How was the South affected by the Civil War?The effect on both the land and the people.

The affects of the Civil War on the south were devastating.  As the Northern armies drove south crops were burned, mills were destroyed, and houses were burned.  Without the excess labor that the slaves provided, the south was unable to rebuild in a timely manner.  In addition, the political unrest and fear of the changes as well as the displacement of the slaves led to starvation, increased crime, and the victimization of former property owners by carpetbaggers.

The people in the south were afraid and angry.  They had lost a cause they believed in.  Their land and way of life had been destroyed.  Rebel sons and fathers had died in the war leaving behind mostly women and children.  The south was forced to secede to the Union and was kept under military rule.

African Americans continued to suffer.  Lynch mobs and militia organized and hung and shot former slaves.  There was a fear that coveted Whites who now saw the freed slaves as the enemy ready to pounce.

The economy of the south was in a bad state.  The southern money system had little to no value.   Jobs were scare and blacks and whites flocked towards the north in hopes of finding work.  Those who did not go south headed west in hope of a better life.