael Creswell, my mentor and friend, who taught me that a steadfast focus on the fundamentals and constancy are key ingredients for success, no matter the endeavor. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dr. Michael Creswell has been the ideal thesis supervisor. His sage advice, insightful criticisms, and patient encouragement aided the writing of this thesis in innumerable ways. I would also like to thank Dr. Nancy Marcus, Dean of Graduate Studies, whose steadfast support of this project was greatly needed and deeply appreciated. To Dr. Neil Jumonville for his tireless support and encouragement. To Dr. Matt Childs that taught me to strive for richer context in the historical narrative. To Dr. Ron Doel and Dr. Kurt Piehler for their support and encouragement in finalizing this work. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .................................................................................................................................................................... vi INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE: THEORY AND DEFINITIONS ............................................................................................ 5 Methods and Procedure ........................................................................................................................... 5 Defining Terms ...........................................................................................................................................13 CHAPTER TWO: THE SOCIAL PILLAR .........................................................................................................24 Social Cohesion ..........................................................................................................................................24 Social Disruption .......................................................................................................................................30 Social Fracture ...........................................................................................................................................49 CHAPTER THREE: THE POLITICAL PILLAR .............................................................................................52 Political Cohesion ......................................................................................................................................52 Political Disruption...................................................................................................................................66 Political Fracture .......................................................................................................................................71 CHAPTER FOUR: THE MILITARY PILLAR..................................................................................................75 Military Cohesion ......................................................................................................................................75 Military Disruption ...................................................................................................................................89 Military Fracture .................................................................................................................................... 100 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................................... 120 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................................................... 123 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ............................................................................................................................... 133 v ABSTRACT What explains why and how America fought the Civil War? This thesis argues that a multi-disciplinary approach is a useful analytical tool for understanding the causes of the American Civil War beyond the scope that a single discipline can provide. This study does not portend to rebut or replace the contributions made by the single-disciplinary approach, but rather to build a contextual picture based on their individual contributions. The result of this process reveals that the Industrial Revolution was a catalyst that explains why many of the events happened the way that they did. The argument is developed by reviewing the social, political, and military events of the era in relation to each other through the lens of industrialization. This work will show that the American Industrial Revolution lay at the core of the social, political, and military events that sparked and shaped this great conflict. Understanding the causes of human events is as critical as understanding their effects. By grasping the root causes of the war, we can better understand how and why it was fought. This study provides theof contextAmerican needed society, to understandAmerican politics, the reasons and the for countrys the American military Civil establishment War and why it was fought the way it was. vi INTRODUCTION Atlanta lay smoldering in ruin as he methodically marched toward his next objective like a locomotive railroads, factories,. Amid and screamsurban population and pleas, centers. he destroyed He had many conditioned of the Souths himself most to critical systematically destroy the enemy center of gravity,1 wherever it may lie. In a classic hammer and anvil operation, General William T. Sherman swung his army through the South to meet up with the massive army assembled by General Ulysses S. Grant to deliver 2 the decisiveThis studyblow thatis about would the end origins Americas of the bloodiestAmerican war.Civil War. In it I argue that long before a shot was fired, before angry mobs protested slavery in city streets, there was a spark that started it all. In the heart of burgeoning towns the length of the country, the hiss and whirring of industrial machinery changed America in unimaginable ways. As the wheels of steel churned, they set into motion a chain of events that made conflict seemingly inevitable. It is often the conclusion of a war that offers a moment for reflection, yet to understand the American Civil War one must first understand its root causes. This war had been an especially brutal one. In it brother was pitted against brother in an epic contest that nearly tore the country apart. Although the war has long since concluded, certain fundamental questions remain unsettled. Those lingering questions help drive this study. Why did they fight? What was the ultimate cause of the American Civil War? Why did it change so drastically from its beginning to its end? Answers to these questions would help make sense of the carnage and reveal essential truths about the country during that period. The importance of understanding what caused the war is paramount. Failure to understand the causes of the Civil War would relegate us to a sifting through a seemingly endless list of facts, dates, battles, and names devoid of context. We must understand the facts of the Civil War in relation to each other. This context will provide a base for 1 Clausewitz defines the center of gravity as the place where the most decisive blow can be cast to crush the will of the opposition. The center of gravity need not be the enemy fighting force. As we will see, as the war became modern, the center of gravity shifted from the battlefields to the factories. Carl von Clausewitz, On War, Michael Howard and Peter Paret, Trans. and eds. (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1993), 587. 2 Charles B. Flood, Grant and Sherman: The Friendship That Won the Civil War (New York: Harper Perennial, 2005), 283. 1 understanding the forces that caused the war. When viewed in context, some well- established theories appear to have been over emphasized. Conversely, other obvious, but less promoted ideas become particularly insightful. I have found this to be the case with the explanations of slavery, the economy, and the American Industrial Revolution respectively. Military historians generally conclude that the war was fought over slavery, the economy, or they sidestep the question altogether to focus on narrower issues.3 When viewed in context to one another, slavery and the economy become two critical points along the continuum of a larger narrative. They are not, in and of themselves, sufficient to explain the cause of the
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