The North and South: Strengths and Weaknesses

The South had a feeling of invincibility from its tremendous economy, which was based on high prices for "King Cotton" and other crops, such as tobacco and sugar cane. The South also felt that the North lacked a will to fight and, if it did, Britain and France would recognize and help the South due to their dependence on its exports like cotton, tobacco, rice and sugar cane. The South also had strategic advantages: it controlled the mouth of the Mississippi and needed only to defend rather than conquer. The South considered its men, who spent more time outdoors, to be in much better condition to fight. The South had better generals, and would have done far better had its generals like Stonewall Jackson not died during the Civil War.

But the North benefited from the railroad system, heavy immigration and a much more balanced economy. German and Irish immigrants came in large numbers before and during the 1850s, and in the 1850 census, 10% of the male population over 23 was foreign born, mostly from Ireland and Germany. In response, the "Know-Nothing" or American Party arose as anti-immigration, anti-Catholic organization (most of the Irish were Catholics), given its name because its members would pretend not to "Know Nothing" when asked about their views.^[12] Most of the immigrants ended up helping the North in the war, as large numbers of immigrants fought for the North against the South. Overall, the population of the North was 22 million compared with only 9 million in the South, 3.5 million of whom were slaves whom the South were reluctant to arm. The North also had control of the United States Navy, which proved to be useful in the war.