North vs. South, 1861 Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses

North vs. South, 1861 Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses Among the most memorable events that had the greatest impact on the development of the United States, the war between the North and the South takes the first spot, not only for being one of the greatest bloodbaths in the history, but also for its results, which established final and complete abolition of slavery and heralded the new epoch which would follow soon, the epoch of equal rights.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on North vs. South, 1861: Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, it must be mentioned that, like any other war, the Civil War could have had the most unpredictable consequences and could have resulted in anything unless one of the sides used their resources in a different way. Therefore, assessing and estimating the factors which caused the existing results and finding out the strengths and the weaknesses of each side, as well as the goals of South and the reaso ns the latter were not reached, one can possibly understand why the North finally took its victory. Starting with the Confederates and the factors that defined their war strategy and tactics, one must keep in mind the specifics of the South and the lifestyle which the residents of the South led. Having their fighting and shooting skills perfected, the dwellers of the South were rather tough opponents (Gallagher, 2001, 23). In addition, the military leaders of the South were far more resourceful than their North opponents: â€Å"Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. (â€Å"Stonewall†) Jackson were more skillful military leaders than those the Union initially brought forward† (Boyer, 2001, 130). The last and the most important thing that could have made the South invincible, if not for several crucial mistakes and the numerous disadvantages, was the location of the battles. It is quite important that the fights which the Confederates led were located mostly in their native lands, which meant that the South had to fight in their homeland. Since the given advantage allowed to locate the troops in the most successful way and make use of the fact that the North army could not choose the proper tactics in a completely unknown location, the given factor is of crucial importance – in fact, it could have even changed the results of the war, had the Confederates taken advantage of their sudden luck. However, once the South did not make use of its profitable position, the chance was lost. Still, there were considerable problems in numerous aspects with the South and its political, economical and social factors. The first and the foremost, the South had less population, which meant that the quality of their fighting skills had to level the gap in quantity. In addition, the Union and its forces blocked all the ports in the South, which meant that the latter could not obtain any outside help or even continue the trading relationships.Advertising Looking fo r essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Moreover, the industry in the South was underdeveloped and the war funds were not provided in the required amount. Finally, the Confederate states made too large an area to defend its every corner, which the Union knew and made efficient use of (Donovan Griess, 2002, 92). As for the North, its obvious advantages practically predetermined the outcomes of the war. As Gallagher (2001) said, â€Å"The North entered the war with seemingly decisive advantages in almost every measurable category† (22). In addition, as Gallagher (2001) explained, â€Å"The North far outstripped the Confederacy in almost every economic category.† However, when dealing with the North advantages, the industry must be mentioned first: â€Å"in 1860, there were 110,000 northern manufacturing establishments employing 1,300,000 workers.† Moreover, the North had its transportation sys tem up to the notch – its mileage was about 220,000, while Confederacy had about 9,000 (Gallagher, 2001, 22). In addition, the manpower and the Navy forces were more than powerful in the North. To top it all, the North had Lincoln – and this man alone was worth the Navy and the army altogether. However, the Union also had its weak spots, and the notorious military leaders leaved much to be desired. At best they were harmless; at worst, they put the entire Union under a threat (Gallagher, 2001, 23). In addition, the Union had no African people recruited, while the South used their slaves as the key force. Hence, the North had everything to win the battle. Despite the few disadvantages concerning the lack of the number of soldiers and a more serious concern about the military leaders, who, apart from Lincoln, hardly satisfied the requirements and could not stand the comparison to their more adequate and competent South opponents, the North had the advantages which the So uth could not compete with. Though it cannot be assumed that the North knew they would win the war even before they actually started it, the South had very few chances to take the victory in this battle. Perhaps, these were not only the tangible factors that helped the Union take over the Confederates, but also the very idea that millions of Africans will be freed, and that slavery would soon become a distant memory.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on North vs. South, 1861: Face to Face. Strengths and Weaknesses specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reference List Boyer, P. S. (2001). The Oxford companion to United States history. Oxford, UK: Oxfords University Press. Donovan, T. H., Griess, T. E. (2002). The American Civil War. New York, NY: Square One Publishers. Gallagher, G. W. (2001). The American Civil War: The War in the East 1861 – May  1963. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing.

IBM History

IBM History IBM or International Business Machines is a well-known  American computer manufacturer, founded by Thomas J. Watson (born 1874-02-17). IBM is also known as Big Blue after the color of its logo. The company has made everything from mainframes to personal computers and has been immensely successful selling business computers. The Beginning of IBM On June 16, 1911, three successful 19th-century companies decided to merge, marking the beginnings of IBM history. The Tabulating Machine Company, the International Time Recording Company, and the Computing Scale Company of America joined together to incorporate and form one company, the Computing Tabulating Recording Company. In 1914, Thomas J. Watson Senior joined CTR as CEO and held that title for the next twenty years, turning the company into the multi-national entity. In 1924, Watson changed the company’s name to International Business Machines Corporation or IBM. From the beginning, IBM defined itself not by selling products, which ranged from commercial scales to punch card tabulators, but by its research and development. IBM History of Business Computers IBM began designing and manufacturing calculators in the 1930s, using the technology of their own punch card processing equipment. In 1944, IBM together with Harvard University financed the invention of the Mark 1 computer, the first machine to compute long calculations automatically. By 1953, IBM was ready to completely produce their own computers, which began with the IBM 701 EDPM, their first commercially successful general-purpose computer. And the 701 was just the beginning. IBM History of Personal Computers In July 1980, Microsofts Bill Gates agreed to create an operating system for IBMs new computer for the home consumer, which IBM released on August 12, 1981. The first IBM PC ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor. IBM had now stepped into the home consumer market, sparking the computer revolution. Outstanding IBM Electrical Engineers David Bradley joined IBM immediately upon graduation. In September 1980, David Bradley became one of the original 12 engineers working on the IBM Personal Computer and was responsible for the ROM BIOS code.