The Cultural Perspective of the American Civil War Essay

The Cultural Perspective of the American Civil War - Essay Example With each passing year, the need for slaves in the South led to an increasingly different culture from the North. The North underwent a period of technological advancements that stimulated export and subsequent revenue, allowing it to forge ahead of the South as the Northern culture incorporated office jobs, busy lifestyles, and factories (Weidenmier 879). The North saw an expansion of mass communication, education, literacy, and urbanization, while also being more progressive. This was in stark contrast to the South that was more traditional and rural oriented. The North had a more materialistic and coarse way of life, which led to its population being disdainful of the manner in which the Southern people lived, and viewing it as a sign that they were superior. While the North modernized, the South relied more on its traditional values, leading to the exacerbation of the ever-increasing differences between the two regions (Weidenmier 879). Due to the use of slaves in the South, its white population had no need to do manual labor, which left them with a lot of free time. They would entertain guests and take part in society enhancing activities. The minimal contact between the North and South states during this period led to an establishment of stereotypes about the way that those in the South lived (Bestor 34). In economic terms, those in the South preferred the simple and slow life, while the Northerners were more profit oriented. Due to these, both regions felt superior to the other. For this reason, it is no longer feasible to assume that only the South was responsible for the Civil War because the polar opposite nature of the two cultures pushed each other further apart until violence was the only way to solve the issues between... The North underwent a period of technological advancements that stimulated export and subsequent revenue, allowing it to forge ahead of the South as the Northern culture incorporated office jobs, busy lifestyles, and factories. The North saw an expansion of mass communication, education, literacy, and urbanization, while also being more progressive. This was in stark contrast to the South that was more traditional and rural oriented. The North had a more materialistic and coarse way of life, which led to its population being disdainful of the manner in which the Southern people lived and viewing it as a sign that they were superior. While the North modernized, the South relied more on its traditional values.Due to the use of slaves in the South, its white population had no need to do manual labor, which left them with a lot of free time. They would entertain guests and take part in society enhancing activities. The minimal contact between the North and South states during this period led to an establishment of stereotypes about the way that those in the South lived. In economic terms, those in the South preferred the simple and slow life, while the Northerners were more profit oriented. Due to these, both regions felt superior to the other. For this reason, it is no longer feasible to assume that only the South was responsible for the Civil War because the polar opposite nature of the two cultures pushed each other further apart until violence was the only way to solve the issues between them.