RECRUITING SOLDIERS AND FINANCING THE WAR What did the Civil War cost in terms of currency and lives?
DRAFTING SOLDIERS
CONSCRIPTION ACT OF 1862 Enacted by Congress on April 16, 1862 First conscription law in the history of America Required men ages 18-35 to be registered and liable for a three year term Even if a man was not drawn to fight immediately, he was strongly encouraged to own guns and join the local militia If a man did not want to fight, he could hire another man to fill his spot These hired out men were exempt from the draft, so therefore did not run the risk of joining twice
CONSCRIPTION ACT OF 1862 EFFECTS Farmers who could not pay a substitute had to leave their farms, their families, and their slaves unattended while they fought The ability to buy out replacements or exemption led to the popular phrase rich man s war, but a poor man s fight This created social issues because of the South s traditional view of women s roles Women were left in charge to care and provide for their family, oversee the slaves, and tend to the work
NORTHERN DRAFT OF 1863 Issued on July 12, 1863 Required all married males 25-35 and unmarried males to 45 Men who were mentally/physically disabled or responsible for a codependent person were exempt Exemption was allowed at a price of $300 per person A man could find a replacement and pay him to take his position African Americans exempt Caused much turmoil and resulted in 5 days of draft riots
NORTHERN DRAFT OF 1863 EFFECTS Resulted in nearly a week of violent riots because of the unfairness of the draft North did not support slavery, but many citizens felt that they were giving their lives for the lives of African Americans who were not very valuable to them The war was costing everyone money, and many were going hungry waiting for husbands to come back and support their families Wages lagged behind the inflation rates by 20% or more This resulted in the largest riot in the history of America Blacks and business men in suits who were well of were attacked and beaten Protestant Churches and missions were burned
OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS, ADDRESSES, ETC. Autobiography by George Opdyke, the mayor of New York during the Civil War Chapter entitled Riot of July, 1863 Origin- George Opdyke in New York, 1866 Purpose- Opdyke published this book to be distributed privately to his friends and family, mainly to give them a firsthand account of two of the most eventful years in history. He also mentions a goal of proving his character and devotion to his job and to the city of New York Value- This was written as a personal account to be shared for the purpose of telling a story, not intended to be direly persuasive Limitation- Biased toward the Union goal because of his occupation and favor of government. Opdyke has a goal of portraying himself as a good man who was willing to give his time, money, and life to the cause of the Civil War, so his stories may be embellished to add to his character https://archive.org/stream/officialdocument00innewy#page/n9/mode/ 2up
DRAFT SUCCESS Both of the North and South s drafts had many loopholes that allowed most every man to find a way out Men failed to report, claimed to have a disease or disability, or abandoned once fighting began In the North, 7% of men called actually fought, proving the cleverness of the Northern draft With the threat of being drafted, many men chose to volunteer rather than be drafted-this type of service was superior to drafting because it was by choice, not compulsory Southern drafting tactics were not as polished as those of the North, and therefore many men were able to avoid the draft, making it relatively unsuccessful
CONFEDERATE SOLDIER DRAFT Occupational Confederate White Males Categories Soldiers Planters, farmers, farm Laborers 61.5% 57.5% Skilled laborers 14.1 15.7 Unskilled Laborers 8.5 12.7 White-collar/ commercial 7.0 8.3 Professional 5.2 5.0 Miscellaneous/ Unknown 3.7 0.8
UNION SOLDIER DRAFT Occupational Union White Males Categories Soldiers Planters, farmers, farm Laborers 47.5% 42.9% Skilled laborers 25.1 24.9 Unskilled Laborers 15.9 16.7 White-collar/ commercial 5.1 10.0 Professional 3.2 3.5 Miscellaneous/ Unknown 3.2 2.0
DRAFT LOOPHOLES Hiring out another man for service Paying the government for exemption $300 in the case of the North Up to $1000 in the south Claiming disability or codependence Possessing a labor skill needed for wartime production Sate civil officials Allowing the creators of the draft to be exempt without cost These loopholes caused a rise in labor skills, teachers, and apothecary shops because all of those professions were exempt from the draft
DRAFT RESULT IN RELATION TO OCCUPATION Occupation Failed to Exempted Commuted or Held to Report for Cause Hired Substitute Service Unskilled 24.9% 45.1% 24.2% 5.8% Laborer Skilled 25.7 43.8 21.9 8.6 Laborer Farmer/Farm 16.1 34.1 30.9 18.9 Laborer Merchant/ 22.6 46.3 29.1 2.0 Manufacturer/ Banker/Broker Clerk 26.2 47.7 24.3 1.8 Professional 16.3 48.5 28.9 6.3 *data taken from 4 sample Ohio districts
FINANCING THE WAR
SOUTHERN METHODS Taxation High tax charge on goods Borrowing In the form of bonds sold to citizens Fiat Money Currency that is created by the government, but has no value to back it up 9000% inflation by the war s end
TAXATION Least inflationary method of raising money Antebellum Americans had been one of the most lightly taxed people on earth Battle Cry of Freedom The Southern citizens were not used to such a high tax, so it had a large impact on society because of irregularity The low tax was derived from the southern lifestyle- with the use of slaves and mostly farming for income, taxes were not imposed because of a low demand for public services Any taxes previous to the Civil War were collected on a state or local level because the Confederacy had no means of gathering a national tax
BORROWING The South had 30% of the national wealth, 12% of circulating currency 20% of banking assets Selling of bonds was an attempted feat, but the farmers were to poor, in debt to Northern companies, and uncertain about investing their money in the confederate government The Confederacy had difficulty with enforcing all of its economic stimuli- especially the collection of debt Interest on purchased bonds was 8-12%
FIAT MONEY The Confederacy began to print their own bills, called treasury notes These bills had no backing in the treasury Businesses and merchants often times refused to accept treasury notes because of their lack of value Although an easy approach at the current moment, these bills would greatly contribute to an immense inflation throughout the Confederacy 75% of the Confederate revenue in the first year of the war was created from fiat money- 2% was attained through taxation
NORTHERN METHODS Loans In bond form Taxation Fiat Money In legal tender form 80% inflation by war s end The national debt went from $65 million to over $1 billion by the end of the Civil War- a 40% increase
LOANS Short term loans crafted by Treasury Salmon P. Chase targeted regular people and allowed for a breakup of payment for around $50 dollars monthly with interest at 7.3% The marketing of these bonds was successful because it allowed for slow payback that did not break the bank five-twenties - resulting in $400 million seven-thirties - resulting in $800 million Bonds raised two-thirds of war financing for the North
TAXATION Tariffs were established even before the war began, but they were constantly being revived and increased On August 5, 1861, the North instated the first Federal Income tax Anyone making under $800 a year was exempt; those making more were charged 3% of their income 21% of the Northern income during the Civil War was received through taxation
FIAT MONEY Taxes were not collected until 1862, so the government was relying on loans Banks were failing because of the Jacksonian divorce from government This crisis resulted in a proposition by Elbridge G. Spaulding that called for the production of $150 million dollars worth of fiat money This contrasted the Southern fiat money because it was legal tender
BIBLIOGRAPHY Beck, Tim. The North's Lost Oppourtunities. 17 July 2007. "Civil War Posters - Union & Confederate." Civil War Posters - Union & Confederate. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Sept. 2014. "Congress Passes Civil War Conscription Act." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. "Fiat Money in Memphis." Blue Gray Review. N.p., 23 May 2012. Web. 19 Sept. 2014. Harris, Leslie M. "The New York City Draft Riots of 1863." The New York City Draft Riots of 1863. University of Chicago, 2003. Web. 10 Sept. 2014. Opdyke, George. "The Riot of July, 1863." Official Documents, Addresses, Ect. New York: Hurd and Houghton, 1866. 263-83. Print. Wallace, Hunter. "The New York City Draft Riots." Occidental Dissent. N.p., 7 Dec. 2011. Web. 13 Sept. 2014. Wolfe, Brenden. "This Day (First Draft Edition)." Encyclopedia Virgina. N.p., 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 13 Sept. 2014.