Making of America - The Civil War

[TB]

How did the Civil War change America? Is it reasonable to look at the war as the second part of the war of independence? When and how did America move away from Europe to form a separate identity? Was it distinctly different from the beginning?

[PBrunsel]

I beleive it was Sam Watson of Company H who stated (which I got this all from "The Civil War" and Shelby Foote):

"America has no east, no west, no north, no south. We can lugh at the rediculous notion we have a North and a South. We are one an undevided."

Mr. Foote stated, "Before the war people would say the 'United States are', but after they said, 'The United States is.' " Meaning, I would wager, it united us into a group of states who were under a government, not a govermment under a group of states.

The war united the nation as no event has since. Americans saw their country from Gettysburg to Vicksburg.

[Beet]

The war had a catalyzing impact on the development of American music. Prior to the war, there was no such thing as truly "American" music, the music created and performed in the U.S. were heavily regional variants of styles imported from various abroads.

During the war, soldiers brought local styles into their regiments and exchanged practices with others both within their companies and through travelling the country, creating the first uniquely American musical synthesis. It also produced a number of highly inspiration martial songs such as "Battle Hymm of the Republic."