Southern Victory, A Reformed America | Teen Ink

Southern Victory, A Reformed America

February 22, 2013
By Kayd95 SILVER, Hermiston, Oregon
Kayd95 SILVER, Hermiston, Oregon
7 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
He may knock over a barrel, but he wont break my heart


A great war was once fought, one country against itself, fighting over what was an opinion. The Civil War in America was one of great loss but also great gain. Where as everyone knows the outcome of this great war, what if it had been different? What if the Rebels had won?

We live in a world where everyone accepts the past, as it cannot be changed, but there’s always the “what if’s” resting in the back of the mind. The wonder of what might have been if the South had won.

Where would the South have lead us?

Would today's world be better or worse?

Reconstruction would have been handled completely different. The South would have re-joined the union, as they (the South) would have had a superior power. To stay a separate ‘union’ would have been catastrophic, for the South, seeing as the North had all the factories and the South had a strictly farming industry set up below the border. Where both industries were needed, they were needed together to strive as a country. The confederacy would have made it so all destroyed plantation were returned to their original state. This being done by hired workers, so as to offer jobs.
There’s the thought of what our government could have been had the South won. With all elements of it resting in a group of different minded people. A group of people who believed in independence with a common government, believe in a country who’s individual states ran the government by the people majority.

The presidential election process would have been, in my opinion, better. To vote, there would have been more to it than just filling out a paper and becoming a ‘registered voter’. The South, used to be only men 18 and older voting. They had to pass a test of knowledge before casting their vote as well. As women were already quickly gaining rights in the South, I believe woman would have eventually gained the right to vote, after passing the same knowledge test the men had to pass. Men on any type of government/state support could not vote. If you weren’t supporting yourself you were out of luck as far as voting was concerned.

As far as foreign policy, we probably would have had less involvement in the World Wars. This shown in Washington’s views on foreign affairs, as this is what the South went by. Washington believed that alliances with other countries shouldn’t be made. He also believed that the country should remain neutral, and participate only in isolationism. The Confederate Constitution states (Article I Section II (2) that “No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, enter into any agreement or compact with another state, or with a foreign power, unless actually invaded, or in such immanent danger as will not admit of delay”

When the time came for expansion the states would have taken a vote as to whether or not include a territory as a state. Then the decision would have to be made whether or not that state would be righted to slaves. This being an important part of admitting the state, as slaves could not be imported and there could be no slave dealing in any state not labeled a “slave state”. Shown in the Confederate States Of America Constitution, Article VI section 7 (1) “The importation of African negroes from any foreign country other than the slave-holding States of the Unites States, is hereby forbidden; and Congress are required to pass such laws as shall effectually prevent the same.”

The Economy would be solely based on the plantations of the South and the factories of the North, except now, the South would have control of the factories in the North.

I truly believe this world may have been a better place had the North not have one. The South wouldn’t have been such a pushover, but would have layed down stricter rules and enforced them. I believe things like the Death Penalty would have been carried out, it wouldn’t just be an empty threat translating into just being a life sentence. I believe the South would have been one of America’s greatest losses, because the South was the heart of a determined and disciplined government.


The author's comments:
We were given this assignment in History, and when i really thought about it.. I realize, Maybe a Southern Victory wouldn't have been so terrible after all.

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