Essay On American Life In The 1800s

Life during the 1800s in America was tough for everybody. There were rich factory and plantation owners that didn’t have much trouble but every farmer and his family worked themselves to the bone just to survive day to day. When the Civil War started, living conditions became far more difficult for every American. Civilian life in the North wasn’t nearly as dire as in the South. The Union blockades in 1863 caused food and supply shortages in the South. Southerners invented substitutes for coffee, tea, and other foods, which they normally imported from Europe. Many plantations switched from growing cotton to raising grain and livestock. In some states, cotton production was limited. Many men joined the army or were drafted while the women were left at home to work and support their family. During the battles that were near the towns there were casualties and plenty of wounded, and children would leave the safer walls of their homes to watch. Armies would intrude on farms, destroy fences, confiscate animals, and turn

On the home front, many women participated in efforts, such as sewing bees, food drives, and medical collections as well as doing a good deal of the organizing and management.. Not only did these activities help provide soldiers with desperately appreciated items they probably wouldn't have been able to find elsewhere, but they gave the women a sense of unity and purpose. Elizabeth Blackwell, the nation's first officially degreed woman doctor, helped organize the Women's Central Relief Association, making it an effective and efficient organization that coordinated local efforts across the northern states. Abigail May ran the New England auxiliary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission, coordinating local chapters so that the most aid possible reached soldiers'