Not too fast please! My students will definitely thank you for that!
The Civil War.
By the 1850s, the Industrial Revolution had completely reached the United States. Northern States rapidly became industrialized, while the South remained almost completely reliant on agriculture. Many southern states were against the idea that a single, central government in Washington, D.C. should make decisions for the North and South alike, considering they were such different regions. Perhaps the most important decision was a “State’s Right” to continue slavery. In 1861, seeing that slavery would be nationally abolished, 7 states left the US to create the Confederate States of America. Joined quickly by 4 more states, their army would go to war with the Union Army, made up of northern states. This war put neighbors, cousins, and even brothers against each other, meaning there were always enemies around.
Also, the Industrial Revolution allowed for the mass production of guns, which evolved from rifles firing 3 shots-per-minute with a 100-meter limit, to guns firing 30 shots-per-minute with a 1000-meter range. With rapidly changing guns, and relatively unchanging tactics, the US experienced its deadliest domestic war, with over 620,000 dead. The Civil War officially ended in 1865 with the South’s surrender.
