The Civil War: A War of Resources

What resources did the South have at the time of the Civil War, and how did the South’s resources compare to the North’s resources? Did the the differences in resources have an impact on the outcome of the war?

Today you are going to identify the resources held by the North and the South during the Civil War. These resources can be grouped into three categories: capital resources, human capital, and natural resources.

After reading about the resources, you will pick the category (capital, human capital, or natural) that you feel made the most difference in the War. You will then write one to two paragraphs comparing the North to the South by reference to that category.

Activity One

Before you begin, you need to know how to identify each of the three categories: capital resources, human capital, and natural resources.

	Capital Resources: Resources made and used to produce and distribute goods and services; examples include tools, machinery and buildings.
	Human Capital: The health, education, experience, training, skills and values of people. It is also known as human resources.
	Natural Resources: "Gifts of nature" that can be used to produce goods and services; for example, oceans, air, mineral deposits, virgin forests and actual fields of land. When investments are made to improve fields of land or other natural resources, those resources become, in part, capital resources. Also known as land.

View Interactive Activity

1. Define capital resources in your own words.
    
2. Define human resources in your own words.
    
3. Define natural resources in your own words.

Activity Two

Now that you understand the different types of resources in the world, you are going to look at the resources that the North and South had available to them at the time of the Civil War.

Chart from Greece Central School District

Chart from Greece Central School District

View Interactive Activity

Activity Three

You are now going to do a little more research about the capital, human capital, and natural resources of the North and South. You will pick one category (capital, human, or natural) and compare the North to the South by reference to that category. You will need to take notes on your own paper and then write two to three paragraphs about the comparison. Use the charts above and websites below to help you.

• "Historical Background"
  https://americancivilwar.com/authors/historical.html
   
• "Why Did the North Win the Civil War?"
  www.socialstudieshelp.com/Lesson_35_Notes.htm
   
• "Regiment Rosters"
  www.civilwardata.com/dbstatus.html
   
• "Soldier Occupations"
  go.hrw.com/hrw.nd/gohrw_rls1/pKeywordResults?ST9Soldiers
   
• "Railroads in 1850 and 1860"
  wps.ablongman.com/wps/media/objects/31/32716/figures/DIVI241.jpg

You have just learned about capital resources, human resources, and natural resources and the impact these resources had on the outcome of the Civil War.

View Interactive Activity

1. Pick one category (capital, human, or natural) and compare the North to the South. Take notes on your own paper then write two to three paragraphs. You will type it in the space provided. Include in your first paragraph a definition of the category you are writing about. Compare at least three items within that category.
    
2. Which category (capital, human, or natural) do you think was most important in allowing the North to win the war? Explain why.

1. Your task now is to write a short essay entitled "The Civil War: A War of Resources."

Paragraph 1: Introduction
Paragraph 2: Capital Resources
Paragraph 3: Human Capital
Paragraph 4: Natural Resources
Paragraph 5: Conclusion

2. Choose one of the categories above and make either a poster or a powerpoint presentation to show how the resources of the North and South compare.

3. Write a short response to the following questions to turn in.

View Interactive Activity

1. If resources were so important, why did the South hang on for so long?
    
2. What else besides resources might be important?
    
3. How were the resources used and how did they change over time?