Yellow fever declined dramatically during the war because of the U.S. blockade and the army's sanitation efforts in occupied cities. Because the military could order all ships to remain in quarantine (however loudly the local merchants and shippers complained of delays) the yellow fever was generally contained before it reached the docks. This was all to the dismay of those who had anticipated with some glee that the fever would wipe out the un-fever-seasoned Yankee occupiers. The U.S. returned the favor in several instances by attempting to ship fever-tainted blankets, etc., into Confederate encampments (and they vice-versa). Germ warfare is not a 20th c. invention.

For your entertainment and review:

http://civilwaranimated.com/

David Donald, Why the North Won (1962)
Beringer, ed., Why the South Lost (1993)
Gary Gallagher, The Confederate War (1999)
Armstead Robinson, Bitter Fruit of Bondage: the Demise of Slavery and the Collapse of the Confederacy (2004)

The Civil War had a lasting effect on the nation. It just took awhile for all the changes to have a permanent hold. Even after taking this course there are still many rocks left unturned, but one of the big things that was illuminated to me was the closeness of the actual war. Also how the people greatly influenced the outcome with their support or the lack thereof. It was also really enjoyable to learn about the personal responses of people in the Shenandoah Valley, and what the war meant to them. The book "Confederates in the Attic" was the most interesting piece of literature we read because it illustrates how people feel from all over the country even though the war happened almost a hundred and fifty years ago. After all was said and done the biggest insight I took out of the class was the North did not truly motivated to end the war until the end of 1862.

When I signed up for this class I knew what the Civil War was but I did not have much of an understanding of it. I really enjoyed learning about the whole era, especially the different aspects on the war. It was great to learn more about the country I live in and how the Civil War changed the USA forever. One of the most important things I learned in this class about the Civil War is that there is definately no clear black/white way to do anything. It was not just "the North" fighting "the South" it goes so much deeper than that. The Ayers book was probably one of the most influential readings for me because I like how the average person can really make a difference in the bigger than life situations. Watching the movie clips helped me also because it gave me a visual understanding to compliment the reading. It’s so amazing to think of how much the US has changed because of the Civil War Era. Even though the US isn’t perfect, civil rights and freedom are a major part of what makes the US the US.

The Civil War was indeed a revolutionary era and probably the defining period in American history. On the one hand, it was the catastrophic culmination of sectional tension, millennial ideals, questions left unanswered by the framers of the US Constitution, and the breakdown of the old national political system. On the other, its result brought sweeping changes by freeing millions of people from bondage, restructuring the political and economic foundations of the country, and redefining the concept of the nation as a whole. The war and its aftermath dramatically increased the powers of both the executive and legislative branches of federal government, and was a victory for big government in general. America would no longer be viewed as a collection of semi-autonomous states, but as one nation. Additionally, it helped to usher in a more pure democracy, involving more people in the political process and toppling the aristocrats of the old South.

What emerged was a very different America than anyone could have imagined in the 1850's. The price of this new nation, for better or worse, was paid in the lives of thousands of the country's finest men.

Despite all that I've learned this term, I still struggle with the same question that I had before the course began: how does a country fall so far that its citizens, who had fought together for freedom less than a hundred years before, begin to fight against each other? While the question of slavery, regional differences, the issue of states' rights, millenial expectations, etc. all played a part in the path to war, it is still hard for me to comprehend that the civil war went on for so long and to such extremes. However, I do believe that the civil war had a lasting affect on the United States. While I recognize that freedom for African Americans was not truly found after nor due to the civil war, I do believe that it was a long process which began with the civil war. Also, America became a stronger entity following the war, a solid nation of united states. The consequences of war are seen so clearly in the history of the civil war. The price was paid not only by the soldiers but by every citizen. I just hope that the lesson of the civil war will continue to be learned by all americans, and that we will never again fall so far away from unity.

The Civil War was a defining period in the life of the United States. The whole idea of a United States held in the balance during the years before, during, and after the Civil War. One thing I gained from the course was that the war era was very complicated! The books we have read in class, the online sites, and the lectures have made me realize that to polarize regions, people, political parties as one way is incorrect and leads to false interpretations. It was interesting to see how politics, and not strictly moral conviction, during the Civil War had a huge impact on the emancipation of the slaves. Also, Lee’s determination to continue to fight in the war, ultimately led to the complete emancipation of every slave. The illusion that was shattered for me by this course was that the North was not staunchly abolitionist and that not all Southerners agreed with slavery. The implications of the Civil War are great, and this class and it’s entire devotion to a few years in the history of the United States speaks to the Civil War’s magnitude and importance.

The American Civil War Era was not only a complicated time for the United States, it was one of its most embarrassing yet defining moments. Despite the fact that an entire race was looked upon as inferior, many of the wars implications has gone on to affect the present. Now, with civil rights laws and the public sentiment become one of equality, we can look back at the war from an educational perspective and learn from our mistakes. One thing that I did not realize coming into this course was the complexity of the issues involved. Every aspect of the Civil War is tied in with at least two other aspects of it. Very confusing! But I can see why so many historians devote their lives to find new things that we can learn from our past.

I found it interesting to look at this class in terms of the continued interest in the Civil War even hundreds of years after the war. Especially with the HOrwitz book was interesting to see other people's view of the war who grew up with different as well as similar viewpoints to mine and learn about the similar preconceptions that people of the Civil War also brought to the table.

I really liked how we looked at how the war really transformed the country and moved it in a new direction especially with economic development. With concerns to the Horowitz book "Condfederates in the Attic" you see how the popular memory of the war is different for everyone, and has various conotations. I think that this is one of the lasting effects of the war.

It was difficult for all sides and opinions to be expressed and evenly represented before the war, during the war, and even after the war. Because so much of the population was literate, writings about the Civil War spawned almost a cult following in the years to follow it. So much passion and pain was lost in the Civil War that people for generations after wanted to remember its memory more than that of the Alamo. The War greatly impacted the lives of millions of Americans at the time, and forever after.

This class has broadened my perspective on the Civil War. Growing up in Connecticut, I got a very different view of the war than the view in this class. Being in this class for a term, I realized how narrow that view actually was. Reading the Ayers and Horowitz books were the most helpful for me, because they let me see the scope of the impact of the war, both back in the 1860's and in the present day. Now, I have realized the huge impact that this war really had, and continues to have even to this day.

The individual, super specific information we discussed revealed the war's impact in a different way than wide, textbook strokes. The Civil War affected individuals in diverse ways - Ayers demonstrated that it was the onset of the War itself that polarized people. As Horwitz showed, the War continues to be discussed and used today. Before the War, Americans were citizens of different states, through the War, they became citizens of different regions, and after the War, they became citizens of one country, albeit with strong (at least in the South) regional ties. In an interesting way, the Civil War actually served to unite Americans perhaps . . .

In this class, I have gotten a different view on the Civil War. Through critical study new turning points in the era arose. I have examined the different perspectives on the civil war and discovered new perspectives. The readings in this class have raised new questions about individuals during the Civil War.

The Civil War was not one fought between static, diametrically opposed groups and certainly not one of static individuals. Throughout the course, we read about how people changed their views about slavery and union. For example, through the Ayers book, we saw how many Virginians went from staunch Unionists to strong supporters of the Confederate cause. Similarly, we could see how Lincoln modified his views on what rights African Americans should be given in America. Overall, I learned that there is no single answer as to what caused the Civil War or as to what its ultimate impact was. To learn the answers to these answers, we have to look to the community level or perhaps even to the individual level.