Publisher's Synopsis
During its first half century of existence, the United States suffered dramatic transformations. The young republic became one of the most powerful nations in the world. The North, with its industrial growth, became a magnet for thousands of migrants worldwide. While the rural South remained attached to its traditions and customs, with its export-oriented economy of cotton and tobacco. Tensions between these two ways of life were mounting rapidly and ultimately led to war. This conflict was the toughest of the nineteenth century, except for the Napoleonic Wars, and the largest ever fought in the American continent. With three million contenders, nearly 620 000 died, more than 412 000 were wounded, and large areas of the South were devastated. All these created a gap in the country that it would take decades to close
