The Battle of Gettysburg, fought from July 1 through July 3, 1863, marked a turning point in the Civil War. This is the most famous andimportant Civil War Battle that occurred, around the small market townof Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Most importantly Gettysburg was theclash between the two major American Cultures of there time: theNorth and the South. The causes of the Civil War and the Battle ofGettysburg, one must understand the differences between these twocultures. The Confederacy (the South) had an agricultural economyproducing tobacco, sugar, and cotton, were found to thrive in theSouth. With many large plantations owned by a few very wealthy richwhite males. These owners lived off the labor of sharecroppers andslaves, charging high dues for the use of their land. “The Southern orConfederate Army was made up of a group of white males fighting fortheir independence from federal northern.” (McPheron, 33)The cooler climate and rocky soil in the North were not suitable forestablishing plantations or large farms. The Northern States,dedicated to a more modern way of life and to end slavery. The Union (the North) economy was based on manufacturing, and even theminorities in the North were better off than those in the South most ofthe time. As a result, the North’s economy came to depend more ontrade than on agriculture. “Such an economy favored the growth ofcities, though most Northerners still live in rural areas.” (McPheron43) The Northern politicians wanted tariffs, and a large army. TheSouthern plantation owners wanted the exact opposite. TheSoutherners enjoyed a prosperous agricultural based on slave labor andwished to keep their old way of life.The South was fighting against the government that they thought wastreating them unfairly. They believed the Federal Government wasovertaxing them, with tariffs and property taxes making their lifestylesev...
