America Post-Civil War Growing Pains - Essay Example

This period was the second major turning point in a long list that occurred in this particular period. It had far-reaching consequences for America’s social and political life. There were many changes to the laws at the national level, which promised a new breathing space for the African-American population, there was also a promise from the national government to protect the rights of the new citizens of American Republic (Foner, Mahoney, pp. II, 1995). Therefore, the paper enters into a discussion of the impact of the two major turning points, which occurred after the civil war, as well as considering the different effects of the laws that were passed during this period.

It is essential to identify crucial differences that led to the changing of the economic, political and social life of Americans. While the industrial expansion was concentrated in the North, the country witnessed massive rates of economic growth. There was a huge expansion of agriculture and industry, as well as a growth in population. Much of the economic growth occurred in Northeast, Midwest and plain states. The South remained largely agricultural. One of the reasons that the North was able to pursue its agenda of economic progress was because the Southern states provided no opposition.

A major reason for the huge economic growth was the different innovations, which changed the scale and scope of manufacturing. This was expressed by approximately 45,661 patents that were released in 1897 compared to 1045 issued in 1844. These innovations included the typewriter, calculating and adding machines, the cash register and the Kodak camera. There was a boom in the textile industry, as a result of the improvements in the technology, such as looms and faster spindles in weaving (Gale, 1999).

This resulted in huge changes within American society, driven by mass immigration, and urbanization. During this time, America became what it is now, largely shaped by the phrase ‘The American Dream,’ which was the dream of every immigrant who set foot on our shores during the reconstruction period. During this stage of industrialism, there was little or no leisure time for factory workers and many managers and professionals. An average American may have witnessed an increase in economic growth, but they also faced problems of pollution, and disturbances to their lifestyles, because of the different influx of immigrants (e-history, 2012).

The other major turning point of American history, which occurred during the reconstruction period, was the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This was a result of the Lincoln administration’s determination to force immediate unification of the North and the now defunct Confederacy, moving former slaves along the road to freedom; Lincoln tried to pave the road, which would eventually lead to emancipation. Eventually, Lincoln included the African-Americans in the military in the North, so they could aid in the war effort to fight against the Confederacy.

Following the end of the civil war and during the reconstruction plan, Lincoln tried to persuade many states to abolish slavery, and in most cases, he proved to be unsuccessful. The Thirteenth Amendment, which Lincoln worked towards with the Republicans eventually, abolished slavery in the entire country (Foner, Mahoney, pp. 22-24, 1995). It cannot be stated explicitly the way Reconstruction would have been